We love it when we get asked to do a restoration.
We get to see pieces from different eras, in many interesting styles.
A gentleman recently brought in a beloved Omega watch he has owned for many years.
It’s clearly been very loved and worn with pride. He asked if we could restore the dial to its former glory, and we jumped at the chance to have a look.
First, we opened the case to get a closer look at the dial and the condition it was in. On inspection we found we could save it, so we got to work.
The restoration included overhauling the movement and fitting a new crown. In the end it worked like a new Swiss watch!
Our customer was over the moon, and he can now wear his cherished watch with pride.
We could also have restored the case, but the customer chose to keep it in its current condition on this occasion.
We loved having the chance to resurrect an old time piece to its former glory.
What does watch restoration involve?
Watch restoration can be a very time consuming process, and must be done extremely carefully. With the movement, every screw is removed and all plates supporting the inner workings are removed. This includes cams, wheels, cogs, rotors, jewels, bridges, posts, springs, clips and so on.
In some watches this can add up to hundreds of parts!
Each part is then meticulously cleaned, oiled and assembled. We then test the watch for positional errors – this is to ensure the watch remains accurate through various positions during everyday use.
The dial is also a very specialist job. Dials show wear with age and also when exposed to light, rust water, etc. Where the enamel of a dial has been damaged, the only way to refurbish this is to recover the whole dial, but first the dial has to be completely stripped. Any base metal that is damaged must be filled and polished, leaving a smooth surface to apply the new enamel.
A colour match is worked out, and all time indicators cleaned and refitted.
Do you have any treasures that could be restored back to their original beauty? We’d love to take a look.
Restoring jewellery gives it a new lease of life, and can often make it last for many more years to come.
Bring your watches or jewellery into store and we’ll take a look and tell you what we can do to get them ready to show off.
Pop into our store at 50 High Street, Redcar TS10 3DR
Hallmark The Jewellers 