Luxury Watch Services

We recommend all luxury watch brands (Automatic or Manual) should be serviced every 5 years or so. Some modern, mechanical watches are known to last last over 10 years, before showing any signs of internal wear. but it's always a good idea to take advantage of our free diagnostic services and have your watch inspected by a professional watchmaker. Routine maintenance will always safeguard your investment, extend its longevity, and ensure that you get years of enjoyment from your precious timepiece. 

Disclaimer: FIXING TIME is not affiliated with Rolex or any other Luxury Watch Brand. 

We have provided our Independent Services since 1978, specializing on most of the classic and contemporary timepieces from the finest brands.

Many Swiss, luxury, mechanical watches such as Rolex, Omega and Cartier tend to have higher costs on labor and parts for two simple reasons. First, there are only a handful of expert watchmakers available today, who have the proper knowledge, background, and expertise to work on such complicated, ultra lux timepieces. The replacement parts also tend to be more expensive and thus increase costs, since they are strictly controlled by the manufacturers and cannot be substituted by after-market components.

Quartz watches are powered by a battery, which is typically replaced between 1-5 years, depending on the age and type of movement, usage, and other circumstances. Some brands, such as Citizen’s Eco-Drive, utilize solar power, which allows its capacitor to recharge and power the timepiece continuously. Other brands, such as Seiko Kinetic, have a small mechanism on the back that charges an internal capacitor, which in turn will send power to work the watch. In all these cases, there is an electrical component and circuitry that aids in the power and functioning of the timepiece. 

Mechanical movements can be self-winding (automatic) or hand-wound. Mechanical movements use energy from a wound spring, rather than a battery, to power the watch. This spring stores energy and transfers it through a series of gears and springs, regulating the release of energy to power the watch. An Automatic watch will have a rotor on the movement which will re-wind the mainspring when your wrist moves. If consistently worn, an automatic, self-winding watch will never run out of power.

For those who are new to the world of watches, the easiest way to tell if a watch is Quartz or Mechanical is to observe the behavior of the second hand on the dial. For quartz watches, the second hand moves once every second and darts from second to second with a well-known ‘tick’ motion. The second hand on a mechanical watch will have a ‘sweeping’ motion whereby the hand glides with tiny increments between each second.

Several factors can potentially cause a Quartz or Mechanical watch to start running slow (or even fast) preventing the timepiece from functioning properly.  Sometime this is the result of dried out or deteriorated oils, and possibly an ingress of dust and dirt that adversely affect the timekeeping. Accidental drop or hard surface impacts can also directly alter the normal operations of the watch. Other times, it’s simply the age of the timepiece that commands work. Fact is, all watches have moving parts, and over time, they will require adjustments and cleaning in some measure. Routine maintenance is essential to ensuring the longevity of your investment, and based on its respective model and brand, service cost can range from simple battery replacements to complete factory overhauls. Quality timepieces are designed to last for generations. It's always best to follow the factory service recommendations, so you can enjoy them for years to come.

Yes. We stock many types of replacement watch glass made of mineral, acrylic and sapphire crystals, flat or domed, and ranging in various sizes and thicknesses, Costs are determined by the watch brand and type of replacement glass needed. We can replace most crystals within the hour, but luxury watches that require original, factory parts with re-seal and pressurization, the process may take longer to complete. 

Yes. We can restore the dial to as close to the original design as possible. Over time, moisture, dust and dirt can settle on the watch dial and  cause rusting, discoloring and tarnishing.  Parts of the dial such as the batons or numbers can either be polished or completely re-plated depending on the extent of the damage. We have carried out many restorations, both on modern and vintage dials, with the process taking anywhere from 2 weeks to several months to get the job done right. 

The water resistance of a watch, as noted on the dial or case back, is normally expressed in meters, bar, or atmospheres (ATM) and refers to how well a watch will cope when it is exposed to water. This depth rating doesn’t  refer directly to how deep the watch will go in the water, but only provides a general guideline to how a watch should be used around water:

30 meters (3 bar/3ATM)

A watch with a water resistance rating of up to 30 meters is likely that it is resistant to withstand accidental splashes of water only and should not be submerged in water. 

50 meters (5 bar/5ATM)

The watch will be resilient to splashes, showers and some light swimming. 

The watch will be very resilient to daily life and can be exposed to handwashing and lite swimming without any fear of damaging the watch.  

The watch can be worn for swimming, high-impact waters sports and scuba diving. A watch with this rating would be perfect for avid swimmers and surfers. 

The watch can be worn for all high-impact water sports and scuba diving. This high level of water resistance is perfect for those who are very active in water-based adventures and sports.    

The Water Resistance rating of a watch relies on the seals being intact. Those seals, gaskets and O-rings found around the crystal, case back, crown, and pushers will deteriorate over time and can potentially compromise the seal integrity of the watch. Its best to test the water resistance annually, specially during battery replacements, to ensure the watch maintains its water protection. It may be worth testing more frequently if the timepiece is constantly used in water related activities. If a watch is worn in salt water, it should be rinsed with fresh water afterwards, since salt water can be corrosive and could cause damage to the case of the watch. 

Yes. When your mechanical clock or watch refuses to keep time and the repairs become too costly, then replacing the movement with a battery operated quartz conversion may be the answer. The benefits to this is that you regain the accurate timekeeping of a treasure timepiece that would otherwise be useless. Cost of maintenance would also decrease as quartz movements generally require battery service every 1-- years (depending on usage and type of movement).  The only disadvantage to consider is that the conversion to quartz will devalue the watch, but we will  always advise you of the proper course, based on the unique nature of each, individual timepiece.