The Tricky Questions - Answered With Honesty

Your watch parts ready for assembly

The winding system

The barrel and center wheel

The hands and hour wheel

The ratchet and crown wheels

The balance wheel, spiral and anchor

The base plate of the ETA 6498 movement

The ETA / Unitas 6498 movement being serviced

Your watch before being closed

Adjusting the heigh of a rubis jewel

A vintage movement being restored

Angling a bridge requires a sharp eye and lots of expertise

Applying perlage decoration to the backside of a bridge

A finished angled bridge with shiny beveleded sides

Applying Côtes de Genève decorations

The ETA 6498 movement adjusted on the Timegrapher

Cleaning the tiny parts

1. How precise is a mechanical watch?

I always test my watches with a professional Timegrapher before I close the see-through back. If needed, I adjust them to a running precision of +/- 1 second per day. This means a theoretical deviation of maximum +/- 30 seconds per month.

Why is the deviation theoretical?
The precision of a watch depends on many parameters. Beside the most obvious one -Quality- there are a few others:

The position on the wrist: as you move your body the position of your watch changes, and the inner parts (wheels, anchor, etc) work in different positions with more or less friction. When I adjust your watch, I tune it for a variation of positions (upright, upside down, etc). I look then for the best possible compromise.

The amount of winding. Towards the end of the power reserve, the barrel spring delivers less power, and the watch tends to deviate.
--> I recommend winding up your watch on a regular basis, for instance every evening before you go to bed.

The maintenance. A watch, like a car, includes moving parts that need to be serviced every now and then. A watch should be disassembled, cleaned and oiled every 4 to 5 years (quartz watches too).
--> I will gladly provide this service, please call me for a quote.

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2. Where does your watch expertise come from?

I studied watches as part of the IFAGE Education for Adults Program at the Ecole d'Horlogerie de Genève, the oldest watch-making school in Switzerland. I learned servicing watch movements, including complex chronographs, assembling cases and decorating parts, such as anglage, perlage and côtes de Genève. Look at the pictures to the right. I shot them at my own workbench. Most relate to your watch!

I also practice museum quality aircraft modeling. Google for my nickname ScalePhantomPhixer and see (on the very first page!) what others say about my achievements. You will be amazed!

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3. Why no quartz watches?

As an authentic Swiss watchmaker, I share little interest in quartz watches. If you are serious about watches, you should too!
Quartz watches are dead pieces of electronic components, produced in massive numbers at very cheap costs. Watches carrying quartz movements have no soul: they do not tick and they require expensive batteries.

How many dead quartz watches fill already your cabinet?

How much did you pay last time you went for a battery replacement?

True! Real Swiss Precision Watches are always mechanical: they run without batteries! It was so yesterday, it is today and it will be that way in the future.

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4. Is the watch water resistant?

Yes it is. The watch will repel ordinary water sprinkles or raindrops. However, it is not built for immersion in water during activities like swimming or diving. The crown will let humidity seep into the watch. Water will also destroy the leather wristband.
--> I recommend to remove your watch whenever you are about to be exposed to water (washing hands or dishes, washing your car, etc).

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5. Sellers on eBay offer watches "without box or papers". Why?

You must be very careful with these kinds of sales. There are many serious reasons to stay far away:

The watch is often a second-hand model. It is frequently in used condition. The previous owner was careless enough to lose the box and papers: certificate of purchase, guarantee, certificate of quality, etc. Worse, he "lost" the papers on purpose...

The watch was probably stolen. The seller tries to hide away from Authorities by concealing the pieces of evidence. You must be aware that if you buy a stolen watch, chances are high that eventually you will end up having an unpleasant conversation with the Police.

The watch is mostly counterfeit. Owning a replica watch breaks international copyright laws. Think of it! For instance, you can no longer travel without risking a firm tap on your shoulder by a serious looking Customs Officer! Would you like it?

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6. Are fakes good enough?

NO! Who wants to be ripped off? There are many reasons for staying away from fakes. On internet you will indeed find mechanical watches for a few dollars, but...

... cheap watches always include fake movements and copy parts made in China, Taiwan, etc. The seller will of course never state that fact clearly. He will even try to appear legitimate by selling the product at a much higher price: up to $400 or above! These people are not afraid of publishing stolen photos of original watches and sending lousy copies.

Buying a fake watch is like looking hard for trouble: the quality is absent and the watch will stop running after a few months only.

There will be no service. Once your watch is broken, you can throw it away.

You would not support the counterfeit watch industry, would you? An industry that is more threatening than drug connections!

You will be unable to file an official complaint, because buying copy watches is illegal in many countries and fined severely.

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7. Why are similar watches much more expensive?

Yes, similar watches on eBay sell for as much as $3,000. The price difference
-up to $2,400- just feeds the greedy seller. What you get is seldom worth the money you spend!

My watches are the Best Value for Money, because I have no intermediaries and I keep my production costs to an absolute minimum.
--> YOU are the beneficiary of my fair prices. I want you to pay only for the REAL value of your watch. A satisfied customer is my priority n°1!

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8. There are only a few models in your catalogue.
Why is that?

I am continuously investigating the market for new additions. I invest a lot of time to talk to the producers and find the right product at a fair price. There will always be additions, so...

... come back often to check out
for new additions to my catalogue!

eX Watch Switzerland

+41 79 639 78 79