WatchTime - August 2012

A watchmaker places a basket containing parts in the ultrasonic cleaning machine.
arated from the bracelet), etc. Broken
bracelets and clasps are repaired before
being refinished. Crystals with anti-reflective
coating must be kept away from refinishing
equipment and ultrasonic cleaners
to protect the coating from scuffs and
scratches.
Refinishing technicians evaluate the
finishes and plan their approach. If
they’re working on, for example, a Rolex
Oyster-style bracelet, they use for the polished
areas a muslin buff treated with dry
rouge mounted on a high-speed benchtop
motor. The technician holds the
bracelet in his hands and guides it on the
buff. Other surfaces, such as the sides of
the case, are polished with hand tools.
Whenever possible, cases are finished to
factory specs. Edges and corners remain
sharp, if that is how they came from the
factory. Experience and skill are required
to get the finish just right. Unfortunately,
prior poorly executed refinishing usually
can’t be remedied. Sharp edges and corners
that have been polished away cannot
be brought back to factory spec.
Next, the muslin buff is replaced with
a satin wheel. A special heat-resistant tape
is used to mask off the polished areas, and
the satin finish is applied. Again, some areas,
such as the tops of the lugs, can’t be
finished properly with the wheel, so they
are done by hand using emery sticks.
Everything is done to factory specs, which
spell out details such as the angle of the
satin on the tops of the lugs. Where a circular
satin finish is required, such as the
underside of the bezel, the part is placed in
a lathe, where the spinning action yields
the proper finish.
Bead-blasted finishes present special
challenges, as no two brands use exactly
The sparkling-clean movement is reassembled.
the same finish. Matching factory finishes
requires using different blasting media
recipes. (Blasting media usually consists of
very fine beads made from glass or aluminum
oxide.) Bead blasting equipment is
similar to the spray guns used to paint cars.
An adjustable nozzle with a trigger is attached
to an air compressor and a container
of blasting media. Depressing the trigger
releases an air-powered jet of media. The
part(s) being refinished are suspended in a
box that captures the media. As with polishing
and satin finishing, areas that must
be protected are masked off with impactresistant
tape.
The final refinishing steps include placing
the parts in an ultrasonic cleaner for 15
to 20 minutes, followed by a steam clean
and dry. Each part is then individually
wrapped and sent back to the watchmaker
who is servicing the movement.
THE HEART OF THE service center operation
is the clean room where high-grade
mechanical movements are serviced. Here,
positive air pressure, air filters, sticky mats,
lab coats, finger cots, and other steps help
insure potential contaminants are kept in
check. This room reminded me of a smaller
version of the assembly workshops at the
top factories in Switzerland. Stoll also owns
Carl F. Bucherer North America, which distributes
the CFB brand, and Bucherer
watches are serviced in this room. Most of
the Stoll & Co. watchmakers are WOSTEP
graduates, while a few entered the profession
as apprentices. The watchmakers also
receive factory-sponsored training so they
August 2012 WatchTime 115