WatchTime - August 2012

watchmaker servicing the watch. Each
watchmaker can service three or four
simple watches or one or two chronographs
per day.
Dials requiring refinishing are sent out
to specialists. Stoll & Co. has a LaserStar
welding system on site to make repairs
such as reattaching dial feet.
Once a watch has been serviced and
fully reassembled, it goes through final
quality control. For mechanical watches,
phase one is a timing and performance
test. Automatics are mounted on a huge
Astuto winder for five to seven business
days. Manual-winding watches are hand
wound once per day for the same period.
Timekeeping and calendar functions are
checked and the results are noted daily.
Any watch that is not up to spec is sent
back to the watchmaker.
The Astuto winder,
manufactured in
Neuchâtel, can wind
up to 90 watches.
After the timing check, final quality
control includes checking hand alignment,
crown functions, winding, and appearance
(dust, lint, fingerprints, smudges,
etc.). All pins and screws are checked for
tightness, and all finishes are examined to
make sure they meet factory specs. All old
parts are returned to the customer. After
everything checks out, the watch is packaged
up and returned to the retailer or the
owner.
High-grade-mechanical overhauls of
the type described here usually take four
to six weeks. Smaller jobs such as bracelet
repairs can be completed in one to two
weeks. The watch arrives home in as close
to new condition as possible, and nothing
makes an owner happier than receiving his
or her timepiece in beautiful condition after
it has been to the spa.