| Author | Message | ||
     David Harding New member Username: Davedh Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
I recently bought a 1960's JLC with a manual-wind P800 movement. The watch 'freezes' sometimes during winding, but a gentle tap gets it running again. Timekeeping is quite accurate. I want to have the movement cleaned and oiled, gaskets replaced and the missing crown tube replaced. The absence of the crown tube leads me to believe that moisture has entered the case. A local watchmaker (who's only changed my straps) seems knowledgeable and ready to do the job for $400. As a matter of fact, he alerted me to the presence of minor spotting on the hands which he felt was indicative of the moisture problem. My question: should I entrust this work to a company like RGM who is estimating the same job for about $100 more? (They haven't handled the watch yet). Second: should I expect that the movement be disassembled during this cleaning and lubrication? Thank you all for helping me out.  | ||
| Ilja Probst Moderator Username: Ilja Post Number: 37 Registered: 05-2003 Rating: N/A |
Hi David, a mechanical watch should be cleaned and oiled every 5 years anyway. Since you bought the watch resently, I asume it�s service history isn�t known. $400 sounds quite expensive to me, it could be resonable if parts are needed, but usually JLC parts are hard to obtain... Regarding the missing winding tube, it might be the watch originally came without. Try to check for reference numbers on the inner or outer case back, than we can compare with our reference archive for further details. A movement service of course means to disassamble it complete. All parts are cleaned and sometimes polished, especially when the service is estimated above $150. Hope this helps. Ilja PS. My knowledge on service prices is based on European watchmakers, US prices may can differ. | ||
| David Harding New member Username: Davedh Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2004 Rating: N/A |
Thank you for your reply Ilja, Yes, your information was helpful. The number on the caseback reads 525152 and the movement has P800 on it. I've emailed JLC for information on the watch, but haven't heard from their research dept yet. The seller says that the watch has had only one owner and its been cleaned 1 time in its 40 years of ownership. |