Expert: Melvin Mills - 4/8/2009

Question
I have a Seiko Bellomatic that has a broken self-winding mechanism.  I can hear it heavily clank back and forth if I move the watch instead of making a spin sound, which it used to do if I wanted to wind it rapidly and gave a flick of my wrist while holding the watch in my hand (I realize this motion probably broke the mechanism.)  How extensive a job is it to get this fixed?  Who would I go to?  Should I stick with someone who only fixes Seiko's?  Thank you!

Answer
John,

If we assume that the rotor is the only thing broken, it won't take much, as long as they can get the parts.  All watchmakers are going to insists on performing a complete service.  If they don't, they will not warranty the watch.


Look for a local watchmaker.  It will not be important to find someone who specializes in Seiko.  Anyone who works on mechanical watches can fix it.

Kind regards,

Melvin