Ashton Tracy
5480 Canotek Road K1J9H7

After 3 long weeks of renovating, the house and new permanent at home workshop are (mostly) complete. Im now officially back open and taking in restoration and service work again.

This lovely #Rolex #Explorer II dial had developed a lovely #patina on the dial but the hands were service replacement. After a little bit of magic they now suit much better!

This vintage #breitling #chronomat #chronograph recently made its way across my bench. The bezel seemed to be stuck. The culprit? It had been glued down. These early bezels were held in by three steel pins. Only one was present and it was in bad shape. I was able to gently remove the bezel without destroying the inner bezel. The chrono seconds hand had been replaced with a bad replacement which was just too thick. The movement was very dirty and the old blue steel spring was ...still in there. The balance staff was chipped on one corner of the pivot and needed replacing. Also, a dial foot screw had snapped in the movement. With all parts sourced I could get to work. Balance staff changed, new spring installed and dial screw procured, as well as a correct profile chrono seconds hand. The bezel then had the broken steel pins drilled out and the holes drilled out to be made even. I turned up new stainless steel pins on the lathe. The bezel now turns as it should and the watch runs well. Another successfully saved vintage watch that almost suffered its fate at the hands of a butcher! See more

A vintage #Rolex #Datejust came in for restoration and had a badly worn hole in the mainplate that the centre wheel fits into. It needed to be drilled out and a new bush was made to fit. In this video we are finding dead centre before drilling. Like most things in watchmaking, the actual task is very quick, but the set up to make sure everything is precise is a very time consuming process. Vintage restorations cannot be rushed.

For sale - Vintage #Tudor Submariner 7016/0. 32XX76 serial number. This watch has recently been restored and the dial and hands have been re-lumed with superluminova which has been applied to look age appropriate. There is still a faint glow. This Tudor Submariner comes on a USA riveted bracelet. It comes with a 2 year guarantee as well as a 30 page service report outlining all the work that has been done. Its gaining an average of 2.8 seconds per day over 5 positions. You... can see the case has nice fat lugs, but does show signs of polishing. The watch has been tested for water resistance and passed. The pictures should answer any questions you may have. Please context me to discuss price and any other questions you may have.

This was a very interesting piece to work on. Its a Zodiac with a Landeron 47 movement. This is an interesting movement as the two sub dials are actually off-set so when you are looking at it its visibly crooked. I also love the long tail on the chrono seconds hands.

Restoring a 1950s #Breitling #Chronomat.

Freshly serviced ladies #Rolex with 2135 movement.

This vintage #Tudor #Submariner 7016/0 was sent to me for a full restoration. The main issue was the dodgy re-lume that was done. It was all over the place. The first picture shows the watch as it was received. The second picture shows the watch after restoration with the new vintage, period correct re-lume.

Watchmakers are in short supply these days so we decided we would create our own. At least the tools are already baby sized. New apprentice arriving January 2021!

Thursday morning fun. Servicing my favourite triple calendar. The Valjoux 723.

Up today is a classic. A no date #Rolex Oyster Perpetual. This one was in fairly good condition, except the oscillating weight axle has come unseated from its rivet. It also had insufficient barrel endshake between the plates. The barrel itself had wear on the seating for the arbor and needed to be reamed and closed up. Once all that was rectified, a new oscillating weight axle was fitted. The watch had all the jewels pegged out before cleaning to make sure that the bearing surfaces are perfectly clean. Once cleaned, certain components are treated with epilame, a product that helps oil to stay where it should. The watch is now in tip top condition and running well.

I was recently speaking with someone and they told me what they paid to have their watch serviced. They mentioned to me that the cost seemed high for an ETA 2892. I thought this was an interesting comment. The prevailing thought is that ETA based watches are cheaper to service. This series of photos shows the results of that kind of thinking. You will notice that the hands were coated in oil when I uncased the watch. This was the result of what I found underneath the dial. ...The red arrows point to the HUGE amounts of oil. The watch was drowned in it. The pallet pivots were lubricated (something I see all the time and is never correct), there was so much oil on the stones it had travelled onto the mainplate. The mainspring was filthy. After cleaning the watch was assembled and then lubrciated as I assembled. Thankfully, the hands were able to be saved and there was no damage to the dial. The final picture shows the timing results. This is just a snap shot of the reports that I provide during the service. This particular overhaul came with a 28 page report, something that is now standard for all overhauls at my workshop. Becuase watchmaking is so unregulated, the customer needs to be put at ease. Hopefully these reports provide that peace of mind. See more

Checking the balance spring of a #Rolex 3035 after cleaning to ensure flatness and concentricity. A balance spring must be perfectly flat and concentric to ensure accurate time keeping.

Fitting the chronograph driving wheel to a #Zenith #ElPrimero during a service. This wheel is mounted on the pivot of the wheel trains 4th wheel. It transfers the power from the base movement to the chronograph wheels. A coupling wheel rocks back and forth to start/stop the chronograph. The concentricity and placement of this wheel is crucial. When it is fitted, the mainplate jewel should always be supported so it isnt moved when pressure is applied. These are simple, straightforward steps to take when servicing a watch, but unfortunately, there are so seldom employed.

Restoring a vintage #Jaeger Le-Coultre #Memovox. This one was in very rough shape and in need of a lot of work. Restoration is almost complete.

An excerpt from my latest YouTube video. I go through the whole process of drilling out a broken pivot in an oscillating weight of a vintage #Jaeger #Le-Coultre #Memovox #Alarmwatch. The link to the video in my bio.

I was going through my workshop the other day and found this. This is a case that I made nearly 12 year ago when I was at WOSTEP. Its machined to fit an ETA 6497. I havent drilled out the crown tube or lug holes. It was going to have a sapphire crystal and case back with 8 screws affixing the case back to the case. How did I make it, you ask? This started as a solid block of brass that I turned on a Schaublin 70 lathe and filed out the lugs by hand. No milling, no CNC at all. It just goes to show what you can do with very simple machinery, time and perseverance. Certainly not a Dufour or a Roger Smith but Im proud of it. Maybe I should finish it one of these days...

Just finished the overhaul of this vintage #Omega 565. I love seeing and servicing movements like this. This is one of the best condition examples I have ever seen. Minimal marking and screw scratching. Usually these older Omegas have been serviced by so many hacks they are destroyed, but this beauty has been wonderfully preserved. Such a treat to see and work on. The reason you should always choose a competent, qualified watchmaker.

I never get tired of looking at and restoring a #Tudor #Snowflake. I just love them. Freshly restored and ready to ship back to the customer.

My new toy has arrived! A centering microscope that is fitted to the tail stock of my lathe. This is used to find the center of a bushing, broken pivot, post, etc. Once the center has been found, the piece can be drilled out accurately. This opens up a whole new world of restoration work that was previously next to impossible.

Did somebody say crown rebuild? New #Seiko 6105 crown gaskets are in stock and plentiful! Get your #Seiko 6105 in today for a full overhaul, jewel upgrade and crown rebuild to have it running good as new. Just in time for the Captain Willard re-issue. Nothing beats the OG!

I just opened up this #Seiko 6139 and look what I found! Oil. Everywhere. Al over the dial, it was coming out through the holes for the hands and oozing through the day and date window.

When drilling/boring out a mainplate to receive a new bushing/jewel exact center needs to be found by locating the opposite hole, assuming it is in good condition. This is crucial, otherwise the barrel will be tilted between the plates and cause amplitude and performance issues. This is a time consuming repair, but it seldom performed due to the skill and time required, unless you take your watch to a quality watchmaker, who takes pride in wants they do. But be warned, they arent the cheapest watchmakers. But they get the job done right. I find it is necessary on almost all vintage watches in one area or another due to wear. Id love other watchmakers to chime in and let me know their thoughts.

Restoration complete. #Jaeger Le-Coultre #Alarm watch.

Up today is one of my personal favourites! A #Tudor #Submariner #Snowflake. I just love the #patina on this thing. The dial is perfect, I love these dials with the raised bumps. The ghost faded bezel is incredible. You can see that it was in terrible condition when it came in and hadnt been overhauled in decades. The automatic work had a very worn bushing which i replaced with a jewel. I also polished up the original crystal to showcase that dial. The restoration was completed and equipped with a 2 year guarantee. Im still accepting restorations at this time so get in touch if you have a project.

Checking the quick date and hand setting functions of a #Rolex #GMT II with a 3185 movement.

I was recently sent this beautiful #Seiko 6139-6010. It was in relatively good shape, but the chrono seconds hand wasnt resetting to zero correctly. The pivot that the chronograph seconds hand sits on is actually square, which is quite unusual. Due to that fact, if they are installed wrong, they stay wrong forever. This one was set just off at some point. I have a method, however, to cut the old square out of the hand, squeeze the pipe in the lathe and then re-mate it to the chronograph pivot. The result? A hand that now resets to zero.

Up today is a #Rolex #GMT II with a 3185 movement. This watch was in a very bad condition. It had been serviced previously, Im not sure when. However, it had been serviced terribly. You can see that the balance spring was completely out of center. Also, the pallet fork had the pivots oiled. Basic watchmaking no-no. The oscillating weight axle was completely worn, which is indicated by brass ring around the movement. I rectified all the faults, changed the axle and completely overhauled the watch. Service complete with 2 year guarantee. Get in touch today to treat your Rolex or any brand to a complete overhaul the right way!

I hope everyone is keeping safe in these crazy times we are living in! Please, remember your health is the most important thing. My workshop is officially closed to the public now due to government requirements here in Canada. I have moved my workshop home and am set up here to accept postal and courier work. In light of everything that is happening I am pleased to let everyone know about a price reduction across all my services. Please get in touch for a quote.

#Rolex #Daytona for sale. Full box and papers. Serviced by Rolex once. DM for inquiries.

#Rolex #Daytona for sale. Full box and papers. Serviced once by Rolex. DM for inquiries.

A vintage #Omega #Speedmaster before and after restoration. This wasnt a full restoration with screw polishing and components refinishing, but still required a lot of surface rust removal.

On the bench today is a ladies #Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date. This watch is powered by the 2035 movement. This watch is a little different to other mechanical watches as the seconds pinion actually has a magnet on it. Magnetism is the enemy of a mechanical watch, but in this case it is used for good and to stop it needing a friction spring for the seconds pinion. This watch was in need of an overhaul with two train wheels damaged which needed replacing. It also had no endsha...ke on the barrel which needed to be rectified. The endshake was also not enough on the oscillating weight, causing it to not wind correctly. Once everything was adjusted and new parts ordered, it was serviced, lubricated, tested and timed and out the door with a 2 year guarantee.