Antique and mechanical watches – restoration as a specialty

Interest in old, mechanical watches has grown significantly in recent years, and with it restoration has become a sought-after specialty within watchmaking. While regular service is about keeping a working watch going, restoration is about bringing often decades-old movements back to life – sometimes without being able to buy a single new spare part.

On a modern watch, a worn part can usually be ordered home from the manufacturer. On an old pocket watch or a wristwatch from a defunct factory, the spare part may no longer exist. Here, the watchmaker must instead understand the original caliber so well that he or she can make or adapt a replacement part by hand — often using a lathe, files, and great patience.

• 01Shortage of original spare parts for discontinued or rare calibres
• 02Rust, wear and material fatigue after many years of use or storage
• 03Signs of previous, unprofessional repairs that need to be corrected before the actual work can begin
• 04Need to recognize and understand older design principles that are no longer taught as standard

Many collectors place great emphasis on a watch retaining as much originality as possible — even a certain patina can have value. Therefore it is important that the watchmaker discusses the scope of work with the customer before starting: should the watch be made fully functional at any cost or should it be preserved as close to its original condition as possible?

Restoration covers a wide spectrum — from small pocket watches and wristwatches to large stand clocks and in rare cases tower clocks. Some watchmakers choose to specialize narrowly, for example in one specific period or one specific brand, while others build a broader restoration practice over many years.

The path to restoration as a specialty rarely goes in a straight line. It is typically built up through years of experience, contact with collectors and auction houses, and ongoing further education, where you expand your knowledge of older calibers and traditional craft techniques.

For the watchmaker who loves the historical side of the trade restoration is one of the most satisfying directions to build a career on — here craftsmanship history and detective work meet in every single task.