Watch repair story (Sydney Watch Centre)

Talk about doing something stupid and then having a story to tell.

I bought this watch online. Waited for it for a few weeks to arrive from Europe. As soon as it arrived, I could not wait to try it on and it did not fit.

In my infinite wisdom, I decided to tinker with it. Promptly, I broke the buckle and could not put it back.

The next day, I took the watch to the city. Went to two watch repair shops. I was told they could not fix it as one part was missing. Apparently, when I was wrestling with the bucket, a little piece (sleeve) went loose and the buckle could not be fixed without it. If you look carefully at the pic, one "sleeve" was shorter than the opposite sleeve. One watchmaker suggested to contact the brand and order a replacement part. I thought I was stuffed as the watch is over 10 years old.

Then I wandered into Sydney Watch Centre for one last go before heading home.  Warren, the watchmaker, had a look and proceeded to spend the next half an hour tinkering with buckle.  I was watching him from the counter. A sight to behold actually. He put on the magnifying eyepiece and used the tiny hammer/tweezer to slowly "fixing" the buckle. He re-sized another "sleeve" part to fit into the pin.

After two other watch repair shops declared it could not be done, Warren put the buckle back together. At the end, I asked how much was the damage. He only charged $20. I was prepared for something higher given how long it took him and how much skills involved. I was so happy that afternoon. It was an experience that made me go Wow and how someone went above and beyond to help.