When my aunt said she was going to send me my uncle’s watch, I had no idea she was sending me something potentially worth thousands of dollars. It’s a 1979 Heuer Monnin 844 diving watch. It was the first diving watch the company produced, this early version was made in France before moving production to Switzerland, and if it’s real it could be worth a few thousand dollars. I’ve never owned a watch I cared much about getting repaired. It’s in excellent condition, still working, but I’d like get someone to look at it, clean it, etc., etc. Anyone have any experience with looking for a horologist?
Their cheer web site can locate authorized repair services as well as tell how you can either send it a Heuer service center or drop it off to them for a maintainence check.
I have no idea where you are, not even which continent but Europe and North America are covered.
I do not recommend sending this to TAG Heuer. Generally speaking, most of the big brands’ service departments really are there for warranty services and maintenance on current lines. If they work on vintage at all, they’re punitively expensive, and known for wholesale replacement of parts rather than sympathetic restoration. Rolex is especially known for this, but browsing the forums just now it seems that TAG is guilty too.
Fortunately, the movement, made by France Ebauches, is not unusually complicated although parts may be difficult to find as compared to the later Swiss movements.
Personally, before I would send it out, I’d browse the vintage Heuer forum and ask the folks there who has the best reputation for this work.
Thanks a bunch, both of you. That’s helpful.
This thread has reminded me to send my paternal grandfather’s Gruen ‘tank’ watch in for an estimate.
Where are you located?
Congrats on one of the best vintage dive watches! It’s on my list of all time favorites ahead of Omega and even Rolex.
definitely do not send it to TAG. You went to find a specialist in vintage Heuer. Assuming it’s an automatic it will have a couple movements. The early ones can be tricky to work on but later models have more readily available parts.
Good luck and please post photos! :drool:
One of my favorite YouTubers, Marshall Sutcliffe at Wristwatch Revival, has started a restoration service that employs a number of certified watchmakers. They document everything and do nothing without the customer’s approval. I have no personal experience with them, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to check them for an estimate.
IANA watch guy.
But I’ll point out that the OP probably needs to prepare themselves for some serious sticker shock on antique watch service and repair.
Four miles south of White Rock, BC (NW Washington).
Prepared? I’m dreading. Last time I got a Brand-R overhauled, it cost over a kilobuck.
I have a link to a label to send grandpa’s watch to Watch Repair Professionals for an estimate.
I use Zimmerman’s watch repair, but they’re on the east coast. Excellent, excellent service, and reasonable rates. Drew is also the best case refinisher in the business, if that’s something you need.
Minor issue for your watch will be the parts if it needs any. The later models of that piece used ETA movements, which are ubiquitous and can be serviced by anyone. However, the 1979 model used a French FE4611A movement, which isn’t made anymore. They were common enough though, and used movements can be sourced pretty easily for parts.
The great state of Arkansas.
I googled Heuer repair near me and found Heuer boutique a mile away. Beyond that was something called Horlogerie Suisse. I suggest you try something like that.
Believe it or not, that means “Swiss watchmaking (shop).” So make sure you turn up the place you want, and not a place.
Here you go. A link to my Google Drive: <Link removed>
My working assumption is $500. The watch appears to be fully functional though, so it might just need a good cleaning. But I’m happy to sit on it for a while and do nothing. I’ll need a new band if I’m going to wear it, my uncle was a thin guy and the watch barely fits me.
From a perspective of utmost caution, not sure I’d do that. Assuming it hasn’t been serviced in years or maybe decades, there’s no lube left. So every hour that it runs is an hour closer to replacing broken parts instead of cleaning the original parts.
Knowing basically nothing about the topic, my WAG is that labor rates will likely only go up, good watchsmiths may become increasingly harder to find, and parts availability for this kind of watch may become more and more of an i$$ue over time.
Would you generally agree?
That’s a hard truth about the mechanical watch business. New watchmakers are are not being trained at the pace needed to replace the retiring ones. Even in the factory repair shops, where they have their own training programs and mentorships, wait times for repairs are stretching past 6 months.
And for vintage brands and movements, all the parts that will ever be made have already been made. Yes, in theory the most highly skilled watchmakers can make parts, but that only really makes financial sense for the most highly valued pieces. A multi-million dollar Patek? Sure, fire up the lathe. But to spend thousands making parts for a watch that only sells for a couple thousand? Nah.
I can get the watch to run, but since it has mechanical movement and it’s never moving, it doesn’t take long for it to stop ticking. So it’s really not running very often. For a nearly 50 year old watch it appears in excellent condition, so I don’t think my uncle wore it very often, though it looks like it could use a good cleaning. I’m not an expert in watches or antiques in general, but from what I hear you’re often better off leaving an artifact alone rather than risk an improper restoration. I’m not in a rush because I think it’s better to be sure before doing anything I can’t unfix.
You definitely do not want to leap to a restoration. Most quality watchmakers understand this and will only do minimally invasive sympathetic restoration after working with you on understanding the pros and cons.
Now that said, a mechanical watch absolutely is supposed to be serviced every 5-10 years. Oils dry up, gear teeth and pivots start to wear, and despite the best attempts to seal things, dirt gets in and becomes an abrasive paste. So you really can’t skip this step for a watch you want to use.