What people say after the watch comes back

I brought in my late father's Seiko 5 — one of those watches that just had to keep running without becoming something different. Ahmad looked at it, told me the dial had some minor yellowing from storage humidity, and then asked whether I wanted it noted or addressed. I said noted. He respected that completely. The movement runs well now and the watch looks exactly as I handed it over, which was the whole point.

June 2025

The chronograph on my husband's Longines had been stopping mid-measurement for about two years. I contacted Balance Cog and sent a message describing the problem — they came back quickly with a clear description of what was likely causing it and what the service would involve. The work took about four weeks, which they had mentioned upfront. It has been running correctly since. The timing log they provided was a nice touch; you can actually see the difference in the before and after figures.

June 2025

We engaged Balance Cog for an estate assessment of my uncle's watch collection — nine pieces, mostly from the 1960s and 70s. The inventory they produced was more thorough than I expected. Each watch had its own section with condition grades and a note on what had been done to it previously. They recommended doing nothing with three of the pieces, which I actually appreciated. It would have been easy to upsell work on all nine.

May 2025

I was worried about sending a watch I'd worn for twenty years to any workshop. The intake process at Balance Cog helped — they photographed everything, and the record they kept meant I knew exactly what condition it was in when it left me. It came back with the crown seal replaced, the movement serviced, and the original surface marks still there. Exactly as agreed.

June 2025

Turnaround was slightly longer than I was hoping for — about three and a half weeks — but they had warned me it could go to five, so I was not surprised. The chronograph reset issue is gone, and the pusher feel is much better than it was. The closing report was more detailed than I expected from a small workshop. I will come back when the movement needs its next service.

May 2025

My wife's grandmother left a Tudor from the 1970s. I had no idea what condition it was in internally, and I was nervous about having anyone open it. Ahmad's assessment was calm and direct — he described what he found, what he recommended, and what he would leave alone. The case was hand-cleaned. The movement works. The closing document is in the box with the watch now, which is where it should be.

June 2025