Yorkist

[yorkist]

Hi everybody, I have been browsing this forum for a few months, I suppose just to keep up with the trade, anyway I have found it very interesting I didn't realise there were so many amateurs with such a great span of knowledge.  I left the trade in the 80's when quartz watches were destroying the repair trade, I never considered returning to it as I was settled doing other things, I never lost my love of watches.  I once worked for the firm that imported "Sicura" watches in Clerkenwell as a "Trade" worker repairing guarantee watches at home, this entailed finding out what was wrong and putting it right, it could be a broken balance staff, button and stem or glass anything in fact. I would be given huge parcels of spare parts and told to get on with it.  I used to repair about 200 watches a week for which I received 33p per watch, it was a good living in those days but came to an end during the postal strike in the 70's.  When I stopped trade work I was charging £1.80 for a COH (clean and overhaul) for a normal jewelled lever or pin pallet and £2.50 for an automatic, competition was fierce in those days and you had to keep your prices low.  A few years ago I was offered £25.00 a watch for a COH but it meant setting up a workshop again, so I didn't bother, I even threw away my old cleaning machine when I moved to France (which I regret now).  Now I've bored everyone to death I'll finish and just to say If I can ever help anybody I would only be too pleased.  Thanks to Mark for this site and the brilliant videos which I have enjoyed immensely.

[oldhippy]

Hello and welcome. A very interesting introduction. When I started back in the  70's we charged £2. 50 for a clean and £5.00 for an auto. I've been retired for years my eyes aren't very good thanks to diabetes.  

[dadistic]

Greetings and Salutations!

In trying to figure how long you might spend on each watch, I'm coming up with 15 minutes! Is that even close? Blindingly fast for a cleaning and overhaul!

Glad to see you here.

[bobm12]

Welcome to the forum, Yorkist! Glad we have you and your expertise with us!

Cheers,

Bob

[Cad101]

Hello and welcome Yorkist. I'm  sure your expertise will come in very usrful here. Now Yorkist is that because you like Yorkie chocolate bars you come from York your second names York or you play cricket sorry its one of my pet games trying to work out why people call themselves what they do.

[Khronos]

Welcome Yorkist, wow, 200 watches a week!  That's amazing!  Well, I think you should get back into the business.  LOL!  Thanks for the great intro.  I enjoyed the read.  Take care.

[yorkist]

Thanks for the very warm welcome, the 200 watches a week were not cleans they were just to get the watch going sometimes all you had to do was take the back off pick a screw out of the movement where it had got lodged put it back into the right place and that was it finished.  You have to remember that after the watch was sold and something went wrong the customer would have to send the watch back under guarantee and enclose a 10 shilling or 50p admin fee which of course was to pay for the repair and so the customer unwittingly was paying for the repair. 

Sorry to hear about your eyes Old Hippy, so terrible when you have had a career doing such fine work.

Well Cad101 none of your suppositions are correct, I was born in Sheffield (by accident) was brought up in Manchester, got married in London then lived the rest of my life in Northampton. The Yorkist comes from my love of medieval history especially the "Wars of the Roses" and my fascination with Richard iii.  Again I'm in danger of sending readers to sleep, Thanks again,

Eddie

[Vich]

Hello Yorkist and welcome,

I enjoyed reading your intro and especially the charges and workload info. Sicura watches crop up here every now and then. All that experience you have amassed is bound to help someone out on the forum. Looking forward to your postings.

Cheers,

Vic