A phenomenon that is clearly on the increase is that of watch diagnosis experts, or rather 'suggestors' of methodologies to be applied to the science of fine mechanics in the aftermarket. The watch is not accurate? The 'prompter' expert recommends a 'touch' to the balance register and that's it: quick, fast (at no cost, of course). After all, what can a watchmaker expect from such a simple operation? Does the watch advance at the rate of tens of minutes per hour? Again, 'he' - the expert - assuming a magnetised or 'crossed over' balance spring, recommends a passage under the appropriate demagnetising apparatus or a careful 'overturning' with a special hairspring clothes peg: quick intervention, simple to perform (at zero cost, as above). Does the watch have obvious water vapour under the glass? Nothing serious, claims 'the expert': open the bottom, extract the movement, give the steam a quick 'wipe', the glass shines again and the watch is safe. Even for this intervention, no expense is involved. Is the dial starting to lose its initial lustre or are those dreadful dots appearing on its surface? Not a problem at all, always claims the expert prompter: a quick brush over the surface and you're done. Except that this is not the case at all. The so-called 'expert' overlooks the small detail that many of these watch malfunctions can be clear alarm bells that should not be underestimated. Take, for example, the case of condensation in the watch. The danger is that of the serious formation of rampant oxide in the movement as a result of neglected moisture over time, which can be traced back precisely to that simple 'drying' suggested by the famous, inexpert, dangerous, foolish... prompter. So beware of simplistically dismissing certain problems in the watch's functioning, not wanting to rely on expert watchmakers and, in fact, debasing their work.
