Watch testing
and repair
equipment.
Daniele is certified by many watch brands and professional organizations.
work is simply astonishing. Think about this, if a watch operates at
a frequency of 18,000 beats per hour, that’s 432,000 beats a day or
157,680,000 a year. Yes, over 157 million mechanical actions in one
year in a tiny mechanical marvel we strap onto our wrists.
On the other hand, trusting an incapable watchmaker with a
beloved watch can be a costly and upsetting experience, which is
something I unfortunately have experienced myself in the past. It is
absolutely worth finding the right watchmaker to help you care for
your cherished timepiece collection.
RESOURCES
There are resources out there that you can take advantage of, such
as The American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (AWCI),
which has a directory of professional watchmakers and
clockmakers you can browse. Among other things, AWCI issues
different levels of watchmaking certifications. These certifications
include the Certified Watchmaker of the 21st Century (CW21) and
the even more involved Certified Master Watchmaker of the 21st
Century (CMW21). If a watchmaker has gained one of these ultra
stringent certifications, it is normally proudly placed in his or her
workshop for all to see.
I met my watchmaker many years ago. We have a lot in com-
mon—most notably a love for beautiful watches and complex move-
ments.
My watchmaker’s name is Daniele Del Vecchio, a native of Italy
who grew up in the south of Italy where his family owns jewelry
stores. Daniele is an Omega certified watchmaker, of which there
are only a few in the U.S. What’s more, he has also received training
from AWCI. In short, Daniele is a very skilled watchmaker who can
tackle just about any type of movement placed on his workbench.
Daniele loves his customers and his watches and he is always
happy to help. He’s particularly great at coming up with solutions to
repair challenging timepieces. Daniele has gathered a tremendous
amount of expertise throughout the years. Aside from repairs, his
experience and knowledge also allow him to easily identify watch
authenticity and whether or not components are original or custom.
MORE THAN REPAIR
Being a good watchmaker is not simply a matter of being able to
repair a timepiece, but it requires the ability to polish, re-plate,
weld, and if necessary, build vintage watch parts that are no longer
available in the market. Daniele also counts on two colleagues—Paul
who takes care of quartz watches and polishing, and Adil who han-
dles modern watch repairs—in his workshop.
Between his uplifting nature, Italian accent, and endless espresso,
visiting Daniele is always a pleasant experience. He is generous
with his time and knowledge and his place is actually a terrific
spot to meet other watch enthusiasts, collectors, and dealers.
(Daniele Watchmaker is located at 255-1 Mill Street in Greenwich,
Connecticut)
Having a good watchmaker in your corner is priceless when it
comes to the upkeep of your watches. After all, most mechanical
watches promise to last several lifetimes—but that can only hap-
pen when the right person is tasked to take care of the mechanical
maintenance.
Laurent Martinez is the proprietor of Laurent Fine Watches
Greenwich, Connecticut. Read more by him at
blog.laurentfinewatches.com
or visit his store’s site at www.laurentfinewatches.com
FALL 2019 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 65