FAQ:

Questions:

1.		Delivery lead times...

2.		What is the difference between your Custom watches and Swiss Made watches?

3.		Why do you require pre-payment for all of your orders?

4.		How do you install/wear a NATO or Zulu style strap?

5.		Is the installation of a dial and hands something that I can do myself? What tools would I need?

6.		What is the benefit of a domed crystal?

7.		What is a chapter ring and why would one want to replace it?

8.		Is the watch’s water resistance negatively affected by the installation of new parts?

9.		Which is better the Seiko 7s26 or ETA 2824?

10.		Water Resistance

11.		How often should a mechanical timepiece be serviced?

12.		Where can I find a watchmaker?

13.		Will your parts fit my watch?

14.		How do you ship? How long is the transit time?

15.		I need a watch serviced. Can you service it?

Answers:

1.

We hold true to the belief that quality is only attained in the constant pursuit of perfection. We do our best to meet quoted lead times but these commitments are always secondary to doing our work right the first time. We thank you in advance for your patience.

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2.

The are three difference between our custom watches assembled in the US and our Swiss Made watches. 1) Assembly: Our Swiss Made collection is assembled in Switzerland. Mk II custom watches are assembled by hand in the US. 2) Options: With our Swiss Made line your options are generally limited to bezel style and strap type. With our custom line you have the maximum flexibility available to configure your own watch. 3) Lead Times: The shipment lead times for our Swiss Made collection is about 7-10 days (shorter if you purchase from one of our dealers). Our lead times for our custom watches vary with demand and can vary from a few weeks to several months. Inspite of these differences the same components are used and the same high grade ETA movements are featured in both collections.

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3.

Because of the custom nature of our watches and based on past experience we have found that this is the best way to maintain an orderly schedule and the most consistent level of service quality. Other methods that we have explored have ultimately required levels of bureacracy that would require us to charge several times more for our watches. This would run contrary to our guiding principle of offering custom watches and quality at a mass produced price. Our customer oriented order cancellation policy and the fact that we have been in business since 2002 we hope will be your assurance that your trust is well placed.

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4.

Please follow this link for our tutorial on NATO and Zulu straps.

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5.

Generally speaking we recommend professional installation of our custom parts. However it is possible if one is willing to invest in the proper tools. Quartz watches are generally a good place to start as they are relatively forgiving of mistakes and replacement movements are generally inexpensive. If handled improperly, mechanical movements are more prone to damage and relatively more expensive to repair. Please follow this link if you would like to learn more about dial replacement and basic watchmaker's tools.

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6.

Domed crystals offer reduced glare. Flat crystals can “white-out” when exposed to strong or direct light, rendering the watch dial illegible. Domed crystals are more tactical in that they do not reflect light as strongly or in as focused a manner as flat crystals do. By their design domed crystals are stronger than a comparable flat crystal.

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7.

The term chapter ring refers to the ring above the dial in a watch that is a separate piece from the dial and watch case. Seiko watches use this part frequently on their dive watches. Generally speaking Seiko prints the minute track on the chapter ring of its dive watches. Most Mk II dials for the Seiko dive watch follow the more conventional layout of offering the minute track on the dial itself. As such many of our customers choose to alter or replace the stock Seiko chapter ring in order to eliminate the superfluous minute track printed on the chapter ring. There are three popular options:

• Leaving the chapter ring stock: Click here to view the photo.

• Sterilizing the chapter ring: Sterilizing the chapter ring consists of using a paint remover to strip off the printed minute markers. The remaining plastic ring can then be polished to a glossy finish to remove the signs of modification. Click here to view the photo.

• Replacing the stock chapter ring with a satin finished aluminum chapter ring:
The last option is a Mk II exclusive part. The benefit of using our aluminum chapter ring is that the watch will have a more traditional and finished look without increasing the weight of the watch significantly. Click here to view the photo.

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8.

If the watch’s water resistance is intact before the installation of new parts the process involved in installing a new dial and hands is very unlikely to affect the water resistance adversely. While water resistance testing is always a prudent precaution it is generally unnecessary when only the dial and/or handset are changed. When a new crystal is installed or case finishing performed the testing of a watch’s water resistance is strongly recommended.

There is a commonly held perception among many collectors and watchmaker's alike that the gaskets need to be replaced if a new crystal is installed or if the watch is opened up. We have worked on hundreds of customer watches, new watches, and our own watches and have found the replacement of gaskets just because a watch has been disassembled to be unnecessary unless a part has been damaged or required replacement due to age/use.

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9.

Both offer their strengths and have their trade-offs. The ETA 2824 is the movement of choice among many watch manufacturers because of the accuracy it can achieve and the readily available supply of parts. Among watch collectors the 2824 is valued for its hack setting feature and manual winding capability. The Seiko 7s26 is widely regarded for its durability and robustness.

However, these strengths also hold the trade-offs of these movements. The ETA 2824 generally requires more servicing and is less robust than the Seiko 7s26 movement. The Seiko 7s26’s robustness and resistance to neglect is achieved by its lack of certain conveniences such as manual winding capability, hack setting feature, and tighter tolerances for accuracy.

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10.

• Water resistant watches should have their gaskets checked every year if consistently exposed to water (e.g. swimming). If the watch is only in casual contact with water and you live in a temperate climate it is advisable to have the watch checked at least once every two years. Exposure to strong sunlight, salt water, and chemicals can also accelerate the aging of the gaskets that seal a watch from the elements.

• For a watch to have reliable and consistent water resistance a screw-down crown is a necessity.
• For more information on water resistant watches please see the FHS and the Europa Star magazine site.
• Not all watches that say they are water resistant are actually tested for water resistance. One of the primary reasons that some watches cost more than others is the quality standards that each time piece is expected to meet. There are a number of manufacturers in the market that advertise a water resistance that is greater than the timepiece can actually withstand. Each Mk II custom watch and Swiss Made watch is individually tested for its rated water resistance.

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11.

The FHS recommends having a mechanical watch serviced every 3 years. Practically speaking you should have the watch inspected if it demonstrates a appreciable loss of accuracy or function.

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12.

In the US you can look up a watchmaker on the AWI web site. In addition, one of the best ways to find quality watchmakers is to ask for a referral from a friend.

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13.

Unfortuantely there is no good way to determine whether our parts will fit any particular model without first opening the watch to check dial and case dimensions. We recommend that you have a watchmaker determine the following before ordering parts for a watch model that is not listed here:

• Dial diameter: This can vary greatly regardless of the case size. The size of a watch case is not a reliable indicator for the dial size.
• Case opening: This is basically the diameter of the part of the dial that you can actually see from the front of the watch. This figure is always smaller than the actual dial diameter.
• Movement type

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14.

We ship via the US postal service for domestic and international customers. For each package shipping information and tracking numbers are sent automatically via e-mail when the shipping labels are printed.

Here is a summary of our shipping methods:

Domestic Customers:
• Watches and Parts: We ship all orders via Priority Insured with Delivery Confirmation. The transit time is on average 2-3 business days. This can vary according to time of year (e.g. Christmas) and weather conditions between Pennsylvania and the package's final destination. Tracking is available through the US Postal Service web site.

International Customers:
• Parts: For most parts orders we ship via Air Mail (no tracking available). Normal transit time is 4-10 business days. For larger orders shipments are automatically upgraded to EMS Insured at our discretion. EMS transit time averages 3-5 business days. Lead times can vary greatly by destination country and does not account for customs clearance delays.
• Watches: All watches are shipped via Air Mail Parcel Post Insured. Lead times average 4-10 business days. Tracking information is available through the US Postal Service web site. Once the packages arrives in the destination country tracking information should be available through your local post office web site, if available.

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15.

Sorry but we only hand service issues for watches customized by Mk II and Mk II brand watches.

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