Preserving
Preserving
Performance and Beauty
The work undertaken by the watchmakers who repair and restore all Richard Mille watches is nothing short of extraordinary.
Diagnosis, assessment, refurbishing, repair and testing are the watchwords of this department, where mistakes are banished. If the watchmaker finds any defect in this last examination before affixing the strap, he will simply have to begin the whole process anew.
The repair, the myriad of timing, functions and power reserve controls, the aesthetics inspections and case refurbishments are really time-consuming because of the high complexity of our timepieces and the fact there are non-standard parts in our calibres. Nevertheless, they are part of Richard Mille's philosophy : no concession for the best service to our clients.
Most services are handled locally. For the few that aren’t, a Swiss expert watchmaker personally assesses each watch. After-sales service is essential to us, and we constantly improve to meet customer expectations.
A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP
Once the watches leave the manufacture, servicing is ensured worldwide to exacting Swiss standards. Paris, London, Singapore, Los Angeles… at any given moment, a Richard Mille watchmaker is ready to welcome clients. The local After Sales Service workshops are able to quickly address the little knocks and bumps of daily life.
The 30 local watchmakers dedicated to staffing after sales centres have all been trained by a flying doctor from the manufacture to provide the same level of expertise. Location-based watchmakers regularly attend additional training on repairs to complicated and technical watches, constantly honing their knowledge and skillset. They are able to manage more than 80% of all problems. Diagnosis, assessment, refurbishing, repair and testing are the watchwords of this department.
A precise and uncompromising service pathway
TIMING
Once the watch has been correctly serviced and oiled, the watch still needs to be tested for its regularity at different temperatures and in positions that attempt to mimic use in daily life. Note that a watch’s movement, when measured for timing outside its case, will keep time differently than when it is attached inside its case. Even if a watch is sent in for a quick, basic service inspection without issues, we will still need 2 weeks in order to accurately time and adjust the watch before it can be returned.
The watch’s chronometric results will be checked under various temperatures and positions using advanced, computer-controlled methods. If the watch passes all these tests, the movement is placed back in its cleaned and refinished case, supplied with new water-resistant seals for the case body, crown and bezels. Water resistance is checked under high and low pressure, and the cased watch’s functions are subjected to another visual and physical quality control.
When a watch is brought in for servicing, the case can also be restored to as new condition.
The process of refinishing at Richard Mille differs for solid metal case parts and parts that have been surface-treated or made from specialised, non-metallic materials. It is a very complicated process that is therefore time consuming.
Although a single light scratch can sometimes be easily removed without total dismantling, complete case refinishing entails removal of the movement and total disassembly of the watch into its component parts.
Cases with surface-treated parts must be inspected, and if need be, ‘stripped’ of their coating, cleaned and re-treated. However, if the scratches or dents are too deep, then these parts will need to be completely replaced.
The same applies to all of our watches created in composites or other specialised materials should they suffer deep abrasions or gouges on their surfaces. Polishing requires even more attention on gem-set cases, due to the complicated surface area created by the settings of their precious stones. If the case is in very poor condition, our setter will have to remove the existing stones and reset them in a new gold bezel. If stones are missing, these will need to be replaced so that we can return your watch in perfect, as new condition.
The watch then undergoes a final quality control. All the information are recorded before the timepiece is sent back to its owner.
