What Owners Have Said About Their Experience at the Studio

The minute hand on my father's dress watch had been sitting at an odd angle for two years. I had hesitated to bring it somewhere because I did not want it handled carelessly. Damien examined it the same afternoon I arrived and explained what had caused the shift. The work took a week — not because it was complicated, but because he sourced a hand that matched the original instead of using what was on the shelf. I appreciated that.

Hand Replacement · April 2025

Brought in a vintage Swiss movement that had not been serviced since the 1980s. I was expecting to be told that it would need to be heavily modified, but instead received a call explaining exactly what was found and what the options were before anything was touched. The overhaul took about five weeks. What came back ran beautifully and came with photos of everything that had been done inside. That level of documentation is rare.

Movement Overhaul · March 2025

I was planning a trip to Japan and wanted to bring my grandmother's watch. A colleague mentioned the travel notes service, which I had not seen offered anywhere else. The session was about forty minutes and covered things I genuinely had not thought about — the effect of the airport security equipment on older movements, and how to pack a watch in a case versus loose in a bag. The written summary they gave me at the end was useful to have on the day of travel.

Travel Care Notes · April 2025

My grandfather left me an old Seiko that had been sitting in a drawer for years. I was not sure it could still be brought back to running condition. The studio told me honestly at the assessment that they were not certain either until they opened it up — but that they would call before doing anything if the picture changed. It did change slightly; they called, explained, and we agreed on what to do. The watch is running now. That is all I wanted.

Movement Overhaul · March 2025

The seconds hand on my dress watch had been missing for a while. I expected this to be a quick job but the studio took it seriously — checking whether the replacement would match before ordering it. The wait for the correct hand was about ten days. Took a bit longer than I anticipated, but the result looked right and the photos they sent me while the watch was on the bench were a nice touch I had not expected.

Hand Replacement · April 2025

I had visited three other places before finding Melakaben. Two of them gave me a price immediately without looking at the watch. One told me the movement was too old to service. Damien spent twenty minutes examining it, told me what he could see and what he could not until it was opened, and gave me a range rather than a number. That honesty was enough for me to trust him with it. He was right about the range.

Movement Overhaul · March 2025