The Seikologist - Anybody?

[earthphase]

Hello all...  has anybody sent vintage Seiko to The Seikologist for vintage service?  I'm curious how it went.


TY

[dapellegrini]

Ashton has done most of my world timers, 6117 and 6217. He used to hang out here from time to time.

My experiences were good. If you want him to use OEM replacement parts - source them first and send them along.

EDIT: I forgot he also did a couple vintage Rolex’s for me. He is an expert.

[dapellegrini]

I had to double check - of this lot, Ashton has serviced 6 of them, including the one that was gifted to me by my dad (who was the original owner - top right one).  John Sachs serviced the one in the bottom right (also great), and the other 4 wish they were next on the list.

I'm in the USA, so the only downside to using Ashton was customs coming back into the USA after service - it was always a hassle.

[nordlys]

Two of my vintage Seikos have been serviced by Ashton (6105-8009 and 6117-8000). He's up there with the best when it comes to vintage Seiko servicing. As mentioned above, customs coming back into the USA is a PITA because he ships via FedEx, but otherwise no complaints. In my experience, his turnaround times are much quicker than most of the other Seiko specialists out there.

[theseikologist]

Hey guys, I still lurk here from time to time. Question for the two gents I have already serviced for - what makes it such a hassle with customs and FedEx? Having never shipped myself a watch I don’t have much to gauge.

[dapellegrini]

Hey Asthon - nice to see you around!

In my experience, FedEx always holds the package on its way back to the USA, delaying things, typically for a week or 10 days.  On all occasions I have had to call them and provide additional detail. 

As a plus, when you call Fedex someone answers within 3 rings, and that someone is nearly always in America, making the whole process much easier.  They typically need a watch worksheet filled out and filed, breaking down the value of each component of each watch - which you then email to [e-mail] along with your tracking ID.  They have informed me that import duty is required on the original value / price paid for the watch AND the service performed.  In my cases I set the watch values to their original MSRP - $65 USD for a World Timer in 1964, and they accept that without question.

This is the document they require for each watch coming into the USA:
www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/eu-europe/resources/GB_EN_2021_12_master_pdf_NA_Watch_Worksheet_marketing.pdf

There is a flat fee for the movement value of just a few dollars.  The value assigned to the Bracelet and Case are like 10-20% so I always put the value on the movement - where I believe it belongs and minimal on the others.

Hope that helps

EDIT: I import A LOT of watches, and this is the same thing in those cases.  I prefer Fedex because they pick up the phone, and have me setup to auto clear balances on my CC without delaying the shipment any further.

EDIT 2: When you don't have to send across country lines, there are no hold ups, no customs, no calls, paperwork or extra fees.