Watch Makers 4, Jeff, Instagram @watchmakers4
Hibachi Watch Mods, LA: Instagram @hibachi.mod, eBay sashimipieces
eBay: watch.source
5 Best Seikos for Modding blog post
https://luciusatelier.com/blogs/news/learn-about-the-swiss-super-luminova-bgw9-lume
I do not replace Apple Watch screens. The latest and most expensive Apple watches cost ~$750 new so it seems like there would be good money in them. However, the only good replacement screen kits available are from Apple and they cost over $300. The replacement is complicated, and should cost ~$150. Realistically, for the kit plus the repair would be $350 + $150 = $500 and in the end the customer has a watch that is probably already “dated” by Apple product perception, and it may have been damaged by whatever cracked the screen, and it has been opened by human hands when it was not designed to be opened at all. To replace a screen, the glue behind the screen has to be cut and replaced with new glue. It is just not as good as new from the factory, built and touched only by robots.
Maybe it is worth it for the older models when the aftermarket screen kits catch up after a few years? Maybe, but then the final product is “dated” and “only” worth $300 in the end and even generic screen kits cost over $100.
On top of all of it, buying used Apple watches is complicated by the security measure. If the watch is linked to an iCloud account, it cannot be released without the rightful owner (despite the various claims on the internet from shady people willing to take your money to let you try their software and fail).
Bottom line: the second-hand market competes with Apple’s main income stream so Apple watches are designed to go out of date and drop in price before the second-hand market can catch up and compete. In summary, do not crack the screen on your $750 watch unless you can afford a new one because the repair costs almost as much.
For battery replacement, click here.
I repair watches, both mechanical and electronic (quartz). Call for pricing. Similar to electronics repair, it helps to send in some photos by email so I can prepare the repair.
Broken crystal face:
Replaced:
Customer brought in a plasma cutter that had popped when first powered on then did not power on after that.
I fixed the obviously-damaged arc drive lug, but the device still didn’t power on. It was not worth troubleshooting the rest of the device at the time as it is difficult to disassemble. No charge to the customer, but I probably should have checked the primary power section of the cutter first.
I didn’t take a picture of the final solder
The customer still has it. I may try troubleshooting again sometime …
Missing secondary crown:
Replaced:
A customer brought in a Christmas tree. She had dropped the power adapter and it had a funny connector so she couldn’t find a replacement.
I replaced the connector with USB and gave her an adapter. Better than buying a new one!
A customer brought in a hard drive hoping to recover the data. The data wasn’t worth paying a laboratory so she brought it to me for an attempt.
I was not able to recover the data, but I was able to diagnose the problem so for no charge she got the peace of mind of knowing the data was gone forever. The platter was badly scratched. I called the lab and they told me they couldn’t recover the data even for $100,000! Impossible?
A customer brought in a Megatouch (bar solitaire touch screen arcade game, see photo) in which he had replaced the permanent-memory battery and it would not power on.
I verified the battery charge level, configured the CMOS settings properly and returned it to him with brief “step-by-step” showing how to factory reset in the future.
Thanks for bringing it in!
If I cannot recover your data, you don’t pay anything.
If I can recover your data, $50 charge for it and I give you a download link if the data is not sensitive, or a thumb drive if your data is sensitive. I make some quick attempts and may be able to recommend something.
The next option would be a laboratory. I can diagnose and try to give you some idea of your chances if you send your media to a laboratory.
If your data is worth $500+, I recommend Data Recovery Labs. They have a “no data, no charge” guarantee.
Last resort, I can open the drive and make an attempt. Opening a hard drive does not usually cause damage that would prevent a laboratory from recovering data if you decide to send it, but it can increase the recovery cost and the laboratory will know if the drive has been opened.
