The combination of a watch shop and a watchmaking workshop is at the core of KLOCKMASTER FÄLTÖVERSTEN's business. Returning customers, commitment and a high level of service are the model. VOYAGE has taken a peek inside the watchmaking workshop and got some tips on how to ensure your watch is in the best possible condition.

Anyone can sell watches, but to look after service and have your own watchmaking workshop is soon unique.

Master of the Clock, Field Colonel is a family-owned business that both sells watches and has its own watchmaking workshop. The business started in a shop on Slöjdgatan in the 1950s, where it was located until 1994. Between 1989 and 2023, there was also a shop in Globen; today, Fältöversten is the address – here they have
furniture since 1972. The business is run by Svante Nilsson and his sister Anna Claeson.

Svante is the fifth generation of watchmakers in the family, which today also includes three very competent watchmakers in their own workshop. – Almost anyone can sell watches, but taking care of service and having your own watchmaking workshop is becoming unique, says Svante. Klockmaster not only sells watches but also aims to take care of the service for all the brands they sell and have sold over the years. The workshop specialises in Omega, Longines, Tissot and Certina. Brands we have sold and do not service today are Grand Seiko and Breitling, as they prefer to handle the servicing themselves.
– We also cannot service Rolex and other exclusive watches, as they generally have to be sent back to the factory for maintenance and repairs. We also encounter problems where people have bought a watch online or during a holiday trip, where we cannot obtain spare parts, he adds.

Svante Nilsson having grown up in the company himself, he has met several generations of customers over the years.
– If you behave yourself as a craftsman, customers will return; they are our best ambassadors, he observes. Svante Nilsson has worked with watches for 35 years and seen most of it. He is somewhat surprised by what people expect of their watch.

Many people buy themselves a nice watch and then, when it's time for a battery change, they go to a cobbler or a key cutting service to save a hundred quid. There are also quite a few handy people who try to change it themselves. If you go to a watchmaker, the job is done with tools specifically designed to open and close watches correctly. To be Watchmaker It's a bit like being on call as a fellow human being, and people often expect you to essentially change their battery while they wait, explains Svante Nilsson.

– It's just the battery that's dead, how do you know that? If you open the watch and measure the old battery and it shows it's bad, then you assume it's that simple and try a new battery and hope that. Many people buy themselves a nice watch and then when it's time for a battery change, they go to a cobbler or key service to save a hundred kronor. There are also quite a few handy people who try to change it themselves. If you go to a watchmaker, the job is done with tools specifically designed to open and close watches correctly. Being a watchmaker is a bit like being an on-call fellow human, and people often expect you to basically change their battery while they wait, says Svante Nilsson.
It's just the battery that's dead, how do you know? If you open the watch and measure the old battery and it shows as bad, then you assume it's that simple and try a new battery, hoping it works. You can compare it to when a car stops, and you start by checking if there's fuel before taking the engine apart. Relatively often, with simpler movements that have ticked away for 15 years or more, you can see that they are starting to wear out. On a finer quartz works can the power consumption increase and the clock run
Does not last as long on a battery change as it did when it was new.

WE SEE WATCHES WITH FAULTY GASKETS EVERY DAY. FINGERPRINTS IN THE MOVEMENT THAT WOULD BE ENOUGH TO LAUNCH A MURDER INVESTIGATION

Why can't I just get the cobbler to change the battery in my quartz watch?
– Just look at how dusty it is where they are, filing keys and polishing shoes, and you'll have your answer! It's usually not a problem for them to open the watch, but they're careless about cleaning, checking seals, and closing the watch correctly. I've never seen a pressure testing machine to check the watch's watertightness at any watchmaker's. We usually get the watches back after the damage has already occurred.
– We see watches with poor seals daily. Fingerprints enough for a murder investigation in The movement. Full of dirt or traces of moisture in the watch, often with the comment that the customer has not done anything and that is precisely the problem, explains Svante Nilsson. If you do nothing, the watch will sooner or later take in moisture or dirt or simply stop. Svante explains:
– Every week, watches arrive at our clockwork workshop where the indices or hands ”just come loose”This does not happen unless the watch has been dropped on the floor or subjected to a hard knock, which then causes the indices or hands to get stuck together and the watch stops. Sometimes watches come in where customers have tried to use, for example, nail scissors to pull out the crown to set the watch, thereby damaging the case neck or crown so that it no longer seals properly. The advantage of an authorised service centre?
- Most brands of fine watches list on their websites which workshops are authorised. It's a stamp of quality that the workshop has attended courses, has the right tools, and above all, works with original parts that are replaced. That is to say, we do not use standard seals or parts that do not belong to the brand we are servicing. A workshop that is not authorised is not allowed to buy spare parts from certain brands. If you want to have a long and happy life with your watch, you must take care of it.
involves submitting it for replacement of the seals and checking the condition of the strap and movement. It's not always the case that you drop it at home on the sofa; if the strap breaks when you're raising the anchor on a boat, the result will be worse.

How often do I need to service my watch?
– Generally speaking, you don't need to do anything if it's working well, and then it depends on how it's used. There's quite a big difference in what a watch can go through if it's worn by a plumber compared to someone with an office job. We usually tell customers that every 5-7 years, depending on the type of mechanical movement, sometimes it's fine to wait 10-15 years. The most common issue is that people who swim a lot don't get their watches serviced to have the seals changed so the watch remains watertight against moisture and dirt.
People are subjecting their nice watches to things you would never have thought of doing before, dunking their fancy watch in their drink to impress their mates, cosy up in the hot tub with chlorinated water and scratch it against the ridged tiles just to show off. If you're going to change a tyre on the car – take off your watch!

WATCHES ARE AT THEIR BEST WHEN THEY’RE RUNNING AND SHOWING THE RIGHT TIME. WHEN IT’S TIME FOR A SERVICE, LET THE PROFESSIONALS DO THE JOB – YOUR WATCH NEEDS A RELATIONSHIP WITH A WATCHMAKER!

Look after your watch – watch care

What should I bear in mind to keep my watch in good condition – watch care at home?
"I'd summarise it as having the right watch for the right occasion – meaning that slim dress watches or certain fashion brand watches aren't suited for water sports or gardening. The smell of the straps is a good indicator of what the watches have been through. Even though many fine watches are waterproof and shockproof, you can still make unsightly marks on the straps and case. If you want to maintain the value of your watch, you should look after it. You can use a disposable watch for hunting, fishing, and other more strenuous activities," says Svante Nilsson at Klockmaster Fältöversten.

5 CARE TIPS – MECHANICAL WATCH:

• Don't leave it lying still for too long, the oils in the mechanism will dry out instead of lubricating.
• Wind your watch once a month and check that it runs for at least a full day when fully wound.
• Check that it is working properly and keep it clean; for waterproof watches, make sure the crown can be screwed down properly.
• Keep the buckle and strap clean, this will reduce wear and tear.
• Personally, I don't bathe in saunas, hot tubs, or expose watches to strong solvents. Do not place it on a windowsill in strong sunlight for extended periods.

5 CARE TIPS – QUARTZ WATCH:

• Keep the watch and strap clean from dirt and skin debris, and wait before putting it on your wrist if, for example, you've just applied lotion.
• Solvents, hairspray and.
• Check the condition, is everything working as it should?
• Avoid placing a quartz watch too close to strong magnets.
• Watch batteries left unused for a long time are at risk of leaking. That usually means the end of the line for that movement.