Advertorial: The Test of Time

From an out of the box Rolex to generational family heirlooms, Diamond Cellar watch technician Seth Knechtel is ready to repair whatever watches come his way

By Jack McLaughlin / Photos by Sarah Pfeifer

In a world of digital everything–where our cell phones, TVs and even refrigerators are linked to the internet–it’s easy to overlook the importance of many older, artisan crafts. Watch repair is one of those crafts. While watches feel just as much a part of today’s culture as they did 50 years ago, there’s no quick fix when yours (whether it’s an expensive new fashion piece or a nostalgic family heirloom) has suddenly stopped working.

Seth Knechtel, a Rolex-certified watch technician at Diamond Cellar, knows this all too well.

“A watch is a machine. It’s basically an engine that has to run 24 hours a day, and has to be pinpoint accurate over the course of months and years,” he said. “When they break down, it’s not a one size fits all quick-fix. We have to see the watch to really know what’s going on.”

Knechtel is one of multiple Diamond Cellar watch experts available at the store’s Sawmill Road location, offering a professional fix for when your favorite pieces need some fine-tuning due to everything from old age to serious physical damage.

“Recently, we had a customer who accidentally ran their Rolex over with a car, so it was pretty beat up,” he said. “We ended up being able to fix the middle case, which is the most important part of a Rolex because it possesses the original serial number. We also replaced a lot of the smaller parts that were damaged and we got it working.”

One of the reasons Knechtel has the ability to repair a Rolex that incurred that amount of damage is due to the Rolex certification training course he attended. Several years into his watch-repairing career, Diamond Cellar funded Knechtel’s twoweek trip to a Rolex facility in Pennsylvania where he learned the finer points of repairing Rolex timepieces.

Prior to being able to complete his Rolex certification, Knechtel had to become certified as a horologist in a setting he described as “a little bit of a boot camp.” Over the span of three years, participants of the SAWTA program (Swiss American Watchmaking Training Alliance) spent 12 hours a day for two weeks each quarter, practicing handson repairs of timepieces. While the course was difficult, Knechtel believes it boosted his proficiency not only at understanding the functionality and fine details of timepieces, but also his ability to diagnose and repair watches of many brands.

“We were able to work on watches, to learn how to put them together and how to diagnose them,”

When you’re able to learn that intensively and learn from the best, you really get a handle on how everything works, and you can relate that to other watches”.

Whether you have a vintage watch that’s been in the family for decades, or a brand-new piece that’s seen serious damage, Diamond Cellar offers in-house repair technicians to meet your needs. Customers can bring their watches in person, where in most cases they’ll be able to receive an estimate for their repair on the spot.

While Knechtel said he doesn’t always get to see a customer’s reaction to his work, he and his Diamond Cellar staff take pride in their ability to restore so many pieces, many of which carry generations worth of family value, for their customers.

“Some of our favorite things to do are the vintage and really sentimental pieces,” he said. ”A lot of times these are more complicated, and that’s rewarding in its own right, but it’s even rewarding to know we’re repairing something that has so much value to someone.”

To learn more, visit Diamondcellar.com