Longines watch

On the occasion of our silver wedding anniversary my wife Megan presented me with a Longines watch.

It has always been my favourite luxury watch marque.

My late father had three.

He had a cunning ruse of using his own watchmaker to service them but, when we came to have one valued, the assessor noted it was too light and the working parts were not Longines.

Megan had acquired the watch from Watches of Switzerland.

I dislike the whole Rolex image … and the street thefts that can beset the holder.

After a year or so the battery of my Longines went and the shop would not replace it themselves but said it would have to go to Longines for servicing.

This cost a small fortune and I understand from a Piaget wearer that it’s common practice for the leading marques to charge handsomely for servicing.

I later found a local jeweller who replaced the battery at much lesser cost. Sadly his shop closed down during the pandemic and is now an estate agent.

Yesterday the battery went again.

I saw outside the local Timpson’s a sign that they undertake battery replacement.

Old man Timpson had the commendable mission of employing ex-cons in his shops.

For a moment I wondered whether my Longines could be safely entrusted ?

In fact it could and, though the company worked the lifetime guarantee charge, I was able to have the battery replaced for just over 50 quid with a shorter length guarantee.

It must be very hard for ex-cons to find employment out of prison and a temptation to be influenced by inmates and resort to crime.

So it’s a laudable challenge and I felt the better person for using Timpson’s and now my Longines is working again.

You might say I have tick-tocked all the boxes.