Service Information
Vintage Rolex & Vintage Omega Restoration – Adelaide, Australia
R. McMahon Watchmakers is a specialist vintage watch restoration centre, not a general repair workshop. We prioritise vintage Rolex and vintage Omega restoration and service, delivered by one of Australia’s most experienced independent restoration experts.
Restoration Priorities
We currently prioritise:
Vintage Omega – pre-1971 mechanical movements (lever escapements only)
(We do not service Co-Axial or quartz Omega models.)Rolex – vintage and modern full-size models up to 2015
These brands represent our primary specialisation and the majority of our restoration work.
Service Timeframes
Standard vintage service: approximately 10 working days, subject to parts availability
Complicated watches (chronographs, minute repeaters, perpetual calendars):
Minimum 2 months, depending on complexity and component manufacture
Final timelines are confirmed after inspection and quotation.
Parts Availability & Component Manufacture
We maintain a comprehensive stock of genuine vintage Rolex and Omega parts, one of the largest holdings in Australia. Where original parts are no longer available, we manufacture components in-house, including:
Balance staffs
Winding stems
Wheels, pinions, and escapement components
Vintage Rolex and Cartier discontinued parts
This capability reflects Richard McMahon’s former role as a trusted certified restoration expert in London, where he was authorised to manufacture parts for watches no longer supported by factory service centres.
Additional Brands (Limited Availability)
We may accept restoration work for:
Vintage Breitling
Cartier
Patek Philippe
Vacheron Constantin
Selected vintage Tudor
Acceptance depends on age, model, and workload. Please contact us before booking to confirm suitability. Omega and Rolex work always takes priority.
We do not service:
Quartz watches
Fashion or mass-market watches
Fake or heavily modified (diamond set) watches
Specialist Expertise
Our workshop regularly restores:
Rolex Submariner, Sea-Dweller, GMT-Master, Explorer, Datejust
Omega Speedmaster Professional and Omega Seamaster
Richard McMahon is a specialist in:
Chronographs
Perpetual calendars
Quarter and minute repeaters
Tourbillons
All parts are either original or hand-made / CNC micro-machined in-house where required.
Case & Bracelet Refinishing
Rolex-trained case polisher and case refinisher
Flat polishing and lapping of cases and bracelets
Period-correct finishing for vintage watches
Warranty
Omega and Rolex restorations: 24-month warranty
All other brands: 12-month warranty, unless otherwise stated in the quotation
Pricing & Quotations
Minimum movement service charge: $950
Complicated or antique watches: higher minimums apply
(Antique pocket watches – minimum charge $1,500)
We provide:
Fixed quotes
No-charge assessments
Individual pricing per watch (no fixed price list)
A 50% deposit may be required to proceed with certain restoration work.
Please refer to our Service Price Guide and Information page for further details.
Credentials & Authority
Four-year watchmaking apprenticeship completed in 1994
Co-author of Australian Federal Government watch servicing industry standards
Certified by Cartier UK (2001) – Bond Street, London
Official restoration expert for JLC and Breitling (UK)
Preferred Rolex vintage restoration referral via Rolex St James’s Square, London
Former professional advisor on vintage watches to Christie’s and Sotheby’s
R. McMahon Watchmakers is independent and has no association with Rolex Australia or Omega / Swatch Group.
Industry & Education
Richard McMahon was appointed Industry Representative to:
University of Adelaide – Future Industries Institute
He is a speaker at the ANFF Microengineering Winter School and actively mentors the next generation of engineers and micro-machinists, with access to:
Advanced CNC and micro-machining
Clean-room assembly facilities
Complex machinery and electronics manufacturing infrastructure
Important Notes
We no longer restore customer watch dials (Exceptions apply to existing clients).
We only manufacture custom enamel and precious-metal dials for our own watch manufacture
By appointment only
Please confirm brand and model before visiting by email
Please contact us for VINTAGE OMEGA and Rolex restoration information on. info@rmcmahon.com.au
Laser welding, cutting and movement parts manufacture. Laser welding shown with Master Watchmaker Richard McMahon at the laser welding machine. Argon shielding and clean room micro machine parts manufacture, we offer services and manufacturing no other micro machinist or watchmaker can offer in Australia. By world standards less than 5 workshops have our complete vertical integration for complete in-house mechanical parts, movement parts or watch manufacturing in house.
Vintage precision mills and lathes, the same ones used un Europe to manufacture watches in the 1930’s and 1940’s. We use the same machines by Henri Hauser, Lorch and Schaublin the Swiss watch companies originally used to manufacture watches back in the day.
One of our 3 prototyping workshop areas and workshops. Watch movement parts manufacture. Hand made enamel dials. Watch wheels, pinions, hands and case manufacture. Prototype medical instrument manufacture and small volume manufacture in medical grade stainless steel and titanium. In-house electroplating and small component anodising. We manufacture as much as we can in-house to make as high a percentage of our machines and watches as possible in the Tonsley Innovation District, South Australia and our Micro Engineering workshop McMahon Micro at UniSA, Mawson Lakes. We are adding new machinery and capabilities regularly. We undertake medical, aerospace and defence small part and machine manufacture, prototyping and testing. All used by Richard McMahon to manufacture precision components for aerospace, watches and defence.
Custom wristwatch and pocket watch manufacture. Cases, Grand Feu enamel dials and hands made in-house personally by master watchmaker Richard McMahon. Made in Adelaide, South Australia By Richard McMahon, and has been delivered to the client this year.
Some of the machines used to manufacture watch dials and watch cases. The base dial may be Stirling silver, brass or copper. It depends if it is to end up as a Grand Feu enamel dial, engine turned or custom electroplated dial, personally made by Richard McMahon.
Our Antique, Vintage and Modern Machinery
Why the Right Machines Matter in Watch Restoration and Manufacture
High-level watch restoration and manufacture cannot be achieved with modern equipment alone. Nor can it be achieved using only traditional tools. What matters is having the correct machines from the correct eras, and—most importantly—the experience to use them properly.
At R. McMahon Watchmakers, Richard McMahon operates a rare combination of antique, vintage, and modern industry-leading machinery, spanning more than 170 years of manufacturing history. This combination is essential for both authentic antique restoration and modern in-house watch manufacture, and is now uncommon even in Switzerland.
Machines That Match the Era of the Watch
Many antique and early vintage watches were manufactured on machines that no longer exist in modern factories. Tolerances, tooling geometry, cutting methods, and surface finishes were fundamentally different.
Richard McMahon owns and operates:
Antique watchmaking machines dating back to the mid-1800s, still used today for the manufacture of obsolete components for antique pocket watches
Traditional Swiss and German watchmaking lathes and milling machines, identical in principle to those used in historic European watch factories
Modern CNC and micro-machining systems, used by contemporary Swiss manufacturers for precision movement and case manufacture
This capability allows Richard to restore antique pocket watches using the same manufacturing methods originally used to create them, rather than forcing old designs through modern processes that were never intended for them.
A Rare Global Capability
It is increasingly rare—globally—to find a workshop where:
Antique machinery is still operational and correctly applied
Traditional Swiss-era machines are maintained and used daily
Modern factory-level CNC equipment is integrated into the same workflow
Richard McMahon not only owns this equipment; he has the 35 years of professional experience required to use it correctly. Without that experience, the machines alone are meaningless.
Swiss and German Case Manufacturing Capability
Our workshop includes specialist Swiss and German machinery dedicated to watch case manufacture, enabling us to:
Cut, shape, and machine case threads
Manufacture water-resistant cases
Control tolerances critical to sealing, crown fit, and long-term durability
Where possible, this work is completed entirely in-house, rather than outsourced. This level of control is essential for both custom watch manufacture and correct vintage restoration, where original specifications must be respected.
The Role of Our Tonsley Workshop
Our facility at the Tonsley Innovation District, South Australia, serves as:
A centre for hand-made enamel dial manufacture
A hub for watch case manufacturing
A location for design, prototyping, and testing
Our customer service and restoration centre for vintage Rolex and vintage Omega
This makes R. McMahon Watchmakers South Australia’s only complete watch manufacture and complete restoration centre, combining traditional horology with advanced engineering.
Beyond Watchmaking
The same machinery and processes used for watch manufacture are also applied through McMahon Micro Machining for:
Medical device prototyping
Defence and aerospace components
Micro-engineering and process engineering consultancy
This crossover reinforces manufacturing discipline, quality control, and precision—benefiting both industrial clients and watch collectors.
Why This Matters
True restoration and manufacture depend on:
Machines appropriate to the era of the watch
Modern equipment where precision demands it
Deep experience applying both
Richard McMahon’s workshop brings together antique, vintage, and modern machinery, used daily at a professional level. This allows work to be carried out that most workshops—both in Australia and internationally—are no longer equipped to undertake.
The result is authentic restoration, genuine manufacture, and watches that respect their origins while meeting modern standards—designed, made, and restored in Adelaide, South Australia.
R McMahon Watchmakers do not work from a price list, each watch has a different history of wear and service. We can provide a basic guide of minimum charges below for vintage Rolex and Omega service price information. Hopefully this will answer some pricing questions for vintage Omega and Rolex watch service and restoration in Adelaide.