Timeless Craftsmanship in Konya

In Konya, 84-year-old Lütfi Pınarcık, who has been working as a watchmaker for 66 years, now continues his work by repairing only the difficult-to-repair watches.

Lütfi Pınarcık, who has been repairing watches for 66 years, also serves as the President of the Konya Chamber of Communication Devices, Watchmakers, and Opticians. Known by all watchmakers in Konya and revered as a master by many, Lütfi Pınarcık rushes to the aid of fellow craftsmen who call upon him when faced with watches that cannot be repaired.

Pınarcık, while repairing the watches, first identifies the malfunction and carefully replaces any broken parts. If the watch requires maintenance, all its components are meticulously disassembled. All disassembled parts are cleaned with a special solvent. The cleaned parts are then carefully reassembled. During the assembly process, all parts are lubricated. After all these procedures, the watch waits at the workplace for a few days for quality control and its functioning is monitored before it is delivered to the customer.

Lütfi Pınarcık, who began his profession in 1957, recounts, "It has been continuing for 66 years. I was born in 1939, and I am 84 years old. Most people start when they are children, but I started practicing the craft of watchmaking after I got married in 1957. I started this work in Kayseri at the time. After the 1960 revolution, my wife and I came to Konya. We are still going strong. No watch can challenge me. Currently, we still work on antique watches in Konya. They call me to repair watches that cannot be fixed, and I come and do it. I don't know who will do this work after we are gone. Putting a battery in, anyone can do that, but it doesn't make it a craft. Unfortunately, in our country, watches are not made, we don't have a factory. Watches break easily, water seeps in and they get damaged. There is no one to fix a broken watch. Is it that easy? It's a very bad situation, but there is nothing we can do about it," he said.