Gymnastics instructor turned watchmaker to open first L. Chapman Repairs store in Stamford's Morrisons supermarket

A gymnastics teacher has given up backflips and somersaults for a more sedentary career as a watchmaker.

Ross Chapman, 21, from Market Deeping, taught at a pre-school in London until a friend inspired him to take a job working with luxury timepieces.

He then taught himself the skills of the trade and also worked at big repair specialists including Watch Repair Picadilly before going it alone.

Around eight months ago he set up L. Chapman repairs - the L in the title representing his dad Leslie who sadly passed away before Ross set up the business.

And now he is preparing to open up his first shop, which will be located inside Morrisons supermarket in Stamford.

Ross said: “I’ve come a long way since being a gymnastics instructor - I’m not sure I’m fit enough to do that anymore!

“This gives me a great deal of satisfaction. It’s seeing something that’s come to me broken or not working, fixing it, and then seeing the look on the customer’s face when they get it back.”

Ross, whose family has strong links to the armed forces, said that one of his customers was a soldier whose watch had been damaged in a roadside bomb attack.

“He sent it to me and said ‘keep it, I don’t want it anymore’, because it wasn’t working,” he said. “So I repaired it and sent it back to him as a surprise, with no charge, and he was in tears.”

Another customer had a £15 watch that was priceless to him as it had been given as a present by a relative who had now passed away.

“I was able to repair it and to him it was worth more than a Rolex because of the sentimental value,” Ross said.

The coronavirus lockdown has sent business through the roof with Ross repairing between 20 and 30 watches a week.

They have come in from all over the country - and even the world - with one US customer sending a diamond Audemars Piguet worth many thousands.

“I think people have just been stuck at home getting annoyed seeing their broken watches lying around so decide to send them in,” said Ross. “I’ve been really busy.”

Despite the success of his online business, he is looking forward to having face-to-face dealings with customers in the new shop in Stamford.

The unit inside the supermarket is being fitted now, with relevant PPE and social distancing measures in place, and should be ready within a fortnight.

“It’s a more personal service this way and I do like to chat!” said Ross.

For more information visit the website at www.l-chapman-repairs.com or search for the company on Facebook.