Evening all, So I'm stuck with a dilemma. The 105.012 65 that I inherited from my father in law is desperately in need of a service. Ive just told my wife the cost of service and she's horrified. She wants to keep the watch, but we don't have limitless funds. We are willing to have an initial service and will use STS. The question is, how often is the watch going to need to be serviced and if, after this initial overhaul, what are the costs of ownership/service weighed up with increase in value? We would like to keep the watch and pass it on to our son who is 3, as and when he's old enough to appreciate it (and able to look after it). I suppose I want to know if the investment we make now will pay off for our son if he chooses to sell in say 20 years. Naturally I hope he seeks his own path and is able to find himself in a position where he can care for and pass the watch on to his son/daughter so that it remains in the family.
Assuming the dial, case, hands, bezel are correct, and in good condition? Then yes! It will be well worth the investment as values on these continue to increase. The duration between servicing varies, but I understand and good servicing might be required every 5ish years with normal wear. Failing that, sell it to me! I'd be happy to take care of it for you
A service for these is not cheap, but if the watch is to be used, it is best to have it done rather than risk damage over time. The service interval for this watch would be much shorter then five years if worn regularly. Knowing only what you have shared here, if the cost is an issue, just put the watch in a safe deposit box and deal with it down the road. It will be preserved as it is and circumstances can change a lot in 20 years!
I understand that this initial service will be pricey, but, will it be cheaper to have the watch serviced every few years if I keep on top of things?
So all the above considered..... I pay for a major service, wear the watch,let's say 6 days in a month at most.. What is the service schedule in these circs?
Any chance of some photos to ascertain the condition of the watch? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
If it's going to be worn, it'll need a service every 5 years or so. It might be an idea to think why you want to keep the watch. If you like the watch and want to wear it, you'll need to swallow the service costs. If you want to pass it to your son as a keepsake and servicing costs bother you, put it in a box, don't service it, but don't wind it either. If you want to keep it as an investment, well who knows where vintahe watch prices will be in 20-30 years. Pocket watches were valuable at one time, less so now as tastes and fashions have moved on. If the costs on servicing absolutely must stack up against an increasing value, unfortunately that can't be guaranteed.
Wearing the watch sparingly can increase the service interval, but it's not a constant relationship between timed worn and service interval. So let's say a normal service interval is 5 years if you wear the watch every day. If you only wear it 1/2 the time, does that mean the service interval is now 10 years? No, not really because regardless of the watch being worn, the oils will degrade over time. Once they break down even a small amount of wearing will potentially damage parts, and parts for the Cal. 321 are sometimes quite difficult to find (some are still available but many are not). The priority here is preserving the parts that are inside the watch. My feeling is that oils will only last 7-8 years max., regardless of the actual time the watch is used. Cheers, Al
Outlay on services can be a serious shocker, but given how hard some of the parts are to get for these, it might be worth getting it fully serviced whilst that's relatively easy. You could also consider it a bit of a reboot... you know it's been serviced, by whom, and exactly what they did.
Depending on condition this is a $9-12,000 USD watch. Well worth the investment now. Stick to movement only. Agree on the parts issue. Get it serviced now. Or cash out.
Sticker shock is part of the game when you're dipping your toes into the hobby. For a watch like yours, however, it's well worth it. Much better to think of it as a maintenance cost of a real asset than flippant spending. But agree with above - if cost is truly the issue, don't wear it and throw it in a safety deposit box until cash frees up for it. Truly zero risk scenario.
I'm no expert like the rest of the members here. But if the watch is used whether daily or just a few times a year, a regular service interval should be considered within the 5 year mark. Just like a car, whether you use it frequently or not, you still need an oil change if it has sat for a while. If you are planning on keeping it long term and currently don't have the funds to invest, I would say keep it in the safety deposit box or somewhere safe and essentially don't touch it or try to "play" around with movement to see if it moves/works. When you are ready, get it serviced by a trusted watchmaker. Although you may not have touched it for a while, as long as the gears haven't turned/moved, I'm sure all it would take is a decent service. The oils between the gears and the watch components is the key component from keeping parts from breaking.
So if I were in your position, I would likely figure out how to get it serviced now - make sure it is in tip-top running condition. As others have pointed out parts for the 321 are getting pretty scarce. Get it serviced and then get a safety deposit box and put it in there. Sure it will need a service when you pull it out, but it shouldn't need any movement parts - just cleaning off the old lube and adding new oil. If you wait now for service, it may need a part that has become unobtainium in the future, which is going to devalue the watch overall. Also it may increase in value to the point where you will entertain selling it because it becomes too valuable to wear. Also your son is 3 now - when he's older who knows what he is going to think of watches, and who knows what may become of it then. I just had to clean out my mom's house and I'll tell you what - if there were any family heirlooms that I personally had no emotional attachment to, but were worth $20K - they would have been sold instantly. One other thought - make absolutely certain that you do a write up of the watch with the info you have now and put in in the safety deposit box with it - include the current market value, etc. You never know what is going to happen, and if something could happen to you and your wife - hopefully not, but it is better to have the information with the watch rather than someone looking at it as "oh hey an old watch".
Took a quick glance and that was the valuation in the table. Assume good to collector. But quick google of the reference shows correlation.