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vintagelady
·Hello All,
I posted a few weeks ago to the thread "Does Anyone Still Collect Pocket Watches", but since it seems less visited, I decided to pose my question on a new one.
I recently purchased an antique .800 silver full-hunter silver Omega pocket watch as a 73rd birthday present for my dad; he's only worn pocket watches his entire life. He currently uses a Swiss Army quartz pocket watch which can't have cost more than $50 - I'm excited to get him something I know he more than deserves and will love... It finally arrived the day before yesterday from England. The seller assured me that the watch was running, kept good time, and had "recently been serviced". Although I carefully scrutinized the photos from the seller, they are after all, photos. I wound the watch and kept an eye on it the first day, ensuring it did indeed run (it's much louder than I expected) - however, I noticed that the hour hand was angled down towards the dial and the second hand would stick against it when it crossed into the seconds dial. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I think this problem, while small, pushes the envelope of "keeps good time" and "recently serviced". The mechanism keeps ticking/trying to run, but the hands stop when the hour and second hands touch (...which they shouldn't. I know.) I ended up constantly adjusting the hour hand as far from the second hand as possible until it finished winding down. I dropped it at my jeweler's yesterday, and he 1) confirmed under a loupe that the dial is original (whew!), and that 2) the hands should/would have been "re balanced" or "tightened" at a servicing. I also noticed that the hour and minute hands were showing a bit of wear - whether it was the gilt wearing through or something else, I couldn't say, but I asked for quote on having them re-gilded. I also noticed the crystal was not glass or [sapphire] crystal - it was a strange, plastic-like material (thin, strange sound when tapped, but not as much give as modern plastic). My jeweler said he felt it was original or at least of-the-period, since all other parts of the watch were (anyone know anything about this?). Regardless, I asked for a quote if they were able to find a newer glass or crystal that would fit; I draw the line at creating one custom ($$$!).
So, long story short:
1. Cleaning and servicing (including tightening/aligning all hands) - CHECK.
2. Getting a quote on re-plating original hands - PENDING.
3. Getting a quote on a AM crystal - PENDING.
Here's my question - I feel I got the watch at a good price, so I am willing to spend a little for some restoration. However, I might be willing to spend more if it helps maintain or adds to the value of the watch. On the flip side, I don't want to do anything to take away value/original condition either. If anyone has advice or knowledge, I readily welcome it!
Here are some pictures I took the day it arrived (I've read enough about the dangers of amateurs attempting to open the back so I didn't even bother; the last image of the interior is from the seller.)
I posted a few weeks ago to the thread "Does Anyone Still Collect Pocket Watches", but since it seems less visited, I decided to pose my question on a new one.
I recently purchased an antique .800 silver full-hunter silver Omega pocket watch as a 73rd birthday present for my dad; he's only worn pocket watches his entire life. He currently uses a Swiss Army quartz pocket watch which can't have cost more than $50 - I'm excited to get him something I know he more than deserves and will love... It finally arrived the day before yesterday from England. The seller assured me that the watch was running, kept good time, and had "recently been serviced". Although I carefully scrutinized the photos from the seller, they are after all, photos. I wound the watch and kept an eye on it the first day, ensuring it did indeed run (it's much louder than I expected) - however, I noticed that the hour hand was angled down towards the dial and the second hand would stick against it when it crossed into the seconds dial. I'm not sure about everyone else, but I think this problem, while small, pushes the envelope of "keeps good time" and "recently serviced". The mechanism keeps ticking/trying to run, but the hands stop when the hour and second hands touch (...which they shouldn't. I know.) I ended up constantly adjusting the hour hand as far from the second hand as possible until it finished winding down. I dropped it at my jeweler's yesterday, and he 1) confirmed under a loupe that the dial is original (whew!), and that 2) the hands should/would have been "re balanced" or "tightened" at a servicing. I also noticed that the hour and minute hands were showing a bit of wear - whether it was the gilt wearing through or something else, I couldn't say, but I asked for quote on having them re-gilded. I also noticed the crystal was not glass or [sapphire] crystal - it was a strange, plastic-like material (thin, strange sound when tapped, but not as much give as modern plastic). My jeweler said he felt it was original or at least of-the-period, since all other parts of the watch were (anyone know anything about this?). Regardless, I asked for a quote if they were able to find a newer glass or crystal that would fit; I draw the line at creating one custom ($$$!).
So, long story short:
1. Cleaning and servicing (including tightening/aligning all hands) - CHECK.
2. Getting a quote on re-plating original hands - PENDING.
3. Getting a quote on a AM crystal - PENDING.
Here's my question - I feel I got the watch at a good price, so I am willing to spend a little for some restoration. However, I might be willing to spend more if it helps maintain or adds to the value of the watch. On the flip side, I don't want to do anything to take away value/original condition either. If anyone has advice or knowledge, I readily welcome it!
Here are some pictures I took the day it arrived (I've read enough about the dangers of amateurs attempting to open the back so I didn't even bother; the last image of the interior is from the seller.)
Edited:
