I think I found a 13ZN in Great Grandad's bag of watches and I need some advice please

Curiouscat · Feb 23, 2022

I think that is very sound advice. The more I find out about it (and the others)the more I think I'll keep them. my Dad did say that to me but I think he knew I was the least likely to do that as I hoard our family stuff and 10 years later I am asking about the watches I was supposed to sell. I'm a History teacher and they would be also be a great talking point in class. I think my next step is a Longines assessment and estimate then I'll decide if I can afford to restore it - I hope I can as I really do want to see it working! Thank you again for your guidance with the watch.

Dan S · Feb 23, 2022

Please check in again when you hear from Longines. If you decide to have them repair/restore the watch, it will be important to make certain that there is absolutely no misunderstanding about what they will do to the dial. For example, "restore" is a very ambiguous term. You may think it means "clean", but they may be suggesting a total repaint.

Edit: I should also have mentioned the case. IMO, it's fantastic to preserve the original finish, even if it exhibits some wear. But Longines may want to refinish the case. Of course it's your watch and your decision. You just want to make sure that there are no surprises.

Curiouscat · Feb 23, 2022

Thank you Dan. I will make sure I tell them exactly what to leave alone. Although I don't know a lot about vintage watches my gut tells me to leave as much alone as possible so it is good to know which parts of the watch are particularly important. I will definitely check in with you and Dirty Dozen once Longines tell me what they want to do but I will make sure I tell them to leave the dial and finish and only clean what is necessary before I even send it for assessment. I feel more confident in doing this now thanks to you two.

Davidt · Feb 23, 2022

Dan S
Please check in again when you hear from Longines. If you decide to have them repair/restore the watch, it will be important to make certain that there is absolutely no misunderstanding about what they will do to the dial. For example, "restore" is a very ambiguous term. You may think it means "clean", but they may be suggesting a total repaint.

Edit: I should also have mentioned the case. IMO, it's fantastic to preserve the original finish, even if it exhibits some wear. But Longines may want to refinish the case. Of course it's your watch and your decision. You just want to make sure that there are no surprises.

These points cannot be overemphasised. From a historic, collector and value standpoint, retaining the original finish on the case and dial is paramount and regardless of who works on the watch you should make this crystal clear to avoid any mis-communication

seekingseaquest · Feb 23, 2022

Davidt
These points cannot be overemphasised. From a historic, collector and value standpoint, retaining the original finish on the case and dial is paramount and regardless of who works on the watch you should make this crystal clear to avoid any mis-communication

Even better, folks here would be happy to suggest watchmakers that are used to these collector preferences and aren’t likely to do something that’s undesired.

Larry S · Feb 23, 2022

seekingseaquest
Even better, folks here would be happy to suggest watchmakers that are used to these collector preferences and aren’t likely to do something that’s undesired.

Thing is, there are parts that need swapping, this is a valuable piece and IMO Longines is the best place for it. OP needs to keep ‘em on a leash though. From what I hear , they get collectors and vintage better than most.

I think I found a 13ZN in Great Grandad's bag of watches and I need some advice please

Curiouscat

Dan S

Curiouscat

Davidt

seekingseaquest

Larry S

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