Folks,
I've recently invested in a new moonwatch for my newborn son.
However I'm torn between wearing it, and storing it for his 21st.
Does anyone have any thoughts on whether there's potential for long term damage if I just leave the watch in its box, as I much prefer the latter option
Thx
C.

 

I can't address the issue of long term storage, but I love the idea of presenting your son with a NOS Speedy when he turns 21. Congrats on the birth of your son, and remember...it goes by faster than you will ever realize.

 

If you're going to pass it on to him, do it with all of the wear and memories you and he will accumulate together over the years.

He may look at a particular scratch or ding after you've shuffled off and think, with a wistful smile, "Ah yeah, remember that Dad?".

I know which one I'd prefer.

 

I personally buy watches to wear them, so what comes next may have some bias.

My personal view: I think he would value it more as it being 'Dad's watch' (a watch he grew up seeing being used by you) than a new moonwatch, that can probably be bought new in 20 years just with some small changes (e.g. the bracelet and the serial number).

 

I bought an unworn Speedy a few years ago. It's lived 28 years in it's box so far, looks like a new watch apart from the patina that has developed on the hands and indices because they used Tritium back then. Your watch being Super-LumiNova will probably look exactly the same in 21 years.

 

Personally, I would wear with care. Something that he would see on your wrist growing up. something he would grow up to appreciate and more meaningful as a gift. So that he can say, this is my dads watch.

 

The promising news - he'll have plenty of time to see me wear my speedies and I'll no doubt pass them onto him and his sisters..

But this one is his - 40mins after he was born he owned his first speedy...

 

No question — wear it with pride. Take it and your son on the journey through life. He’ll treasure it all the more when he’s 21.

 

Well I did the same, except a few differences. I plan on giving it to my son when appropriate (old enough to appreciate/graduate college,marriage,etc) basically when I see fit. However I am wearing it already, because I want his memories of the watch to be of all the things we did together while wearing it. IMO at the point, why not just buy him a new one at 21 or heck let him pick out a luxury watch for himself at 21? He may not even like the speedy or even be into watches at all. It's a gamble and IMO a bit of a waste for a watch to just sit in a box for 20 years. But that's my opinion and you know what they say about those

Congrats on the new watch and good luck on whatever you decide to do!

 

If you bought it specifically for him, save it for him! Let him see you wear your own Speedies. But why wait until he's 21? Maybe give it to him when he's 16 or 18.

I am no watch expert, but the only damage I can think of is oil drying out. So you might want to get it serviced before you present it to him, because the oil will be 21 years old (or 16 or 18 years old) and dried up (probably).

 

I bought a slightly used one shortly after my son was born, and have had it tucked away. But I am actually leaning more towards selling it then keeping it to give him when he is an adult, as I've since been accumulating both older and newer Omegas that are a bit less common, and that I think he will probably appreciate more. A great example is my TinTin -- I actually bought it to wear instead of that Speedmaster, so I could keep the Speedmaster in pristine condition for him -- but the TinTin has lately become a 'thing' and will ultimately mean more. And the '67 I picked up will be much nicer to pass on to him instead of the newish one, primarily due to the 321 and the tritium lume.

Don't get me wrong -- I think tucking away a watch is a great idea. It's just that for me personally the 'regular' Speedmaster is no longer the really cool watch I hope to pass on to my son. That being said, I may keep it and give it to him when he is younger (maybe 16), and I won't be too terribly upset if he bangs it up a little being a kid.

 

I haven't got any watches in the family but I think I'd love one that a family member wore and especially was seen wearing in photos taken during my childhood etc.

 

Unfortunately not all of us can afford (at least in my case) to spend $8-10k on a 321. I know vintage watches are a thing now and obviously the history with the 321 is special, but remember new ones will be vintage one day too. And I think personal memories are more important than a watches previous provenance... my .02

 

You know it, boss.

“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy at the office!”









“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy with kid units Max and Hannah at the Metallica concert!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy at the Beech Acres skatepark!”



“Look, there’s Dad and his Navy rotorhead buddy @ChuckMK23 wearing their awesome Speedys doing a SPAM Lite/Kraft Macaroni & Cheese party!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy and displaying Speedy’s paraphernalia at Dunkin’ Donuts!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy while photo bombing kid unit Hannah’s high school graduation!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy as a belt by utilizing two Omega replica NASA straps linked together!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing and talking about his awesome Speedy to the “pretending-to-be-interested” Dodge Demon girl at the Detroit auto show!”



“Look, there’s Dad wearing his awesome Speedy at Hooters! Show Mom [MacGyverette] so we can watch her smack him around!”

 

I would wear it occasionaly, so your son could appreciate more the gift since form his perspective you are donating him "your "watch.

BTW, congratulations!

 

Or maybe: "You clumsy old basstedd Dad!....Look at the 'fakkin' state of my watch!... call that a 21st birthday present!"

 

I'm not a fan of buying something for a son, saying it's his, then using it yourself. It reminds me of the guy at work who bought his kid a video game system for Christmas, then every night after his kid went to bed, he would take it out of the box and play with it.

Personally, I think you should think of the watch as a watch you bought yourself and enjoy it. It doesn't make sense to me to say it's for him, then it sits in a box. After 21 years sitting in a box in pristine condition, you've told him not to get it scratched or "used".

I'd rather hear you enjoy the watch for you, and in 21 years ask him if he would like that watch or a new one of whatever style tickles his fancy.

 

Which is why my original questions is geared around understanding what's involved in leaving it in a box for him... I bought this for him. I don't think I'd feel great wearing it. I have my own speedies, I'm drawn to the argument of 'wear it with him' so he sees it - but I think I'm more firmly in the 'I bought it for him' camp - but I don't want to give him a POS on his 21st, because his old man didn't 'look after it'.

So to restate the question - do we as a forum have any experience on leaving a speedy in a box? Is it likely the the oil will evaporate as suggested above?

I feel we all welcome the NOS find, and am hoping the more recent Omegas are likely to survive.

Long story short - should I wind it every 2 days for the next 21years to preserve the mechanicals, or do we persieve a problem if I choose to let it sit and then service in X years. Aesthetics are a completely different question.

 

If you know you are storing a watch for 21 years, would it be better to get it cleaned, and reassembled dry for storage? Obviously you would need to have it lubricated before putting it into service.

 

I was firmly of the opinion of wearing it and sharing memories (I’m doing that with my sons speedy right now), until I realized you have multiple speedys.

I think I’m changing camps on this one. If he gets to see you wearing Speedmasters his whole life, I think it’s be cool to pull out a brand new one *roughly* as old as he is.

Sorry, can’t speak to storing a watch anymore than what you’ve pointed out