I agree. The watch is well preserved and looks beautiful.

 

I think @Mac5 was just pointing out the difference for the OP between a nicely worn watch (the OPs) and one that's been tarted up on a polishing wheel and lost its charm.

 

The S script is not that clear, but I'm pretty sure the movement is one of the 56x calibre. That and the case style put this watch in the early to mid 1960s. More than 50 years in any case.

 

So was there overlap of using the hanger S and the curvier S? I though there was a pretty hard switch and not a soft transition. This has been a point many of the veterans have used to denote a redial on an earlier model.

 

Yes both were seen in contemporary use, there was no general hard transition, though I suppose some models may be seen more often with one rather than the other. The Coathanger is only seen in a limited timeframe but the curved S is seen pretty much universally, with small differences in the kerning of the a-m etc. There are also variations in the S and R too. The OP watch looks absolutely fine for the 1960-63 timeframe IMO, but could also be later.

 

So many variations!!!
I have a ‘62 pre-Deville with the hanger S and every ‘63 I have seen has the curved S, so that seemed to be the transition for that model.

 

You collector people are incomprehensible to a plain watch user like me. I actually want my watches buffed some when they need it.

I see I have a new mission in life... telling people they can buff their watches if they want.

The first person who tells me this is strictly a collectors forum better have proof.

Tom

 

I agree with you, it’s your watch, you can do what you want. I appreciate though that the members here (myself included now) try to warn new collectors to be aware that a polishing wheel removes material from the case and can do damage to the factory finish. Once I learned what I was seeing, I couldn’t un-see it.
It seems far more egregious in the Rolex world where you’ll see differences in the thickness of the lugs where a watchmaker actually shaved metal off to knock down nicks or dings in the case, making lugs that are thinner than others.
The same thing happens in the antique furniture world where someone will get a well preserved but beautifully patina’d piece of furniture, and strip the finish off, sand it, and refinish it thinking they are improving the value- they just made firewood.

 

Welcome from a fellow Texan. If you don’t mind shipping it, there’s a watchmaker near Dallas that several of us here use for our vintage watches. PM me if you’re interested.

 

The difference here is, except for Speedmasters (and what the heck?) none of these watches are worth a whole big pile of money. Too many of them were made, for the most part.

Yes, I have seen one-of-a-kind pieces of furniture where the owners stripped off the original finish and devalued a $20,000 chest of drawers to $3000. But Dad's beat to hell watch gets all of the oo and ah of the collector when the guy wants to wear his dad's watch and you're all telling him, "don't you dare touch it, we collectors know better!" and my answer to that is, to put it politely, "you're not helping!"

I think a lot of you need to step back and say, "how can I help this guy get the most enjoyment from his dad's watch?" A collector's perspective (and forgive me, many of you are mere "accumulators" of beat-up pieces) is not warranted. A warning that a lot of watchmakers buff too much (and I had a CMW destroy a case I had to replace) is warranted. A warning that dial refininishing, unless done by the manufacturer (or someone in Asia?) will never look original is warranted. So many of you seem to be saying, "only have the movement cleaned, let the rest of it look like crap because we say so!" and that just doesn't sit well with me. Provide a complete answer or just keep quiet, is my opinion.

The original poster has a nice Seamaster. Some careful polishing with a new crystal will really make it look stunning. Right now it looks... old, and not in a good way. "If you want to sell it, don't polish it." "If you want to enjoy it how it came when new, do this, and be careful that overpolishing does not happen." Be useful and stop speaking ex cathedra. I've seen people who have been total newbs a month ago giving advice as if they were experts. I don't think we should encourage that.

Me, I've been wearing vintage for decades now. I have my own small "collection" (really an accumulation). I polish cases by hand. I've had some buffed with varying results. I don't think I'm an expert but I think I can share perspective.

Tom

 

Except it's NOT a collector's forum! It's an everyone forum! That's part of the problem of you who consider yourself collectors!

Plus I edited out the "pieces of shit" because it wasn't appropriate.

Tom

 

I edited my whole post because it wasn’t appropriate. You are perfectly entitled to your opinion and I’ll let you get on with it.

I would say maybe scale back the you and me bit. You too are speaking for everyone a little, we are all different.

 

Tom, I don’t think many people are disagreeing with you, and yes, some people are emphatic about “patina”- myself not being one of them. But the OP asked for opinions in his second post
“What's the right way to care for this watch - do I restore it or keep as is?”
We were giving it to him.

 

The right way is "whatever meets his goals." That's the only valid answer.

Tom

 

But Tom. With al do respect. What's wrong if people say that a watch is fine as it is? I grew up between clocks and watches. My father was a collector and we had hundreds of them back home. I like the fact a watch has lived a life. It reminds me that not all things have to be perfect. And I'm entitled to give my opinion. And of course you can say I'm full of crap. Most of the time I am. That's the good thing about different opinions. So somebody can make his own choice based on different ideas.

Now I'm getting all emotional...

 

If that's what you choose for yourself, that's fine. It's telling people that they can only have it one way that irks me.

Tom

 

Here is an example of what sets me off:

"Just a service. Tell them NOT to buff it. Don’t change a thing on that watch."

It's his watch, he can do what he wants with it.

Tom

 

And yet in another thread just now you are telling someone with a buffed, restored watch that he should change the hands back. Interesting. How exactly does that tally with letting him just enjoy it?

 

No, you goddamned jerk, this is exactly what I said:

I said "you might look into" and gave a reason why.

I didn't tell him to do anything.

THIS IS WHAT PISSES ME OFF.

Tom

 

Hmm sweary insults at the drop of a hat. Is it too much drink or too little meds? Either way you may need some time out.