Poll: Do you guys really despise inscriptions that much?

Pvt-Public · Jan 30, 2015

redpcar
Uncle apparently was a welder 😉

Nope, mechanic. I have no clue why those 2 notches were cut and then soldered over. Maybe at some time it was screwed on too tight?

Alpha · Jan 30, 2015

Not the first time this one has made an appearance, to me the inscription adds to the piece. Obviously inscriptions don't put me off but as others it depends on the inscription.

jrpippen · Jan 30, 2015

1. a
2. b
3. Y

bill5959 · Jan 30, 2015

Alpha
Not the first time this one has made an appearance, to me the inscription adds to the piece. Obviously inscriptions don't put me off but as others it depends on the inscription.

STELLA!!!!!

broulstone · Jan 31, 2015

C and if you can find out more about inscription even better.

scook94 · Feb 1, 2015

Just think there's something sad about a watch with an inscription finding it's way on to the open market. Surely some relative of Jim or Stella, or Frank and Jack or whomever would have some emotional attachment? Same with those ebay listings, claiming to be selling their fathers watch etc. Sad, just, very sad.

woodwkr2 · Feb 1, 2015

Alpha
Not the first time this one has made an appearance, to me the inscription adds to the piece. Obviously inscriptions don't put me off but as others it depends on the inscription.

A case study in women's rights over time.

While little Stella is wafting in the breeze, her superior, JIM is dutifully supervising.

agee · Feb 2, 2015

scook94
Just think there's something sad about a watch with an inscription finding it's way on to the open market. Surely some relative of Jim or Stella, or Frank and Jack or whomever would have some emotional attachment? Same with those ebay listings, claiming to be selling their fathers watch etc. Sad, just, very sad.

I agree-I find it disconcerting and very sad to see watches with personal inscriptions or even awarded watches be sold on the open market. I have come across members of a family who want to sell their relatives watch and sometimes their medals earned in military service. On numerous occasions I have seen military medals offered for sale-I have even questioned the legality of this practice. One seller said that it was legal to sell certain medals. I just cannot understand this mentality. I agree- "Sad, just, very sad"

The Loon · Feb 2, 2015

1. C
2. C
3. N (well not yet, anyway)

alam · Feb 16, 2015

Northernman · Oct 5, 2015

Resurrecting an old thread ok?😉
The caseback of the Patek in this article made me think a bit about what was written earlier in the thread......
http://www.hodinkee.com/articles/christies-watches-november-2015-preview
I think I could have lived fine with that engraving!!! 😵‍💫🥰

ulackfocus · Oct 5, 2015

Northernman
Resurrecting an old thread ok?😉

Necrothreadia - and it's okay in most instances if either pictures or pertinent information is added.

Northernman · Oct 5, 2015

U ulackfocus
Necrothreadia - and it's okay in most instances if either pictures or pertinent information is added.

From Hodinkee:

Check the link for more.....
😀

calalum · Oct 5, 2015

No watch that I have considered purchasing has had a personal engraving, but what SPECIFICALLY is it about the inscriptions that seems to put so many of you off?

CajunTiger · Oct 5, 2015

I prefer no inscription, but it really isn't that big of a turnoff...especially on vintage watches, in some cases it is part of the story the watch tells.
I only have one with with an engraving, and for me it doesn't take anything away from the value.

agee · Oct 5, 2015

Here's one
I recently gave it to my son

Geo! · Oct 5, 2015

C.
D. It's all down to rarity, condition and price.
Y.

I would much rather have a watch with excellent condition and an inscription, than one with an overdose of so called "patina" that needs a linisher to fix!

WatchVaultNYC · Oct 5, 2015

IMHO, if you're the type who wants an unrestored watch, one that shows it's history, what it's been through, etc.. an inscribed caseback is just one other thing the watch had gone through and shouldn't be a negative in itself.

Time Exposure · Oct 5, 2015

The two watches I have that are engraved are very special. One is the Wittnauer watch my grandfather received at retirement which simply says in block letters, "TO BILL FROM LOCAL 617-1969."
The other is more along the lines of the type that make some sad. About 25 years ago, a client who knew I liked vintage wind-ups brought me some watches he had collected over the years. He no longer wanted them as they had no meaning to him, and he wanted to sell them. Among them was a Movado purse watch, in black enamel with a sterling silver Art Deco line on both sides. It had belonged to his grandmother, but the watch hadn't worked for years.
He even knew the story of the inscription, "To Seena, A True Friend, Love, Lila And John." His grandmother was an actress in silent films named Seena Owen. Her friends were Lila Lee, another star of the silent film era, and her boyfriend at the time, John Farrow, who directed films and was the father of Mia Farrow.
I never understood why he would sell such a treasure. I felt I was a custodian of the watch in case he ever changed his mind. But he never did, and I knew him for several years until I moved from that company.
I sometimes wonder if he is still around and if he ever changed his mind. Maybe I'll try a search on the Internet...

Time Exposure · Oct 5, 2015

alam
Note that long dissertations are not required

Aw crap...I blew it.
Was that pointed at me in the first place? 😉