Poll: Do you guys really despise inscriptions that much?

You just put the finger on my problem.

To be fair, sometimes there is no one left at all, which might also be sad.

Tom

Exactly the same for me.

I would love to own a watch that had an inscription, especially if I was able to nail down the history of the person. To me that is the appeal of a vintage watch.

I'm totally fine with most inscriptions as long as the cost of the thing drops some.

I wouldn't let a tasteful inscription get in the way of a quality asquission. 👍

Bob
😎

Wow! @gatorcpa @rhetoric @Tony C. @Northernman examples are beautiful - I've mentioned before somewhere in OF that my passion for antique/vintage fine jewelry brought me to watches, and all of these hand-engraved/inscribed pieces are the perfect bridge. This might be a little off-topic, but I just had a conversation with the jeweler I use for custom [jewelry] work about the history and art of hand-engraving. He's in his mid-to-late thirties, and he was telling me that it's a dying art. He was sad to hear that a much older gentleman he knew recently closed his jewelry/engraving business, and had no apprentice to carry it on. Apparently, some engravers collect old pieces and use them as guides. I know old rings and bracelets with inscriptions are often melted down/dismantled; I wouldn't be surprised if some old watches (particularly women's bracelet watches) meet the same fate. What a shame! About a year ago, I picked up a sterling silver signet ring from the mid-1940's and took it to my jeweler to be engraved with an Old English script monogram. The store owner tried at first to convince me to have it machine engraved because it was cheaper and quicker. Maybe it's because I'm a little nutty about my jewelry, but I had to explain to him that having a machine engrave a hand-made piece of jewelry was sacrilegious. It ended up costing me 3 times more, but it was worth it. The jeweler I mentioned before was the one who did the work, and when I picked it up, he came out to tell me it was a scary challenge for him - most people now just have machines do it. Soulless. Like a battery... 😉



To answer the question, I agree with @RLC - I wouldn't mind a tasteful inscription. The only time I avoid it is if I'm buying a gift for someone else, like when I bought that antique silver Omega pocket watch for my father. If the piece is for me, I'd like it to have some meaning if I can... I saved a man's gold wedding ring from being scrapped - it was engraved inside with the couple's initials, and the date "24.1.1930". 57 years to the day I was born. 😀

Generally, (by definition, generally doesn't mean everyone) the same sort of guy who is fussy about only buying used watches with the original box and paperwork is also the sort of guy who won't buy a watch with a caseback inscription.

These used watch buyers are basically looking to capture the experience of buying a new watch @ used watch prices.

Omega tends to attract a lot of buyers with this sort of mentality which is the exact reason why modern Onega's include a cartoonish amout of accoutrements.


Once again: one of our forum members who revealed that he'd never dable in inscribed is also one of the most experienced and sharp eyed collectors in the world...

So, there's that.

3. Have you purchased a watch with an inscription from an unknown in the past? (e.g. not belonging to a family member or someone you knew)
Yes I do not purchase many watches with inscriptions or initials on a pocket watch if it is a nice piece and the price is fair. I figure it is a 2fer deal I have a nice watch along with a nice example of vintage engraving

This is the strangest engraving on a watch I've ever seen, I'd really love to know what it means, I just hope it's not some sort of curse [emoji14]

I kind of like inscriptions especially on vintage watches it gives it character, I often wonder who the person might be or have been, although as much as I like them I'd never add an inscription to my own watch.

Sent from my SM-G925F using Tapatalk

I was thinking the exact same picture. IIRC the potential buyer decided against getting it. But it would have been an awesome detective story to find out what the heck is on that caseback,

That potential buyer happens to be me 😀 I'd love to own this mysterious piece but the asking price is very high and I don't really trust the dealer to be honest. I just hope that one day someone comes across this picture and understands what it says.

Speaking of inscriptions - I have an Aqua Terra that needs to be inscribed with my daughter's birth date (was wearing the watch at her birth). Is it safe to have a jeweler do this instead of a watchmaker?

B&C
B&D (if or when the inscription itself brings a historic provenance to the watch. (i.e a Navy Seal Rolex, an astronauts Speedy a significant occasion . sometimes you buy into the watch history as well as the model, and sometimes that comes at a premium rather than a discount)

Yes, I got a Hamilton antique with an inscription from a railway company. I liked the history and provenance the engraving brought.

If memory serves well it is one of the watches I donated on the last NYC meet. Nice watch.

I think it's a coded message revealing the end of days. Either that or it's Robinson Crusoe's watch and that's how long he was in that Island.