Good day all, Pictured is a UG "auto chronometre 28" watch I now dub an "unwanted heirloom" due to recent realizations about its purchasers and previous owner. Not knowing much about these findings, the watch company, or the brand's growing following, I wore the timepiece between 2010 and 2019, when the crown smoothed down to a crumpled stump. Nowadays, the watch runs for about two hours after being handled, and needless to say, is in dire need of cleaning/repair. (It's safe to assume since the watch's acquisition in 1964, it was probably worn for less than twenty accumulated years.) I found a local watch/clock shop 30 minutes away familiar with the brand and willing to service it. My intentions are to barter the watch for (what I'll call) a more tangible, liquid asset. My question - in short - is it worth it (based on the lack of frequency of this model), or is this dead weight, all the way? Sound off. Thanks in advance!
Most likely, if you want to sell it, you will not recover the cost of the service. Just put it on eBay with better pictures and a write-up that sounds less like a John Malkovitch monologue
It was a bit hard to follow the OP, but I am inferring that the question is whether or not to have the watch serviced pre-sale. The answer is no. Just put it on eBay, as @DaveK noted.
Thanks for the replies (and sorry for my caffeine-fueled wordiness). Sans service, what would be the ballpark range for this watch? (Hopefully not a taboo question here).
You might elicit more response to your question of (approximate) value with greatly improved pictures of the watch, and a picture of the mechanism. Check out the sales history of similar watches on eBay.
As suggested above, much better photos, including the case back and movement, would be required in order to refine a value.
I'll be mindful of prose-sensitive eyes. FWIW, the text of my eBay listings generally aren't the same as my forum posts (and I don't know anyone who does that.) From what I'm reading in responses, the cost of a high-res camera + watch opening tools would essentially "break even" in a prospective sale of this timepiece. On the other hand, DMs here (and another site) have offered $400-$800, depending on the condition of the movement. Hmm, decisions, decisions. Thanks again.
You don’t need a fancy camera, just an iPhone and some decent diffused light. You can get a light box on Amazon for like $40.
...and a watch maker would open the case back for a small fee so you could include movement photos, and then sell the watch with the back hand tight, since it needs service anyway. From you current photos we can't even tell if the watch is gold capped or stainless steal, of if the hand s and furniture are silver or gold.
Mm, no. You're wrong, actually. A few local jewelry repair places would need to open the case back anyway to assess what kind of cleaning would need to be done, and one offered to take snaps (at no charge). Back hand tight? Say what? Are we talking watch service or vehicle maintenance? After replacing it with a Polerouter-style crown and gasket, it now seems to run with a 24-hour reserve. Sure, it needs service (the serial number dates it to 1959), but it does run now. And if I decide to sell it, I'll likely get A LOT more money than the cost of service (in response to an earlier reply). Gold capped, gold hands, gold markers. No redial.
