Hi Folks, curious about vintage watches and what sort of accuracy you generally expect from one? I realize there is a vast amount of variation in quality and condition out there, is my question too general(?) Is there a ball park that would be considered decent? What sort of accuracy, after service, would you consider unacceptable? Cheers!
Get em done by a competent watchmaker and you can expect solid results. Really depends on the condition, but the watches I have had overhauled keep very good time. This includes my 1917 13.33 Longines.
I often carry one of my old railway watches, they range in age from 65 to 125 years old. if they're out by more than a few seconds a day I'm concerned.
Hard to tell, because it really depends (on condition, service history, the quality of the movement, if parts as still available, etc.).
I have a Hamilton 952, 16-size, 19-jewel, railroad grade pocket watch which I recently reconditioned. I fussed with it to get the timing just so. Then I did a test over three months, winding it every day, and alternating between wearing it and static testing it. It was never more than 12 seconds away from WWV in the three months. On the other hand, I have a Hamilton Ventura Electric that varies, but is usually out by as much as 25-minutes in a day! The one I am wearing right now is a 65-year old generic bumper automatic with a bog stock A SCHILD 1192 movement in it which varies around + 3 to +5 second per day. So the answer to your question is, it varies! The size of an individuals ".ball park" depends on your demand for accuracy. And if you are collecting watches that don't meet your expectations, I suggest you become more discriminating in what you collect, or change repair shops.
I've a Longines Flagship 1961 that gains around 2 seconds a day and is in perfect working condition. I feel the movements of big swiss brands in last century before the first quartz crisis were very reliable and perfect for daily use.
As is often the case with questions like this, it depends. To have decent accuracy, not only did the watch need to be of some quality to start with, but the condition of the movement is critical. Heavy wear that is not repaired can cause even the best quality movements to run poorly, or not at all. Working on a vintage Tissot today that came in with a few problems, and the owner admitted that it had not been serviced since his father bought it new in the 60's, and it shows in some of the wear present in the movement: Barrel bridge worn severely where the barrel arbor rides: And the main plate where the barrel arbor rides is also worn badly: Note that the barrel drum and cover were also very worn, with far too much side shake. If you take it to someone who is going to do a cheap service (or in some cases even some who charge a good amount) chances are they won't repair these faults, and will just clean, oil, and adjust the best they can, and call it a day. Results will be mediocre at best, but if these issues are fixed properly, the performance of the watch can be quite good. It depends on how good the watch was initially, how well it's serviced, if spare parts are available, etc. Cheers, Al
This is my first vintage watch, bought in about 2011 and practically NOS when I got it. I haven't worn it for a year or so, but after a service it was keeping time to within 1-2 seconds per day. Only a bog standard 70s Tissot but I suppose I was just lucky to get a "Monday morning" one.
Nothing Monday morning about 70s Tissots After service my '72 Seastar (with the 2481 Omega sister movement) keeps as good time as my serviced Connies
I have a 1971 Cal 1481 Geneve that has been a regular daily wearer for 3 years now and always been faultless. It's worth remembering that Tissot entered a commercial relationship with Omega in 1925 and merged in 1930, so the two companies have very close historical links.