Grandads Watch - How much to restore?

A better look at the strap

Went through a similar situation recently and I only had a service done and I couldn’t be happier. The watch is exactly how I saw it on my grandad, with the loose bracelet, but now it just keeps perfect timing and looks the exact same.

Luckily this strap is pretty much a perfect fit. Maybe I leave it and change it one day if I fancy.

I would give it just the service, then live with it for awhile. See how you feel.

In time you will either think, "Wow, I'm SOOOOOO glad I didn't mess with this..." or you will think, "You know, I like this so much, restoring it 100% makes sense to me..."

Only one of those two options is open to you later down the road, however, if you dive into restoration straight away. So, to me, this is a no-brainer. Service only. At least to begin with.

Please don’t touch the dial - it looks fantastic.

Changing the strap is an easier decision to reverse. I’d give it a go to see how you feel about it.

The hands look corroded to me. I’d see about having them cleaned up, if possible, or swapped out, if necessary, and the movement serviced and everything other than the dial sent through the ultrasonic. Otherwise, I wouldn’t touch it.

They'll tell you that there is risk of rust flakes falling off and getting in the movement. Hands are coming off for service, so assess them then. Ideally they can be cleaned up a bit to minimize further rust. Light cleaning of dial. Always keep those cool old expansion bracelets!

Service. I’d clean the hands up a little. I would be hesitant to touch the dial. Or allow anyone else to. Probably just dust it off. Especially on light colored dials it’s easy for one spot to clean up nice and then it looks splotchy, or a number of other things.

I like the idea of engraving the back of a watch with "do not polish", so my feeling is to do as little as possible BUT, if you would wear it more if you were to do more, that would be a major factor.

That’s just cheap, generic replacement bracelet. I would put the watch on a leather strap and keep this bracelet in a drawer.

The hands might clean up a bit in the ultrasonic cleaner. Otherwise, they are fine. New hands would stand out against the old dial too much.

As others have said, no restoration just a good service, change the strap for a black leather one and enjoy it, it's a lovely watch.

I would have it serviced enough to at least make sure that there isn't any loose particles in it. That could be fatal.

Have the hands and dial cleaned. Patina is a good thing.

Nice watch!

Cheers!

I was faced with a similar issue recently too. The watch wasn't a sentimental piece (I'm the first watch guy in the family) but my well used Lucerne Digital Jump Hour. It has a base metal case which is plated in chrome, so any significant scratches can't be polished out. I contemplated having it replated at first, but I'm glad I didn't. It's a lot of effort and oftentimes a lot of money. I just made sure all the mechanicals were in order. Imagine it as an old soul with a new, perfectly functioning heart within.

Spare yourself the worries of finding the right guy for the job and the sleepless nights when you don't get a call back. Wear it for a bit, see how you feel. I might one day have my Lucerne restored, but until then, it's fine as is. Your grandfather's watch is an emotional thing, best play it slow, steadya and, most importantly, safe.

Looks a nice little watch! Get it serviced for sure. The hands and dial are fine as they are, trust me.

If it was my watch, I would change the strap, but keep the bracelet as a keepsake.

I absolutely love the patina on that watch, including those hands. It is just FULL of character that can't be brought back. I would change the bracelet, and get it serviced. Nothing more.

Just serviced my grandad's Roamer.

Beauty

I meant to vote for the replacement of the strap and service of the watch, instead of option A.

I think it’s the perfect balance between taking care of your heirloom, it will forever be your grandpa’s watch, but with a strap of your choice (if you don’t like the one it has) you can also make it a little your own.

Edit: I did a sort of similar thing with my grandfather’s Omega, it’s quartz an only needed a battery change, I didn’t like the strap it came with and it was falling apart so I picked one to my taste and I love that watch even more!

What a beauty!

How lucky! I'd do the service, replace the hands and a nice new soft leather strap. I did vote, just saying as it's such a lovely watch. I have a new appreciation for these vintage slightly smaller watches, they're just so classy!

Do whatever you wish as its yours now.