Your Stupidest Watch Mistake
I am not talking selling too cheaply or buying too expensively - I am talking sheer stupidity / accidents and any other general tomfoolery.
Mine was this week and has a happy ending. I was winding forward my vintage Cartier Santos Octagon - and not going gently enough - so managed to unwind the crown.
Mistake number 2 was thinking I could fix it. It was too hard to screw it back on from the outside - as I had no purchase on the stem. So I thought I would take the movement out.
Mistake number 3. I somehow thought that if I held back the hands it might give me enough purchase to tighten the crown. What a bloody idiot. So of course the hour hand broke off.
So I was left with a watch with an unscrewed crown and a broken hand. A survivor for over 40 years I managed to break in just a few days of ownership...
At this point I made the wise choice to put the watch back together and take it to Cartier to resolve all my errors! With my tail between my legs.
Now for the happy ending. Cartier surprised me by saying all services are free on Santos models until the end of March (even vintage ones bought on the open market.) This is a 50th anniversary promotion. - There was still a likelihood I would need to pay for new hands etc. - But I got a confirm today that they are actually going to do the whole repair and service for free :-)
So I have aired my dirty laundry - what is yours?
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Justin Fynes
@Justingalore
Fairly new to watch collecting. Super fast collecting journey which landed me eventually in Cartier love. The Tank is a GADA watch.
London
Member since
Last active: 1 hr ago
Prior to establishing my watch hobby, I always had difficulty replacing snap-on case backs. Let's just say that Vise Grips (even with the jaws covered) are not to be used, even on a Timex Weekender (that I subsequently had to throw away, so badly damaged it was). Embarrassing stupidity. Now I have a proper watch press and it's a cinch.
Does destroying a masonry wall with a sledgehammer while wearing a not-beater, count?
Prior to establishing my watch hobby, I always had difficulty replacing snap-on case backs. Let's just say that Vise Grips (even with the jaws covered) are not to be used, even on a Timex Weekender (that I subsequently had to throw away, so badly damaged it was). Embarrassing stupidity. Now I have a proper watch press and it's a cinch.
Before I got my press, I used a c-clamp with wood blocks that spanned the whole surface and it worked great
Certainly not on valuable watches!
dropping one on the pavement on the way to the watchmaker to have quality spring bars installed so it didn't fall on the pavement
dropping one on the pavement on the way to the watchmaker to have quality spring bars installed so it didn't fall on the pavement
Doh!