I found these watches in my father’s closet, can anyone tell me more about them?

Storage: If they are automatics, just put them in a nice jewelry box. If they are quartz, take them to a jeweler and have the batteries replaced. (Dead quartz batteries can eventually leak acid and damage the movement, although this usually takes many years. How long were they in the closet?) After replacing the batteries, they can go in a nice jewelry box as well. And don't do anything silly, like putting them in the garage or in the attic. Think climate controlled, dust-free environment, lol. 😀 My jewelry boxes are tucked safely into the top drawer of my dresser, along with my socks. 😎

Those are nice remembrances. ❤

I can't find much on the Briel either, at least not that model of triple calendar watch. If it is an automatic or manual movement, it might actually be worth something, as most manual triple calendar watches are. While modern Briel is a cheap fashion brand, some of the vintage ones go for a decent price. The Baume and Mercier is a really good find. It would definitely be worth fixing and cleaning up the case. The Ebel would also be worth fixing up. The new Ebels aren't fantastic, but the old ones like that are good watches and that one has good vintage style to it. The wild card is the Favre Leuba. I haven't been able to find anything on that particular model, although it may be a variant of the Raider. That one also needs the most help. I would say depending on what the dial looks like under the crystal and what kind of shape the movement is in would be the determining factor on how you would want to proceed with that one.

IMO it's definitely worth whatever the cost is to bring them to live again especially if it's your father's watches. You will get nice memories from them over the years.

I've read automatic on most of them, but I can't find anything written on the back of the Breil watch, so I'm not sure how to proceed with that one.

I think I should definitely invest in a good box for them since I live in Spain and the amount of dust here is insane. I should definitely take them to a jeweller. Can I trust any of them? Or should I go to a watch shop/watchmaker to get them fixed?

Those might be stupid questions but I've had bad experiences with taking stuff to get fixed at the shop, and none of those past things have been as important to me as my dad's watches.

I used to love that watch because the calendar basically shows a sun during the day and it switches to a night sky with a full moon at night, as a kid I found that really cool.

The Baume et Mercier is 18K gold, so I'm definitely not going to ever wear that, but it is a nice memory or trinket I can pass down later on. The Ebel is actually my favourite visually because it doesn't look flashy and it's quite compact, for lack of a better word, in essence I think it's a watch I could wear without getting mugged. It has 1911 written on the back and I think it's about 30-50 years old, though I'm honestly not sure, I didn't know about these watches before.

As for the Favre-Leuba, I did the same and tried to google it and couldn't find anything similar to it at all, I checked out the raider and it look similar in some ways and different in others. I'm not sure it's gold, I think the stuff around the circle with the display(sorry I am completely new to watches and have no idea what that's called) is gold plated, but my mom said the the golden circle directly around the display(?) is gold, so I'm really uncertain, if you want I could upload more pictures if you'd like, I'm planning on taking them to the shop but they probably won't be open til Tuesday.

Thank you for your time and your advice.

I agree, but at the same time it's really dependent on cost. I want to fix them especially because some people on here told me that a bad battery could damage it, but I'm also a college student who would barely wear them at the moment, and if it's expensive I have no idea how I'd justify that expense.

One thing to look for: If the second hand "ticks" at a medium, steady pace to 60 different dial positions to count 1 minute, then it's probably quartz. If the second hand has a smooth "sweeping" motion, or if it looks like it's ticking super fast, then it's probably an automatic movement. EDIT: Wait, it just occurred to me that if the watch has stopped, this is not helpful information, LOL 🤣 Ok, so, if any of the watches are still running after being stored for so long, they're quartz. Quartz batteries last about 3 years or so; automatics only have a power reserve of 40-80 hours.

In my experience, most jewelers know how to properly remove the caseback and change the battery on a quartz watch. Here in the U.S., the average charge for that service is $15 - $20. (My local jeweler charges $17.) But if you ask them to actually service or repair the watch, they're going to tell you to take it to a watchmaker, or to mail it back to the manufacturer. So you are probably better advised to go to a watchmaker / watch repair shop to begin with. Especially since the watches have such a high, sentimental value. 😀

P.S. Sometimes, there is information printed on the caseback. What does it say on the caseback of the Breil watch?

P.P.S. I think the Breil might be quartz. It looks to have the same movement as THIS other Breil model.

Well, one thing is for sure and that old battery can really damage the movement. What I can advise is that first think you should do is determine whether is a quartz (battery powered movement) or mechanic (hand wind or automatic) In later case just properly clean them and store it in safe dust free place (watch cases is ideal). If they quartz then if you feel confident enough open the case back and change the battery. It's simple to do so only make sure you buy the exact same batteries. Usually they have the model number printed/engraved on + side of the battery. Those batteries are really affordable (1$ to 2$) Its even better to leave them without battery if you can't afford to purchase them now instead of leaving the old ones in it. Once you prepare the watches for a few months/years sleep time until you start making money then it will be ready for you to come back to them when your financial situation will change. Time to times come back to them just to make sure they don't get moisture or dust. Good advise is also that there are plenty of videos on YT how to change batteries, how to properly clean watches and/or how to open the case back lid without damaging. Keep in mind that there are 3 different main way the case back is closed. Could be either pop out, screws (usually 4 on each corner) and screw caseback.

I see, I might do that to begin with, just have to find a good watchmaker. None of the watches work anymore except the Baum et Mercier. That one is weird in that sometimes I grab it and it's ticking, others it's absolutely still.

As for the Breil, the weird thing is that the back has absolutely nothing written on it, it's completely blank. I'm sure it's original, my dad wouldn't wear an replica timepiece, he'd either buy the one he wants if he had the money for it, or just not get it. But not having anything written on the back of it is somewhat odd.

The one you looked is almost the same, or at least very similar, but not as ornate, as in the one I have is gold(though I'm not sure if it's real gold or not), and the casing is more intricate.

I should specify however that my dad hasn't been around for almost 14 years, it's just that I found those now, I never knew they existed previously.

Thanks for the advice, I'm confident in doing that for the Ebel, since it seems straightforward and has screws on the back, but on the other three I have no idea how to start as their aren't any screws, the Baum et Mercier just has something protruding out of the back which I'm guessing should be pushed/pulled/moved to the side, but I have no idea how.

I feel like since I might use the Ebel, maybe I should at least get that checked and serviced, and at the very least, as you said remove the batteries out the other ones.

Thanks again.

The ring around the face is called the bezel. Depending on where you live, you probably wouldn't get mugged for the Baume and Mercier. It looks too "plain" for a mugger to recognize what it is quickly. In other words, it doesn't look like a Rolex. I really like the Ebel's shape. It reminds me of another Baume and Mercier watch, the Riveria.

Yup, that word rings a bell. Some of my friends have been getting mugged recently(I live in Madrid Spain), and my sister had her thousand euro purse stolen so I would worry just out of the pure sentimental value of the watch.

Though it definitely doesn't look like a Rolex so if that's what they look for I'll be fine for sure. I agree with you about the Ebel though, it seems quite nice and elegant, and doesn't stick out too much so I'll probably stick with that one.

Thank you for your advice and vocabulary help, it's much appreciated.

You welcome mate. Just be careful when opening the lid because they usually have a seal so you don't damage it. With the others, try to take a picture of the caseback and post it here. There is a really great community and a lot of experts who will be able to find out based on the photo how to open the back cover. At least in most cases it is possible. Just make sure you take the best possible photo and that it covers the entire lid. Later in life you will appreciate that you kept those watches bc for unknown reason they have some magical spirit which brings back memories of your dad and this will give you priceless value

The Ebel 1911 is one of the finest watches I ever seen and I did especially dream about buying the chronograph version if I get really rich, that I seen used from 2200 euro...

The Ebel is a quartz most likely, the automatics will have automatic written on the dial but those are a very rare sight from that generation. Ebel used to make very good watches and had a great run in the 80s and 90s with primarily quartz. It's possible that the movement inside that watch is one that was shared with Cartier (Ebel used to make movements for Cartier) but it almost certainly it isn't a bad movement either way. They are not high accuracy thermo-compensated but jewelled and serviceable.

If the watch runs with a new battery then it's a good one. Otherwise the watch isn't worth much money. If the strap dies it can get expensive. Ebel service and parts availability is good but in my experience more expensive than Rolex. However, if you know a person who's willing to do it, the metal bars inside the straps where the screws go can be taken out and a new strap can be made custom around them... so do not ever throw away an Ebel strap!

Plus one to the ebel the best of the bunch there for a daily wear. Compact and thin 🙂 also has its own distinct design. Wish u luck w fixing it. A battery change should be easy. My dad has a bunch of seikos and citizens but lost them after a house renovation project in some boxes or got them stolen. He stopped wearing watches since his retirement until i gift him an apple watch. I will inherit the apple watch and wear it with pride too 🙂 worth nothing but its a nice connection.

I suspect that Breil might be a quartz simply based on the size of the crown. It’s so tiny that it looks like it was intended to be used only rarely, like only when a month has less than 31 days. I may be wrong but we don’t have much info to work with.

The Favre-Lueba is probably a manual wind. Gently try to turn the crown 3-4 revolutions. If it strongly resists, don’t force it. Once you wind it and get some tension in the mainspring, see if it starts running. You may need to give it a gentle shake to get the balance moving.

Actually, this should work on the Ebel and B&M as well.

Your dad bought some great brands. He didn’t cheap out on his watches. The designs may be a bit outdated but they are quality watches.

The Baumé et Mercier is the nicest piece of the bunch by far, IMHO, and is definitely worth getting fixed up. As indicated on its face, it’s an automatic piece. This means that it uses a spring rather than a battery for power (i.e. it doesn’t run on electricity and is purely mechanical) and if you give it a few shakes, the seconds hand should start ticking in a smooth sweep, as it has a rotor which will wind up the spring automatically (hence the term automatic) with movement, causing a balance wheel to oscillate back and forth at about 4Hz (4 starts and stops every second).

The advantage to an automatic watch is that in this type of situation, it should start up right away, without the need for a battery replacement. The downside is that even when fully wound, it probably won’t run without being worn for more than about 40 hours, and if it’s been sitting around stopped, then, like anything mechanical, it probably needs a service to clean out any old oils and get fresh lubrication for the metal on metal interactions. Failure to have proper lubricant in a mechanical piece can easily destroy a movement. But the fact that the B&M is an automatic probably explains your interactions with the watch — I doubt that there’s anything wrong with it, it’s probably just a symptom of the modern general public not interacting with mechanically powered watches much anymore.

In the US jewlery shops sent watches out to watch repair shops. If ot is the same in Spain I would cut out the middle man. Where are you in Spain, a friend of my wife moved toSpain and married a watchmaker. I have never used his service but I might be able to track down info. They are in Valencia ( I hope I spelled that correctly)

I'd suggest doing a lot of research to find a good, reputable watchmaker. Maybe join some online forums for watch enthusiasts and find some people local to your area to ask their opinions.

your dad definitely had a particular style he liked. Those look like they are great watches. If I was you, I'd get at least one of them up and running so it could be worn.