Vintage knowledge
Hey Folks, if I were to be 100% real with myself, I would say I love the look of vintage watches more than any other watch. I love a old Rolex with a faded bezel and tropical dial. I love a slim dress watch that still has the class of yesteryear and I'm sure many stories to tell. However, I can never really be a vintage collector because I feel I don't know enough and I don't want to constantly be worried it will stop working. My question to you all that collect vintage is do you have a trusted watchmaker that works with you and maintains your collection? Would love to hear the process, because the few times I bought vintage, there is only one happy story and the rest stopped working within months.
Here is my only vintage success story below. Bought this Q for $10 3 years ago and works great! Would love to hear from @Aurelian
Huge Timex Fan with my very own Timex Museum. Reside in Staten Island New York (born and raised). I love New York City, simple watches , simple life and anything with Peanuts characters. I own well ov...
Yo! I am alike yet on the digital side! A trusted watchmaker is a must, seen many handling my pieces without any care of f**** given in the past. Since I have dedicated myself to the task. Was a learning curve alright, took time to collect know-how, tools and experience. Hope you find an ideal solution!
Finding a reliable watchmaker is key to enjoying vintage watches unless one becomes one for themselves. With my poor short vision and horrible manual dexterity I content myself with a little light clean-up, Polywatch, bracelet sizing, the occasional battery change.
I have had long stretches without a reliable watchmaker. I stopped buying new old watches because every tinkering or real repair was going to cost and arm and a leg. The perfect watchmaker is your co-conspirator in breathing new life into dead or dying watches. They must love it rather than just live off of it.
I have had at least one watch "in the shop" over three years. He calls me every 90 days or so to tell me to pick up one or two and that's when I drop off what needs work. I try to space out full services, each one costs me about $300, which isn't a bad price in today's world. I have embraced my watchmaker's "good enough for what you are using it for" philosophy. He knows that I rarely wear watches on consecutive days. He knows that +/- a minute a day is acceptable to me. I don't measure accuracy in seconds. He is willing to do just enough to get a watch into rotation and reliable.
I think the key to vintage is to have either a few expensive knockout pieces and having just the right watchmaker for them, or do like I do, have many so that 20% can sit in a drawer waiting to go the shop and still have a different one to wear everyday. When I talk with @Porthole we call it the "shallow end of the pool." There are bargains and gems to be found there. Here is an example:
This is how it looked when I bought it. I normally only buy watches that are working, but I took a risk on this one. The seller indicated that the mainspring was broken. I could tell by looking at it that it had sat in a dark place for a long time. Red fades, and this red ring and second hand was still bright red. It was stored in a dry place because it showed minimal corrosion given its age. It had an easy movement to identify, an A.S. 1287. I found a N.O.S. mainspring online in its original package for $10.00. The broken watch cost me $5.00. My watchmaker oiled it and replaced the crystal. My total cost was about $40.00 with the strap and a wait of about four months. (I get a volume discount.) It is accurate to within a minute a day:
I may have identified the watch, but having a watchmaker who values these old things is the key. I could not do it by myself, just like the seller. I tolerate imperfection, even a bit of ruin, in my watches. This one had a lot of ruin:
I worked on the outside and he worked on the inside. Not perfect, but better:
I find this so much more satisfying than just buying a new watch online.
Finding a reliable watchmaker is key to enjoying vintage watches unless one becomes one for themselves. With my poor short vision and horrible manual dexterity I content myself with a little light clean-up, Polywatch, bracelet sizing, the occasional battery change.
I have had long stretches without a reliable watchmaker. I stopped buying new old watches because every tinkering or real repair was going to cost and arm and a leg. The perfect watchmaker is your co-conspirator in breathing new life into dead or dying watches. They must love it rather than just live off of it.
I have had at least one watch "in the shop" over three years. He calls me every 90 days or so to tell me to pick up one or two and that's when I drop off what needs work. I try to space out full services, each one costs me about $300, which isn't a bad price in today's world. I have embraced my watchmaker's "good enough for what you are using it for" philosophy. He knows that I rarely wear watches on consecutive days. He knows that +/- a minute a day is acceptable to me. I don't measure accuracy in seconds. He is willing to do just enough to get a watch into rotation and reliable.
I think the key to vintage is to have either a few expensive knockout pieces and having just the right watchmaker for them, or do like I do, have many so that 20% can sit in a drawer waiting to go the shop and still have a different one to wear everyday. When I talk with @Porthole we call it the "shallow end of the pool." There are bargains and gems to be found there. Here is an example:
This is how it looked when I bought it. I normally only buy watches that are working, but I took a risk on this one. The seller indicated that the mainspring was broken. I could tell by looking at it that it had sat in a dark place for a long time. Red fades, and this red ring and second hand was still bright red. It was stored in a dry place because it showed minimal corrosion given its age. It had an easy movement to identify, an A.S. 1287. I found a N.O.S. mainspring online in its original package for $10.00. The broken watch cost me $5.00. My watchmaker oiled it and replaced the crystal. My total cost was about $40.00 with the strap and a wait of about four months. (I get a volume discount.) It is accurate to within a minute a day:
I may have identified the watch, but having a watchmaker who values these old things is the key. I could not do it by myself, just like the seller. I tolerate imperfection, even a bit of ruin, in my watches. This one had a lot of ruin:
I worked on the outside and he worked on the inside. Not perfect, but better:
I find this so much more satisfying than just buying a new watch online.
Yeah, they look great! That's the look I want, but without the headaches. I'm always in shock when I follow the vintage watch YouTubers who mostly talk about Rolex very rare vintage and the prices never cease to blow me away. I watched a video on Rolliefest and there were many that were in the million dollar range, but that's not my game, I do enjoy watching it from the sidelines
Yeah, they look great! That's the look I want, but without the headaches. I'm always in shock when I follow the vintage watch YouTubers who mostly talk about Rolex very rare vintage and the prices never cease to blow me away. I watched a video on Rolliefest and there were many that were in the million dollar range, but that's not my game, I do enjoy watching it from the sidelines
You can find a decent vintage Rolex for less than $4,000.00 if you look hard enough. Usually they are pre-WWII Oyster Perpetuals that have had "a little work done" on the dial. I am not against a little light restoration. I am not a purist in that way.
You can find a decent vintage Rolex for less than $4,000.00 if you look hard enough. Usually they are pre-WWII Oyster Perpetuals that have had "a little work done" on the dial. I am not against a little light restoration. I am not a purist in that way.
Sounds great, except I'm a Timex only collector and have never spent more than $800 on one watch. Before I venture out into the vintage world, I have to get my grail watch which I feel would be soon. It's a whopping $1,000 Timex (first Swiss made Timex).
Sounds great, except I'm a Timex only collector and have never spent more than $800 on one watch. Before I venture out into the vintage world, I have to get my grail watch which I feel would be soon. It's a whopping $1,000 Timex (first Swiss made Timex).
There is a guy on here from New Jersey that rehabs vintage Timex. You should look at Timex 21 models. They are cool.
There is a guy on here from New Jersey that rehabs vintage Timex. You should look at Timex 21 models. They are cool.
Yes, I've seen them and I love them. I have so many non-working watches that I just loved they way they look and put them in my mini museum, that I may start seeing how much they are to fix. I would love to wear some of them. Thanks for the tip.
Yes, I've seen them and I love them. I have so many non-working watches that I just loved they way they look and put them in my mini museum, that I may start seeing how much they are to fix. I would love to wear some of them. Thanks for the tip.
Found him: @JerseyMo
Shameless plug
Sounds great, except I'm a Timex only collector and have never spent more than $800 on one watch. Before I venture out into the vintage world, I have to get my grail watch which I feel would be soon. It's a whopping $1,000 Timex (first Swiss made Timex).
first Swiss made Timex for $1000? got a pic of it?
first Swiss made Timex for $1000? got a pic of it?
Hey Jersey, yes, see the link below. Also, do you fix Timex watches for a living or is it just a hobby. If you do, can you send me a message of what I need to do and how to send them to get them fixed by you? Thx.
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-debut-the-timex-giorgio-galli-s2-swiss-made-watch/
Hey Jersey, yes, see the link below. Also, do you fix Timex watches for a living or is it just a hobby. If you do, can you send me a message of what I need to do and how to send them to get them fixed by you? Thx.
https://www.ablogtowatch.com/hands-on-debut-the-timex-giorgio-galli-s2-swiss-made-watch/
ah a modern model. Timex did make model with swiss movements back in the old days. They were for European sales only. Sorry but for now I only work on my own watches and those I list for sale. find me as pack43 on the bay
ah a modern model. Timex did make model with swiss movements back in the old days. They were for European sales only. Sorry but for now I only work on my own watches and those I list for sale. find me as pack43 on the bay
Oh wow, I didn't know that. Thanks, I have to do a Google search to see if I can find someone, I have so many nice non-working vintage Timex I would love to wear.
Oh wow, I didn't know that. Thanks, I have to do a Google search to see if I can find someone, I have so many nice non-working vintage Timex I would love to wear.
main reason why I stopped taking in outside work was the day a complaint came back. "The watch is off by 30 seconds a day"....what! I get a 60 + year old watch that cost about $15 when new to run again and 30 seconds is not accurate enough?
main reason why I stopped taking in outside work was the day a complaint came back. "The watch is off by 30 seconds a day"....what! I get a 60 + year old watch that cost about $15 when new to run again and 30 seconds is not accurate enough?
Oh, man, that's insane. I would just be happy to see it tick again. I don't blame you.