vintage and unserviceable?
At some point in its life, a mechanical watch needs a service. At the cheap end, mechanicals often get then abandoned, because it is not economical to service them. Watchmakers may refuse to service them, as even in serviced state the watch would be worth less than their service would cost.
Cost aside, some vintage watches are effectively unserviceable, and I have heard that that specifically applies to old Timex watches - thus the image. They were build as disposables, and even if cost were no issue the service may not be possible.
So, I am wondering:
are there other brands that suffer from the same issues?
which of your watches have watchmakers refused to service?
which of your (low-end) watches have watchmakers successfully serviced, and what did it cost?
UK-based German expat. Likes cheap watches. Not bothered about brands.
It's the watches that use pin pallets, no jewelled bearings or use very few. Which means they wear out as soon as the lubrication stops working. As for brands there's a lot of old watches that used these and research is the key. Basically when worn it's a hell of a lot of replacement parts or a full movement swap. Which would make it not cost effective unless you want to throw money at it ie a legacy piece, something with high sentimental value. And a good watchmaker is protecting your wallet by saying no. All my peices are multi jewelled movements even the cheaper ones and servicing without parts approx £60 for an auto and £40 for hand wound. I've 1 pin pallet type but it's a very occasional wear and I'll lube that little timex myself.
I had a 1930's Westclox "dollar (pocket) watch" serviced. It runs and keeps ... time but rarely makes it through a day without stopping. It was either a $65 or $85 service, which is probably twice the watch's market value.
See thats my thing hate to spend a lot of money on a vintage time piece and find out along the way. It may cost or parts hard to find. I heard major sob stories.
Notoriously hard to service.