Log in or Sign up
Antiques Board
Home
Forums
>
Antique Forums
>
Jewelry
>
Silver pocket watch
>
Reply to Thread
Message:
<p>[QUOTE="Shangas, post: 2894507, member: 360"]Good God. Where do you want to start?? </p><p><br /></p><p>How old? How big? Key wind? Crown wind? Crown set? Lever set? Pin set? How many jewels? What size hands, what type of numerals, what case? Open-face? Hunter? Half-Hunter? Skeletonised? Modern? Antique? Luxury? Simple? Railroad watch? Minute-repeater? </p><p><br /></p><p>Personally, when I'm looking for a pocketwatch... </p><p><br /></p><p>- Buy the best quality you can afford. For me, this would mean 17 jewels or above, from a major American or European manufacturer. Ball, Omega, Rolex, Hamilton, Elgin, Patek Philippe, etc, etc. etc. </p><p><br /></p><p>- KNOW how the watch works. Is it crown-wind? Crown set? Lever-set? Pin-set? Key-set? Key-wind? </p><p><br /></p><p>- Always buy a watch which works. A watch which works can be cleaned, regulated, and put back into service. A watch which doesn't work might have broken components which are unrepairable. There goes your $400. </p><p><br /></p><p>- Ask yourself what kind of faults you're willing to put up with, and know what things can, and cannot be repaired. Cracked crystals? They can be replaced. Missing hands can be matched, or replaced. Bows (the ring at the top of the crown) can be replaced. </p><p><br /></p><p>- Always buy a highly jeweled movement. 17 jewels minimum. </p><p><br /></p><p>- A pocketwatch is like a car. Always assume it needs servicing, and factor that into the budget. A pocketwatch should be serviced, at the bare minimum - once every ten years. If you can afford it, then once every five years is best. </p><p><br /></p><p>I had my watch serviced when I bought it, and it kept running for 7 years. Then the mainspring snapped. So I had it serviced again. The mainspring was replaced, and the whole thing was given a complete overhaul, including fixing up some cosmetic issues. That was three years ago, and it's still running perfectly. It's on my desk right now as I type this. </p><p><br /></p><p>- Avoid any watches which you can't find any reliable information on. Stick to the big brands. There's thousands, probably millions, of third-tier junker watches out there. They're not worth buying, and they sure as hell, are not worth spending money on to get them fixed, unless you're studying to be a watchmaker and are looking for practice-pieces.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="Shangas, post: 2894507, member: 360"]Good God. Where do you want to start?? How old? How big? Key wind? Crown wind? Crown set? Lever set? Pin set? How many jewels? What size hands, what type of numerals, what case? Open-face? Hunter? Half-Hunter? Skeletonised? Modern? Antique? Luxury? Simple? Railroad watch? Minute-repeater? Personally, when I'm looking for a pocketwatch... - Buy the best quality you can afford. For me, this would mean 17 jewels or above, from a major American or European manufacturer. Ball, Omega, Rolex, Hamilton, Elgin, Patek Philippe, etc, etc. etc. - KNOW how the watch works. Is it crown-wind? Crown set? Lever-set? Pin-set? Key-set? Key-wind? - Always buy a watch which works. A watch which works can be cleaned, regulated, and put back into service. A watch which doesn't work might have broken components which are unrepairable. There goes your $400. - Ask yourself what kind of faults you're willing to put up with, and know what things can, and cannot be repaired. Cracked crystals? They can be replaced. Missing hands can be matched, or replaced. Bows (the ring at the top of the crown) can be replaced. - Always buy a highly jeweled movement. 17 jewels minimum. - A pocketwatch is like a car. Always assume it needs servicing, and factor that into the budget. A pocketwatch should be serviced, at the bare minimum - once every ten years. If you can afford it, then once every five years is best. I had my watch serviced when I bought it, and it kept running for 7 years. Then the mainspring snapped. So I had it serviced again. The mainspring was replaced, and the whole thing was given a complete overhaul, including fixing up some cosmetic issues. That was three years ago, and it's still running perfectly. It's on my desk right now as I type this. - Avoid any watches which you can't find any reliable information on. Stick to the big brands. There's thousands, probably millions, of third-tier junker watches out there. They're not worth buying, and they sure as hell, are not worth spending money on to get them fixed, unless you're studying to be a watchmaker and are looking for practice-pieces.[/QUOTE]
Your name or email address:
Do you already have an account?
No, create an account now.
Yes, my password is:
Forgot your password?
Stay logged in
Antiques Board
Home
Forums
>
Antique Forums
>
Jewelry
>
Silver pocket watch
>
Home
Home
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Activity
Recent Posts
Forums
Forums
Quick Links
Search Forums
Recent Posts
Gallery
Gallery
Quick Links
Search Media
New Media
Members
Members
Quick Links
Notable Members
Registered Members
Current Visitors
Recent Activity
New Profile Posts
Menu
Search
Search titles only
Posted by Member:
Separate names with a comma.
Newer Than:
Search this thread only
Search this forum only
Display results as threads
Useful Searches
Recent Posts
More...