Sentimental watch needs some restoration
Discussion
I’m looking at getting some restoration work done on an old watch. The watch has low monetary value but great sentimental value.
It was my fathers watch that he bought back in the 60’s as a present to himself for finishing his apprenticeship in the steel works and qualifying as a fitter. Sadly my father was killed in a motorbike accident just before my first birthday so I never got to know him, but my mother kept the watch in her jewellery box. Every once in a while I’d be allowed to take the watch out of the box to look at, and my mother promised me the watch when I was older (pretty sure this is what got me interested in watches in the first place, and why I insisted that my first watch be analogue rather than digital when I was a kid). I was given my fathers watch for my 18th birthday, got it serviced and it kept great time. I wore it all the time until I qualified as a fitter and decided there was too much risk of it getting damaged, so bought a watch for work and kept dad’s watch for best. It got used less and less.
I did get a quote for some work about 4 years ago as I wanted to wear the watch on my wedding day but was quite alarmed at how much they wanted to change and the bill being nearly £500 was money I needed to be spending on the wedding itself. So I wore the watch as is, just for the ceremony. It kept terrible time (I had another backup watch in my pocket) and kept pulling the hairs on my wrist (damn slinky bracelets).
I think that now I have a few nice and shiny watches in my small collection it has started looking quite neglected against the others in the watch case, so have decided as a birthday present to myself I’ll get it ‘looked at’.
I’m not sure how far to take it or what would need to be done, i'm affraid of it loosing it's character it's got over the years. I’m pretty sure it originally came with a black leather strap, not that metal thing.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i've never had restoration work done before and if there are any recommendations for somewhere to get the work done, preferably near Cardiff, that would be great too :thumup:
The watch:
Just read this before posting, sorry for rambling on a bit
FG
It was my fathers watch that he bought back in the 60’s as a present to himself for finishing his apprenticeship in the steel works and qualifying as a fitter. Sadly my father was killed in a motorbike accident just before my first birthday so I never got to know him, but my mother kept the watch in her jewellery box. Every once in a while I’d be allowed to take the watch out of the box to look at, and my mother promised me the watch when I was older (pretty sure this is what got me interested in watches in the first place, and why I insisted that my first watch be analogue rather than digital when I was a kid). I was given my fathers watch for my 18th birthday, got it serviced and it kept great time. I wore it all the time until I qualified as a fitter and decided there was too much risk of it getting damaged, so bought a watch for work and kept dad’s watch for best. It got used less and less.
I did get a quote for some work about 4 years ago as I wanted to wear the watch on my wedding day but was quite alarmed at how much they wanted to change and the bill being nearly £500 was money I needed to be spending on the wedding itself. So I wore the watch as is, just for the ceremony. It kept terrible time (I had another backup watch in my pocket) and kept pulling the hairs on my wrist (damn slinky bracelets).
I think that now I have a few nice and shiny watches in my small collection it has started looking quite neglected against the others in the watch case, so have decided as a birthday present to myself I’ll get it ‘looked at’.
I’m not sure how far to take it or what would need to be done, i'm affraid of it loosing it's character it's got over the years. I’m pretty sure it originally came with a black leather strap, not that metal thing.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated as i've never had restoration work done before and if there are any recommendations for somewhere to get the work done, preferably near Cardiff, that would be great too :thumup:
The watch:
Just read this before posting, sorry for rambling on a bit
FG
A strap you buy anywhere. Try ebay.
It looks like it needs a new glass - shouldn't be too much.
Face looks ok.
It also needs either replating, and/or a new crown. The crown shouldn't be much, but I'm not sure about the replating. It will also need a service.
I would have thought about £200 ish should do it.
Not sure whereabouts near Cardiff, but any decent independent jeweller should be able to handle it, or get it done for you I would have thought.
It looks like it needs a new glass - shouldn't be too much.
Face looks ok.
It also needs either replating, and/or a new crown. The crown shouldn't be much, but I'm not sure about the replating. It will also need a service.
I would have thought about £200 ish should do it.
Not sure whereabouts near Cardiff, but any decent independent jeweller should be able to handle it, or get it done for you I would have thought.
Hey Family Guy.
My first restoration experience was my Fathers watch....a Longines of 1957 vintage that was in similar condition to yours.
As you can see below, it is almost identical, I guess only the dial is different. Mine was passed on to me by mutual consent because my father had it lying around in a drawer (for 30 years!!), with a broken crystal, horrible stretch strap, missing winder, not that different to yours! So I gave him a good talking too and relieved him of his 21st Birthday present!!
Mine is a link to my long departed grandparents who chose it for him, yours to your father, in all cases it's a nice thing to have, isn't it?
As these watches are not particularly valuable (I guess £300 in good nick for a stainless model) it's obviously all about sentimental value.
I had mine restored by a chap just off Bond Street in 2002 (can't remember his name but he worked in a kind of Geppettos grotto with lots of Jewellry and valaubles below ground level).
Took him 3 months (and I wanted it for my wedding too, but missed it) but he totally transformed it to almost new like this
The movement should probably be a 12.68Z like mine and it can be adjusted to keep time to 5 secs a day if properly regulated.
Cost me about £300 for the resto.
The only problem I had was finding a winder as my Father lost the original before I was born. So I have a modern Longines winder with the winged hourglass logo on it for the time being. Easy to wind but not quite right. I spent 50 quid on a lovely black croc strap down the road in Bond Street but I'm sure you can get one cheaper. It really makes it look great though, why skimp? It deserves it.
Can't reccoment somewhere in Cardiff but do your research first, get a reccomendation based on experience.
Anorak fact - did you know that the proper name for the winged hourglass is the "Winged Clepsydra" and was introduced as a badge of quality, and also an anti counterfeiting device in the late 1800s
It's a proper 'manufacture' watch as well, in the 40s to 60s Longines was easily of equal quality to Rolex and Omega before the rot set in.
Amazing value.
And a great way to remember your dad.
Good Luck and show us the restoration when it's done, I'd love to see it
My first restoration experience was my Fathers watch....a Longines of 1957 vintage that was in similar condition to yours.
As you can see below, it is almost identical, I guess only the dial is different. Mine was passed on to me by mutual consent because my father had it lying around in a drawer (for 30 years!!), with a broken crystal, horrible stretch strap, missing winder, not that different to yours! So I gave him a good talking too and relieved him of his 21st Birthday present!!
Mine is a link to my long departed grandparents who chose it for him, yours to your father, in all cases it's a nice thing to have, isn't it?
As these watches are not particularly valuable (I guess £300 in good nick for a stainless model) it's obviously all about sentimental value.
I had mine restored by a chap just off Bond Street in 2002 (can't remember his name but he worked in a kind of Geppettos grotto with lots of Jewellry and valaubles below ground level).
Took him 3 months (and I wanted it for my wedding too, but missed it) but he totally transformed it to almost new like this
The movement should probably be a 12.68Z like mine and it can be adjusted to keep time to 5 secs a day if properly regulated.
Cost me about £300 for the resto.
The only problem I had was finding a winder as my Father lost the original before I was born. So I have a modern Longines winder with the winged hourglass logo on it for the time being. Easy to wind but not quite right. I spent 50 quid on a lovely black croc strap down the road in Bond Street but I'm sure you can get one cheaper. It really makes it look great though, why skimp? It deserves it.
Can't reccoment somewhere in Cardiff but do your research first, get a reccomendation based on experience.
Anorak fact - did you know that the proper name for the winged hourglass is the "Winged Clepsydra" and was introduced as a badge of quality, and also an anti counterfeiting device in the late 1800s
It's a proper 'manufacture' watch as well, in the 40s to 60s Longines was easily of equal quality to Rolex and Omega before the rot set in.
Amazing value.
And a great way to remember your dad.
Good Luck and show us the restoration when it's done, I'd love to see it
Edited by Captain Chaos on Sunday 19th April 14:19
Peter G said:
Hi Family Guy, I'm in a similar position.
I used to use Alan Treharne in Swansea, he was brilliant but he's had to finish working due to illness.
I'm looking for a new servicer in the South Wales area too so if you find one I'll be keen to hear your thoughts.
Hi Peter G,I used to use Alan Treharne in Swansea, he was brilliant but he's had to finish working due to illness.
I'm looking for a new servicer in the South Wales area too so if you find one I'll be keen to hear your thoughts.
I used to use a fella in Pontypridd for batteries and straps, But the last time i used him for a battery i wasn't that impressed with the watch when i got it back. So i don't want to use him for this 'project'.
Captain Chaos,
Superb
Lots of similarities to my story. Like you say not much monetary value but the sentimental value makes it worth the spend to get it looking good. I spoke to a chap yesterday (he was resizing the strap on my orange monster) about the longines and asked what he could do. The only thing he could not do was polish/work the case. I've been in 2 minds about this as i didn't want the watch to loose it's character, but i think if i don't get it all polished up it will just look like half a job.
I have only just started my search to find someone to do the work, but once it's done i'll post up the results.
As for your watch it looks great and definitely worth the spend. Thanks for posting your results, it has given me a bit of a buzz reading about someone who had such a similar 'project' as the one i have.
Cheers,
FG
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