Information on Pocket Watch Collections are all your watches working?

[Randy Becker]

I was interested in other persons pocket watch collections, I have several watches that run fine and a couple of watches that don't,Some need a balance staff and wheel and some I think just need service and cleaning's but it add's up money wise.I was just wondering if everybody's collections were up and running or did they have pocket watches that weren't working.I am disabled and money could be tight at times but when a watch stops or slows down it bothers me that they are not all working or is this pretty normal with everybody's collection.I appreciate your input Randy B.

[Randy Becker]

I was interested in other persons pocket watch collections, I have several watches that run fine and a couple of watches that don't,Some need a balance staff and wheel and some I think just need service and cleaning's but it add's up money wise.I was just wondering if everybody's collections were up and running or did they have pocket watches that weren't working.I am disabled and money could be tight at times but when a watch stops or slows down it bothers me that they are not all working or is this pretty normal with everybody's collection.I appreciate your input Randy B.

[StanJS]

Watches were made to run!

Having said that, my collection is 50% disabled. I just bought two (the Hamilton 932 I talk about elsewhere and a Waltham R. E. Robbins both in coin silver cases) in need of repair and my Hamilton 990 in the 14K case blew a mainspring some years back and I haven't gotten it fixed.

The other 3 run well but have sat in the vault for 25 years and are due for a servicing.

Yup. It sure does add up financially. I plan on getting some tools and enough knowledge to do minor (cleaning, mainsprings) repairs myself. But you know how plans go...

Cheers,
Stan

[Don Dahlberg]

Since I overhaul my own watches, all are running or in the process of restoration. Some have been in that process for a while.

If you are not going to run a watch, there is no need to overhual it. Just keep it free from humidity and it will be stable.

Don

[Ralph Porter]

I agree with Stan, watches are made to keep time! To me that's their greatest intrinsic beauty, although I certainly enjoy their visual qualities as well.

In general I try to buy only as fast as I can service my finds. I prefer to have each piece thoroughly clean, lubed with modern oils, and properly operating before storing. Much of the service I can do myself, but I have an excellent local mentor that does the tough stuff and occasionally rescues me from my oversights. My collection isn't huge but 85-90% or more of the watches are running. Most keep pretty good time too.

I carry a 16s pocket watch daily and like to swap out every 6 weeks or so. A couple of my Hamilton favorites are a 990 with Monty dial in a Hamilton display case, and a pendant-set early model 950 with dual time zone hands in a similar display case. Another frequent carry is a nice 19j Bunn with monty dial in a very ornate nickel case.

I encourage you to help each watch run the very best that it can.

Ralph

[Ralph Porter]

Another quick thought... Scarcity and cost of the parts continues to increase, so the old adage becomes "pay to fix it now or pay much more to fix it later".

Obviously some watches may cost considerably more time and money to restore than others. I have several that have remained 'in process' for more than a year waiting to find the correct parts. When that happens I just count it as worth the wait.

Ralph

[Don Dahlberg]

The reason that I made my statement about not overhauling a watch that is not being run, is because of the fact that most of my time overhualing a watch is undoing other's repairs.

I worry that many of you are collecting watches at a fast rate without considering the expense of a proper overhaul. I worry that people are having the watches overhauled by less than qualified watchmakers to save money and time or just because good watchmakers are very hard to find. All the good watchmakers that I know are backed up several months (3 to 12 months)and charge top rate. The cost of a first overhaul (out of the sock drawer) of a 17 jewel pocket watch, usually comes close to what the watch cost.

If the watch is going to sit in a glass dome or in a safe, I would prefer nothing were done, rather than a bad overhaul job. If when you purchase a watch, you add the cost of a good restoration in your mind, then by all means have it done.

Don