Close call!

[haneyk]

Had a very close call yesterday. I just got a new Waltham open-faced watch in mint condition (see below). Being the fumble fingers I am, I then proceded to drop it 5 feet onto my yellow pine floor, where it hit on the hinges and left about a 1/8" deep hole. Miraculously though, the watch was unharmed and still works fine! And it's heavy--I though for sure it was a gonner. Guess that is just a testament to the quality of these old watches!

Kevin

P.S. I think the polished nickel movement is about the prettiest movement I've seen on an American watch. It just goes to show you that it doesn't have to be fancy to be pretty!

[Luca]

Very nice watch and lets hope it's awhile before another hits the floor! I know I've done it once or twice.

[Don Dahlberg]

Don't start breathing yet. It should be checked over for bent pivots or broken jewels. It may still run, but if you broke a jewel it will slowly grind the pivot away.

Since you just received it, I assume it has not been serviced. You should not run a watch that has not been properly serviced in at least the last 3-5 years anyway. A proper service will detect any new or old problems.

Don

[EmmaR]

I think thats very good advice.. thats a nice watch though, and you dont want just anyone messing with those pretty blue screws.

Makes for a dilema really. otherwise, just sit on it and enjoy it..

*EMMA*

[haneyk]

Actually the watch had been recently serviced. It's still keeping time to within a minute a day. If there was something that did break, would it affect the accuracy?

[Don Dahlberg]

A minute a day is not great time for a large pocket watch, even a medium grade watch. A railroad grade watch kept time to 4 seconds per day and even that is relativeley easy to obtain.

Yes, you could have a broken jewel and it might run just like it did before you dropped. Eventually the broken jewel will be a trap for dirt and abrasives and grind away at the pivot. Once can look at the jewels on top with a powerful loupe, but you cannot see the jewels in the pillar plate.

Don