daily use vs store and display

[Dave Stott]

just curious..

is anyone concerned about using a PW on a daily basis which is more than 100 yrs old ?

Do the majority display their collection or actually use them on a daily basis?

Do you display the more valuable ones and carry a basic PW which does not carry a high collectible value??

again, just curious regarding the habits...

Dave

[Dave Stott]

just curious..

is anyone concerned about using a PW on a daily basis which is more than 100 yrs old ?

Do the majority display their collection or actually use them on a daily basis?

Do you display the more valuable ones and carry a basic PW which does not carry a high collectible value??

again, just curious regarding the habits...

Dave

[Tom McIntyre]

I display my watches on my web site at www.awco.org/collections.htm (http://www.awco.org/collections.htm). I also keep a few watches on display in cabinets in the house, but most of my collection is kept at the bank.

I wear a quartz Omega Manhattan model Constellation most days and my limited edition Co-Axial on special occasions. My wife wears a matching lady's Constellation except for special occasiions when she wears her 18K Lady Constellation with pie crust bezel.

[Jon Hanson]

I wear nothing timewise, not even a WW as I don't like jewelry--gets in the way. I use the sun for the time and the valut in the bank for displays!:biggrin:

[Steve Kosovich]

I wear mine on occasion with a vest and chain and keep them at home.
Question, though, Jon how do you guys enjoy looking at your watches and pick one to wear when they are in a bank vault?

[Don Dahlberg]

Most days I wear my Sangamo with a bit of brass showing on the case. I also wear a half dozen other watches including a 12 hour Hamilton 4992B,and a variety of 17 jewel Hamiltons and Illinois. The near mint and/or special watches are mostly in a safe in an air tight ammunition box. Some of these might get worn on special occations. For Christmas Mrs. Claus presented me with an 18 size, two tone, Bunn Special in a prestine case. You could cut yourself on the engine turning. I don't think I'll be able to wear this one. It is just too perfect.

Don

[crsides]

I usually wear the latest acquisition, at least for a week or so.

Then I fall back to my Ball 21j manual wind Wrist watch for work. Once home, I slip into my bib overalls and pick out a pocket watch to wear with it. What ever feels right at the time.

Charlie

[Jon Hanson]

SK,

I enjoy them just fine, but I have to admit that I ocasionally take a tray to the Boston Horological Society meetings for edcational purposes. I also spend a lot of time at the bank!:biggrin:

At one time I did displays regularly at the Chapter ate meetings until I ceased going due to the rubber chicken and absurd costs to enter (if they were smart--they aren't, they would have given me a free mart table for all the aggrivation I went through to educate the folks. Then, I also had to deal with the so called "chicken creeper" leader of the "highly secret MIT encounter group. :biggrin: )!:mad:

Also, I displayed many great, great rarities at our chapter 149 seminar in 2002 in Ft Wayne but I had to get a BIG Ins policy and the Airport security was a paint in the ass, as Dave Chaplain can attest.

Also, I took 25 items to the national last year (over my better judgement) for the Chapter 149 educational table in the mart room in Ok City and the 149ers and other nawcc members enjoyed what all of us did at that venue.

This year--Fla. is probably too hunid in June to expose MY items--I'll let humidity contaminated ones from BIG Louis and others display theirs at this show. :biggrin:

Jon

[Kent]

Dave:

I own a Hamilton 992B in a brassy case that I've been carrying daily for about 25 years. Every couple of years when its being serviced, I pick something else from my collection to wear. Usually, its in a plain nickel case or a display case.

I keep the collection in a safe deposit box, but I select a few to bring to show at each NAWCC chapter 24 meeting in Atlanta. The watch focus group at the chapter meeting advertises the subject of the coming meeting's focus and the watches I bring are chosen on that basis. The upcoming meeting on February 6 (Not On The Schedule Yet - But It'll Be There! (http://webpages.charter.net/grunwell/NAWCC/NAWCC.htm)) will focus on 16-size quality Swiss watches - Not Swiss Fakes.

Kent

[Jerry Treiman]

Although my best watches are locked up, I wouldn't have them if I couldn't enjoy them once in a while. I always wear a pocketwatch (for the past 40 years) and I try to rotate what I wear, visiting the bank regularly for different examples. I actually avoid pristine watches (unless they "fall into my lap") because I could not enjoy them in use. I mostly wear recently cleaned watches in plain gold cases that will not show wear, but will wear any of them for a special day or evening.

[Living in "earthquake country" (not to mention security concerns) I do not dare keep watches on display].

[Tom Huber]

Jerry, I do much the same as you do. I also avoid a pristine watch unless the price is right. I like to carry my watches. Most of my watches are kept at the bank. I keep a number of daily carry watches at home to carry and enjoy. For special occasions, I will go to the bank and retrieve one to wear.

Tom

[ron schneider]

i do not wear my watches i just collect them and i keep all of my watches in the bank but i do have various movements home to view weekly but nothing rare and no gold cases

[R.Hallenbeck]

I have a very large gun safe that I keep my watches in, the safe is hard wired into my home alarm system and bolted into the concrete floor..I wear a different wristwatch each day and have gotten in the habit of carrying a different pocketwatch each day at work as well...No worries as I dont have much of anything too rare or anything I would be unable to replace or repair if damaged. Just enjoy a good mechanical timepiece.
Ray

[Doc Mark]

Greetings, Listmates,

Like Ray, I keep my fusees in a huge safe, bolted to the floor and wired to the alarm, like his. I would hate having them at the bank because I look at them daily! :smile: When at our Living History events, I usually wind and wear my Henry Neve fusee, which dates to around 1731. I carry it in my waistcoat pocket, with two silver chains for it's keys, and a silver fob on a black silk ribbon, which hangs out of my pocket. It works like it was designed to do, and draws tons of attention. For daily wear, I wear a plain old Timex WW, and also carry my Elgin HZ Culver 1873 PW. Fun, that's for sure! Take care, and God Bless!

Every Good Wish,
Doc Mark

[Dave Stott]

Since I started this thread, thought I would chime in...

my valuable PW's are kept wrapped in cloth in a dresser drawer. my treasured PW is 1870's vintage Key wind gold ornate M. J. Tobias PW which has been passed down for 4 generations & another gold PW passed down for 3 generations, apparently Swiss in origin made by Majestic, but also has A. Wittnauer on it, along with a local jewelers name on the face.

My daily PW's change from an 1880 coin silver hunter case Elgin with numerous cracks in the porcelain to a nice rugged 16S 7 jewel NY Standard open face pocket watch to a variety of 16S Elgin watches made in the 1920's.

When I wear a wrist watch, it is typically an Elgin gold Tank watch.

now if only, I could find or afford those really high end watches...

[Bill B]

I collected key wind watches so I could carry them. I keep them in their own draw along with their fobs and keys. I carry a watch for a few days then carry another, I use all my watches over about 3 months period. My 2 favorites are the 15J Appleton Tracy 57 model silver hunter made in 1863 and the 15J series III Howard made about 1868 also a silver hunter. I am rebuilding a Lancaster West End 15J made in 1878 that I hope to be carrying soon.

[GD1]

21J Ball Hamilton 16 size daily. KWKS Howard Series 3 or 4 when I'm in the mood.

[Greg Davis]

I never carry pocket watches. I see nothing wrong with doing so, but they don't suit my lifestyle. I prefer collecting them and displaying them in a display case at home.

I have not obtained a safe deposit box since I moved, but will do so soon and put the better pieces of my collection there. However, the vast majority of my collection doesn't warrant such attention, so I'll keep them at home on display.

[M. Cross]

I carry everyday, and use them as tools of my trade in distance education. I still get a kick out of starting up an interactive class using Tanberg codecs that are controlled by electronic clocks, and yet MY Victorian era timepieces are just as accurate and reliable as the fancy gizmos in the system. I'm usually carrying railroad grade 18s Illinois or Hampdens in coin silver cases from the late 1800's.

When dressing up, my G.M. Wheeler 18s hunter is the choice. I do have a couple that are so well engraved, I rarely carry them, and keep them in a display box for show.

Otherwise, if it can't be carried, I don't collect it.

Regards. Mark

[HenryB]

Don:

Can you show a picture of that 18 Bunn Special TT, you got this Xmas?

I especially enjoy viewing these, and can never see enough pics of these models.

Me, I am still displaying my watches in a converted watch case, but I do not have the volume or the higher grades or the scarce grades the other fellas have. :smile:

[doug sinclair]

Michael,

Welcome to the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors Message Board. The NAWCC is an international organization of approximately 28,000 members in 175 chapters located world wide. The NAWCC is made up of members whose interests span the complete spectrum of time and timekeepers. This message board is sponsored by the NAWCC and has over 4,200 registered members. The message board is free of charge to all who list, both member and non-member. Why not bookmark this site and come back regularly?

Thanks for your interesting post on pocket watches, and how you fit them into your daily routine. It is plain to see you share a passion with many of us who post here. Why not tell us more about your collection, and what got you into collecting in the first place? I'm sure I speak for many when I say I'd like to hear from you again.

Thanks, and Happy New Year to you and yours.

[Greg Davis]

Does anyone ever carry a pocket watch with a fancy dial?

[Jon Hanson]

maybe they are too difficult to read? Or, collectors are worried about damage? Or, some folks live in BAD areas and are afraid to take their "junk" out of the bank?

[Greg Davis]

Hmmm... who would put a 15 jewel Elgin with a fancy dial and a brassy GF case in the bank? :biggrin:

- Greg

[Jon Hanson]

several guys in Colorado

[doug sinclair]

Here is my current daily wearer, just recently resurrected from my project pile. This watch was in use by a local Canadian Pacific Railroad engineer for over 40 years. Repair records inside the case indicate 32 repair marks from a local railroad watch inspector. Thanks to fellow NAWCCer Larry Buchan who located this inspectors repair records, and co-author of the Railroader's Corner column in the NAWCC BULLETIN, Kent Singer, who put the records into a data base, we know the name of the original owner, and we have records of all the repairs done to it over 40 years of service on CP Rail. These repairs were done over the years from 1917 to 1957! The dial is not pristine, but in consideration of the fact that this watch had seven balance staffs put into it over 40 years, it is remarkable that the dial (and the watch for that matter) actually survived! It is a 21-jewel Waltham Crescent Street, and it has found a good retirement home as the latest edition to my collection. I am currently beating the bushes locally to find out what I can about the original owner.


Again, I am having problems making these URLs live! I guess you'll have to copy and paste it to your browser bar if you want to see it. Sorry!

I just gave up. Something is totally out of whack! Can I email the image to someone and have them do me the favor of posting it? Thanks.

[Tom McIntyre]

Doug,

If you edit your post to put some text following the second bracket and "[/url]" following that, it should work.

You should be able to just copy and paste the address from a browser window while you are viewing the watch but the single quote (') character in the name confuses Infopop.

[doug sinclair]

Tom,

I have been successfully copying and pasting the URL from my browser's webspace to the Message Board for several years. That is, up until the last few weeks. Currently, I am having no success whatever in using the same procedure. I don't know if the URL the ISP is providing is at fault, or what. I have never been able to decipher the procedure for using the "paper clip" feature on the MB. I'll copy and paste the URL one more time and see if it works. Frustrating!

[Kent]

Here is a link to Doug's watch (below). Its a cropped version of what he sent to me yesterday. Perhaps there was a problem because the original file was too large.

Kent

[beta21]

I never wear any of my PW:s and I don't know any collector over here who does, not even the OLD guys. You would certainly be concidered a real oddball wearing such a thing here. Like wearing a top hat and a cane :biggrin:.
It seems to me that it is socially accepted in America wearing a PW, and I have often wondered about this fact. I think maybe it has to do with the RR watches.

I have a huge coll of WW.s to choose from for
wearing and I'm satisfied with that. The PW:s are in a safe except for the commoner ones which are in a display case on the wall. I enjoy my watches the most on my work bench where I can study them in detail.

[Desmond Lundy]

Now ... What would be wrong with a hat - preferably Akubra - and cane? I wear a 24j Bunn Special O/F in coin silver case. This Bunn is periodically and temporarily displaced by my latest acquistion - unless it is a crisp gold case - in which circumstances it goes directly to the vault.

[Jon Hanson]

18s big honkers are simply too big and weighty--they can get damaged in the pocket--so keep 'em in the valut unless a silveroid!:biggrin:

[Jon Hanson]

18s big mothas are simply too big and weighty--they can get damaged in the pocket--so keep 'em in the valut unless a silveroid!:biggrin:

[beta21]

Desmond,
i hope I didn't offend you, but In a top hat and in my opinion you would really stand out. :eek:

BTW, when I see your name I recall a PL Elgin dial the other day marked T(?)Lundy, SF, Cal(?),
I'm sorry, but I don't remember exactly. Was this by any chance an ancestor of yours?

[Marine]

I wear a contemporary Ulysse Nardin SS Marine Chronometer WW that keeps absolutely phenomenal time. I also rotate my PW's between a Hampden No.125 family heirloom and a Mint Ball Hamilton in good Ol'Silveroid case (Also exhibits a flawless rate). When I am doing activities that may damage these, I prefer a Casio G-Shock and a Military issue Marathon Quartz. The Ball and the UN keep better rates then the quartzes. My philosophy is to wear what I own but I understand the need to preserve nice examples of our national heritage. I sometimes feel guilty wearing the Ball because of this, but what the heck!

[beta21]

Hi and welcome, Michael!
Expect to spend a lot of time this is incarcerating. :biggrin:

[doug sinclair]

Michael,

In your original post, you told us as to how you introduce your students to some of the interesting aspects of your collection, and how you like to wear a vest at school. Thanks for getting back to us.

Whether you were aware of it or not, I don't know. But in learning more about watches generally, and watches in your growing collection in particular, you'll likely find the on-line BULLETIN index an invaluable tool. You'll find it here (http://24.104.50.30/BulletinIndex/bulsrch.htm). Since you have acquired a library of back issues of the BULLETIN, the index will help you a lot in your quest for knowledge. Also, use the FIND feature on this message board to search out previous threads on topics that interest you.

I see you have joined NAWCC. Welcome! Check out the NAWCC home page for everything that is offered to you as a member, and be sure to ask if you think we can help you access the facilities open to you. And also, be sure to check out NAWCC Marts at local, regional, and national conventions. Be prepared to get hooked. As you learn about watches and the often colorful background of watches, I am sure it will become more of a passion with you.

[andy O]

Hi All:

Most of my collection, (the irreplaceable ones, anyway) are safe in the bank. Of course, some have not seen the light of day in oh so many years...

I have , however, just acquired a Hamilton 992B in a s/s case for everyday use. I chose the 992B for its case ( hard to destroy ), the fact it was made in '52 ( should assure a good supply of repair parts ), plus it literally screams Railroad!!

It does have a melamine dial that does indeed look like a dried lake bed. Guess you could say it is crazed, just like it's owner!!

Anyhoo, thanks all for reading!

[4thdimension]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by beta21:

"Expect to spend a lot of time this is incarcerating." Peter Stammler

A quote I won't forget.

Peter, A good friend of mine who has some amazing history here in San Francisco, has the last name Lundberg, but often goes by Lundy.
Any chance that watch is available?
-Cort

[beta21]

Cort, no the auction is over, it was solely a dial. Interasting to hear that the Swedish name lundberg has transformed into Lundy.