Watch collectors?

savitale

This is a bit off topic, but with coin shows coming back I am thinking watch and jewelry shows will also return. Are there any watch collectors here? I have never been to a watch and jewelry show before and I could use some advice if there is any to be had.

Basically, my watch broke and I now want a vintage one. The auction prices for those I am attracted to are in the $5,000 range. I really don't want to pay that much for a watch but if I that is the going rate for what I like I will.

If anyone knows of upcoming shows in the Northeast I would appreciate the info. Also any suggestions to avoid mistakes at the show would be good.

yspsales

A couple years ago I had a 36mm Rolex Explorer and was able to get an early Batman.

Never wore them at work or around customers because I was self conscious of what people would think. They lived in a SDB for the most part.

When I needed a new roof for my house, I sold them to fund the project.

Today the Batman has increased to about $15K in value.

It was a wonderful watch, and as I transition into another career they are back on my mind.

I can see an Omega Man on the Moon or Tudor Black Bay of some sort in 2022. Maybe another Batman with a lottery cash out.

My brother has a really sweet stainless Datejust from the early 1980's he never wears but wont sell me.

Too many loves and not enough cash. I would love another Hamilton Rail Road grade pocket watch. Much more reasonable at 1/20th the price of the Batman.

PhilLynott

I have one vintage Rolex Datejust that is gorgeous and the only Rolex I need. I'm not a big fan of all the hyped sports models that are priced crazy. The only exception is I could see myself buying a pre-ceramic sub someday. There are SO many available models that are better watches anyways that have completely turned me off from Rolex. Plus like @yspsales mentioned they're not exactly understated and theft magnets in certain places.

Looks good for 43 years old doesn't it:

This is my favorite watch from Grand Seiko. It has the smooth sweeping second hand from the Spring Drive movement and the finishing it incredible and it's hard to image but the textured dial is beautiful in person.

Weiss

There is a sobering relationship between watches and coins.

About 20 years ago, I was a daily participant on a watch forum. I'd become more financially stable, and decided I was going to learn about higher end watches and build a collection. Had a lot of fun on the forum and eventually bought a couple of pieces that really appealed to me. One, an Omega Dynamic, became my daily wear timepiece.

And then I got my first cell phone. It's hard to beat time transmitted by satellite based on atomic clocks synchronized around the world, updated in thousands of a second, and accurate to 10^-9 seconds per year. And then the functions of the cell phone multiplied. And then they became smart phones, with social media, cameras, web browsing, etc. and it was just all over. A watch went from interesting and quaint to superfluous and redundant real fast.

And with the proliferation of credit/debit cards, online payments, change shortages, pandemics, can coins be far behind watches?

But I still have a couple. Smiths W10, Vietnam-era British military watch. Omega Dynamic III:

WCC

@PhilLynott said:
I have one vintage Rolex Datejust that is gorgeous and the only Rolex I need. I'm not a big fan of all the hyped sports models that are priced crazy.

I consider most of the more recent watches to be tacky. I have a Longine I bought from Heritage but it needs an additional link in the wrist band to fit comfortably. It's in my SDB so don't remember the model but think it is from the early 80's.

PhilLynott

@Weiss Watches as a necessary tool hasn't been a thing for awhile now yet they're hotter than they've ever been right now (much to my dismay as models I was saving towards a year ago are WAY more expensive now and probably triple from 5 years ago). I see coins the same way when we're a cash free society people will still want to collect relics of the past and maybe even more so. Like watches, cash hasn't been a necessary tool for awhile now and there seems to be quite a lot of growth in the hobby as of late especially if follow along on instagram.

Love that Omega by the way, one of my favorite brands. Have a few seamasters and a moonwatch is on my watch list as well right now.

oih82w8

I was never really a wrist watch guy. Another passion of mine is for Antique Railroad Grade Pocket watches. I don't have any of the images at work...

amwldcoin

Me either! My wirey expandable wrists were hell on wrist bands(good one might last me 6 months). I have a few pocket watches and could get in trouble if I ever started collecting them. As others have said, when I started carrying a cellphone it did away with my need for a watch.

@oih82w8 said:
I was never really a wrist watch guy. Another passion of mine is for Antique Railroad Grade Pocket watches. I don't have any of the images at work...

yspsales

I want to say my pocket watch was the 992b Hamilton. Sure it wasn't all original but was one heck of a cool piece of working jewelry for about $400.

Replacement dials, hands, and whatever on vintage Rolex? Expensive tuition!

Yeah my Samsung watch and Casio Mudman work just fine.

markelman1125

I usto collect old pocket watches, got an Elgin Railroad 1896 and a Waltham 1898
Still running after 120 years

bsshog40

I collect vintage watches but mine are far below the $5,000 range. I have a few pocket watches and about 75 vintage wristwatches. I collect mostly Bulova's. At the price range you are looking at, I would make sure that you buy a watch that has been recently serviced. A lot of vintage watches being sold are as is with no servicing and finding a watchmaker that can service watches are becoming very slim. 99% of Jewelry stores do not service watches. This entails taking the whole watch completely apart, cleaning and lubricating and regulating it.

ddostie900

Check out an organization I'm a member of:

https://mb.nawcc.org/

Veep

This is the pretty little gold filled Illinois that I carry. To me, these are amazing feats of engineering. It keeps great time.

Nysoto

Wristwatches became popular in the 1920's, after they were first used for the timing of bombing runs by WWI pilots. I have some early US made wristwatches, the photo has three Hamilton's (1927-1937) and a 1925 Waltham, all 14k, original, and rare:

Bruce7789

In 1962, in Hanau Germany, I got promoted to Sgt (the first time), and the same evening got into a poker game where a 1st Lt thought he could draw to an inside straight. I won over $200.00 from him and others in the game back when my take home pay was about $76.00 a month, and after letting him win a little of it back, left the game. The next day at the PX there was a German gentleman selling Omegas Watches outside the PX and I bought this Omega Seamaster, Automatic. I've worn it almost constantly except for the 2 years in Vietnam and had to have the glass replaced several times and the band numerous times and sent it back to be restored about 15 years ago. Love the watch and it still keeps almost perfect time (Gains about a minute per week).

It seems like Watches are a dying art though, since most recent college graduates have to have a digital watch since they can't tell the time on a regular watch or clock!....

savitale

This is my current watch. It is a Steinhausen which is basically a Chinese knock-off. It can’t be serviced and it runs slow now. I really like how it looks though. I want to get a grown-up watch that looks like this.

Cameonut

I have collected Breitling automatics for years, commonly used by pilots. I tend to buy them gently used instead of new. As an engineer, I can fully appreciate the intricacy of the mechanism and the incredible precision required for manufacture.

Before I retired, my daily watch was an Antares with a UTC module. Pilots use the UTC to show "universal" or Greenwich Mean time. I used to travel internationally a lot so I used the UTC to show the time at home. I am also partial to the metal bracelets - and like the feel on the wrist.

Watches below are (Left to Right) - Antares automatic with UTC, Chronomat automatic with UTC, and Navitimer automatic. The Navitimer has a slide rule around the outer edge of the dial. Other watches are in the bank vault.

yspsales

My watch repair guy does other repair work.

We spoke about Omega MOTM's.... he loves them and owns six vintage and five of them are in some state of repair. LOL

Just thought that was funny.

We spoke about watch repair and how many apprentices he saw start under him and fail because of how delicate the work.

savitale

@bsshog40 said:
At the price range you are looking at, I would make sure that you buy a watch that has been recently serviced. A lot of vintage watches being sold are as is with no servicing and finding a watchmaker that can service watches are becoming very slim. 99% of Jewelry stores do not service watches. This entails taking the whole watch completely apart, cleaning and lubricating and regulating it.

Can you tell if a watch has been recently serviced or do you just have to ask the dealer?

TomB

I don't know of a foolproof way to determine if a watch has been recently serviced.

However, if you have a time grapher then you can monitor the performance of the watch and determine if it needs adjustments and/or if it is running within spec. Additionally, paperwork from a competent watch maker (or watch repair or service) with the date of service, type of service, cost of service and serial number of the watch will satisfy most folks. The best way to determine recent service might be if the watch had been sent to an authorized service center owned by the company that made the watch and then returned with the old parts and all paperwork complete and indicating what was done.

coinbuf

I have one pocket watch that was my wife's fathers. I used to wear a watch but there is little need for that and having a 5K paperweight on the desk seems rather silly for me.

Kliao

I do enjoy looking at the movement of old wrist watches and pocket watches when I pick them up cheap. I'm not sure about wearing one as I have an smart watch on my wrist.

Bruce7789

@Weiss said:
There is a sobering relationship between watches and coins.

But I still have a couple. Smiths W10, Vietnam-era British military watch. Omega Dynamic III:

Do the British watches run backwards to ours like they drive on the wrong side of the road?.....

matt_dac

I inherited a pocket watch from my father who inherited it from his father. It was gifted to my grandfather by the Penobscot (Maine) Bar Association in 1901. He was an attorney who became a district judge and was also elected to the state House of Representatives. These are some quick cell phone pictures. The inscriptions he made by hand (3rd picture from the bottom) are a family mystery...we think it may be the combination to the safe he kept at home.

Kliao

@matt_dac I do believe that those hand scratched inscriptions are made by watchmakers when they service a watch. I have no idea what they mean though.

cmerlo1

I collect Bulova Accutron, Wittnauer Electro-Chron, Omega, and Ingersoll Mickey Mouse wristwatches. I used to have a more diverse collection, but I decided a few years ago that I really liked these and wanted to focus on them.

TomB

The markings on the inside of your pocket watch are likely from the time of service and were placed their by the watch maker who serviced the piece.

Weiss

@Bruce7789 said:

Do the British watches run backwards to ours like they drive on the wrong side of the road?.....

They don't run backwards. But they will run you about $3k.

Veep

matt_dac: The serial # on the movement indicates that Elgin made the watch in 1899/1900. The “warranted” stamp indicates that its gold-filled vs 14k.

Zoins

One of my favorites:

TomB

Here's an image I took that shows my three areas of interest when it comes to studying a hobby (numismatics, fountain pen technology and horology)-

wev

The dates he had it serviced/repaired. Standard practice in the day.

@matt_dac said:
I inherited a pocket watch from my father who inherited it from his father. It was gifted to my grandfather by the Penobscot (Maine) Bar Association in 1901. He was an attorney who became a district judge and was also elected to the state House of Representatives. These are some quick cell phone pictures. The inscriptions he made by hand (3rd picture from the bottom) are a family mystery...we think it may be the combination to the safe he kept at home.

>

bsshog40

Most times ,you can actually tell if a watch has been serviced, especially a vintage watch. When a watch is serviced, "everything" is taken apart and cleaned. First off, does it keep accurate time. Running minutes slow or fast usually indicates no. But I have some older watches that do keep time very well Second is actually removing the movement and inspecting it. > @savitale said:

@bsshog40 said:
At the price range you are looking at, I would make sure that you buy a watch that has been recently serviced. A lot of vintage watches being sold are as is with no servicing and finding a watchmaker that can service watches are becoming very slim. 99% of Jewelry stores do not service watches. This entails taking the whole watch completely apart, cleaning and lubricating and regulating it.

Can you tell if a watch has been recently serviced or do you just have to ask the dealer?

Most times ,you can actually tell if a watch has been serviced, especially a vintage watch. When a watch is serviced, "everything" is taken apart and cleaned. First off, does it keep accurate time. Running minutes slow or fast usually indicates no. But I have some older watches that do keep time very well but there is always a sign that it was not serviced ie.. grime on the gears, gummy oil on parts, etc... Second is actually removing the movement and inspecting it. It's always best to get proof the watch was serviced. I've seen some that claim to be serviced but may just have had a few parts cleaned and not fully disassembled. You can't really go by the little scratched etchings inside the case as most watchmakers have their own way of marking their service marks which means no definite way of determining when the service was actually done. So paper proof and a warranty is always best.

bsshog40

@Kliao said:
@matt_dac I do believe that those hand scratched inscriptions are made by watchmakers when they service a watch. I have no idea what they mean though.

Exactly what they are! All watchmakers have their own way of marking them so they have been a mystery for many for years.

bsshog40

@matt_dac said:
I inherited a pocket watch from my father who inherited it from his father. It was gifted to my grandfather by the Penobscot (Maine) Bar Association in 1901. He was an attorney who became a district judge and was also elected to the state House of Representatives. These are some quick cell phone pictures. The inscriptions he made by hand (3rd picture from the bottom) are a family mystery...we think it may be the combination to the safe he kept at home.

That is a nice looking Elgin PW and a pretty good quality movement. Not sure if you know much about it but here is a link below that will give you a lot of good info on the movement.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/elgin/8270311

BustDMs

@TomB said:
Here's an image I took that shows my three areas of interest when it comes to studying a hobby (numismatics, fountain pen technology and horology)-

Very nice. I also enjoy a fountain pen or two along with a vintage watch and my everyday.

Zoins

I’m a big fan of Elgin. They are one of the classic American brands.

bsshog40

This is my nicest Pocket watch. It's a railroad grade Illinois 60 hour watch.

ReadyFireAim

My daily wear watch is an old "click-click" Omega.
It gets serviced about once every 10 years which costs more than it's worth.

Zoins

Here's a great photo I ran across:

https://antiques.lovetoknow.com/image/263753~antique-pocket-watch-identification.jpg

Zoins

I have a bunch of watches and use to enjoy wearing and buying different styles. The unfortunate thing is that now I don't wear any of them and just use my phone.

I wonder how many people are in the same situation?

Zoins

@Zoins said:
I’m a big fan of Elgin. They are one of the classic American brands.

This Elgin is from thisoldwatch on CollectorsWeekly. I love the train on the casing on this Elgin B.W. Raymond Railroad Pocket Watch.

https://www.collectorsweekly.com/stories/80824-elgin-b-w-raymond-railroad-pocket-watch

drwstr123

Cameonut

For those that don't care for wrist watches but appreciate the mechanisms, here is something that you might be interested in. The Atmos clock by Jaeger LeCoultre is a mechanical clock with no external means of winding and no battery. It rewinds the mainspring by taking advantage of changes in atmospheric pressure (hence the name Atmos). I've been fascinated by these clocks and bought one for the mantel. It must be perfectly level (bubble level integrated into the base) and free from too much vibration. Rotary pendulum at the bottom. The big bellows at the back is what translates the pressure changes to a linear motion to wind the mainspring. Mine runs about a minute slow each month. I bought it used from a dealer that services them for about $700. A 1973 model so it's in its 48th year - I guess that is what gold plating and glass can do for longevity.

QCCoinGuy

Omega Seamaster from 1963 and a 2019 Tudor Black Bay Fifty-Eight for me.

CoinHoarder

ricko

I posted this in another thread, but since we are looking at classic watches, here it is again. I purchased it new, many years ago mid '70's.... Wore it for years. Still wear a watch, but a rugged one with a ten year battery. Cheers, RickO

bsshog40

@ricko said:
I posted this in another thread, but since we are looking at classic watches, here it is again. I purchased it new, many years ago mid '70's.... Wore it for years. Still wear a watch, but a rugged one with a ten year battery. Cheers, RickO

You should really clean that it. Would be a very nice looker!

ricko

@bsshog40 ... It is clean, but needs a new crystal.... I do wear it when the occasion calls for it.... Cheers, RickO

bsshog40

@ricko said:
@bsshog40 ... It is clean, but needs a new crystal.... I do wear it when the occasion calls for it.... Cheers, RickO

Hey ricko, there's some stuff called polywatch. It's for polishing up crystals. It does a great job and would probably save you some good money replacing it. Just fyi my friend.

ricko

@bsshog40 .... Thank you very much.... Looking at the picture I was wondering what was available, and really did not want the expense of sending it in for a new crystal. I will check it out. Cheers, RickO