# Scrapping Silver Watches Now..... Is It Fair?



## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Hi friends,

I was at an antiques fair today, saw a nice Silver pocket watch this chap was looking at, it was a Graves one with "Express English Lever" in red across the dial, the movement looked had it but i had a spare at home........

Anyway this chap picks it up, pulls the movement out, put it on his scales, types the weight into a calculator and asks the bloke how much? Â£15 he replies, and he promptly hands it over!

So a Â£15 watch gets scrapped for it's silver, and i could have made it whole again.....

I thought it was bad enough scrapping gold cases but doing it to silver ones makes life even more difficult.....

Anyone else come across this?


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## a6cjn (Oct 29, 2009)

Far too much I'm afraid

It's been going on for several years now and will continue to do so. Some time ago I mentioned on here that I popped in to see an old mate of mine in the Jewellery Quarter and he had a bucket full of movements (and I do mean a bucket), the remnants of scrapped pocket watches.

Very few people want to buy a pocket watch, let alone pay to have it repaired or serviced.

I find it very sad

Chris


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Chris and Harry....it's a sign of the times I'm afraid....Some people recognise a quick buck to be made in the scrap value of the case, and don't give a to$$ about the historical value of the piece they are about to desecrate.........unscrupulous $0d$!........ :thumbsdown:


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## gaz64 (May 5, 2009)

thing is how many people are really into pocket watches?

Truth told its a niche and there are a lot of people out there who dont give a ****... I will (and Have ) spend far more than a watch is worth to get it running and to what for me is a wearable condition.

I have only ever scrapped gold cases when the movt has been knackered and even then only on ladies watches


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

I'm into pocketwatches. I wear one every day.

...Unfortunately, I prefer gold/gold-filled watches.

That's not to say that this is any less sacriligious.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Well it's surprising "Gaz 64", you'd think not many people into them, but you try and buy at a local auction, prices just go through the roof. I pushed a box of 42 movements to Â£470 and stopped. 15 silver pocket watches went for over Â£500. ( nothing special )

And in the pocket watch world there are the equivalent "Rolex's" which command prices up to Â£30,000

Names such as Jules Jurgenson, Dent, Frodsham, Tompion, Arnold, Lange & Sohne, Patek Philippe, Paul Dittisham, and many others......

And if it's a special movement like a Repeater, Karrusel, Tourbillion, Split Second Chronograph, Perpetual Calender, Earnshaw Chronometer, Duplex, Massey then your into big money again.....There is a higher world of the standard "pocket watch" which many people are not aware of and only the rich can indulge in sadly.....

My personal fav was on Antiques Roadshow about 20 years ago. It was a one off IWC which played "God Save The King" on 8 gongs, it was valued at over Â£100,000 back then!

I think people are currently buying them as an investment due to the economic climate at present.......


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Does anyone know of a manufacturer of pocket watch cases? I would love one of those lovely old movements in a new case. :notworthy:

Mike


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

From what I've seen, there are a few.

A FEW.

People.

Who still make pocketwatch cases by hand.

Good luck finding one.

This is why I hate it when I hear stories of people scrapping watch cases. Because they're nigh impossible to replace. They can be...but at a very high price.


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## a6cjn (Oct 29, 2009)

tixntox said:


> Does anyone know of a manufacturer of pocket watch cases? I would love one of those lovely old movements in a new case. :notworthy: Mike


AFAIK there is only one case maker left in the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter

Last time I spoke to him he was swamped with work, just on repairs and his waiting list is measured in years rather than months. In fact he had some pieces that owners had left with him and he'd never heard from them again :jawdrop:

Chris


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

I rest my case!

No pun intended.

But seriously, this should point out why many of us here are so upset when we hear about people scrapping cases. Finding a replacement is almost impossible. It has to be made by a professional casemaker, and there aren't many left in the world.


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## harryblakes7 (Oct 1, 2010)

Well the chap in the Jewellery Quarter should take on a couple of apprentices, otherwise this art of case-making will be lost, like so much of British Engineering sadly........

Same with watch and clock courses......... only the BHI left....... or go to Switzerland if someone will sponsor you. And who makes clocks these days? In this world of mass production and throw away lifestyle..... Comitti & Dent only ones i know.......


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## Shangas (Jan 27, 2008)

Don't forget that Mass Production has been around since before the American Civil War. It's not that new.


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## Raptor (May 1, 2010)

This has been going on for many many years sadly. My father did

an apprenticeship as a craftsman jeweller and told me that when he

was learning his trade one of the jobs he had was taking old pocket

watches, removing the movement and putting the cases through

a rolling mill. The flattened cases were then melted down for use

in other pieces. He did this all day for a couple of days every week.

On another note he managed to save around 30 dials and made

a nice abstract piece with the dials dotted here and there on

a piece of hardboard, framed it and it still hangs on his wall today.


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## a6cjn (Oct 29, 2009)

Raptor said:


> This has been going on for many many years sadly. My father didan apprenticeship as a craftsman jeweller and told me that when hewas learning his trade one of the jobs he had was taking old pocketwatches, removing the movement and putting the cases througha rolling mill. The flattened cases were then melted down for usein other pieces. He did this all day for a couple of days every week.On another note he managed to save around 30 dials and madea nice abstract piece with the dials dotted here and there ona piece of hardboard, framed it and it still hangs on his wall today.


Did a similar thing when I was younger (let's just say when I had hair  ) but we were playing with a new fangled stuff called casting resin



















Chris


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Wow....I remember that stuff, Chris...but I can't remember what it was called.....I tried embedding a dandelion clock in it, but I must have got the hardener proportion wrong, cos the heat build up made it craze......those embedded watch parts look great....a nice paperweight. I'll have to go to Hobbycraft and see if it's still available..........


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## a6cjn (Oct 29, 2009)

Roger the Dodger said:


> Wow....I remember that stuff, Chris...but I can't remember what it was called.....I tried embedding a dandelion clock in it, but I must have got the hardener proportion wrong, cos the heat build up made it craze......those embedded watch parts look great....a nice paperweight. I'll have to go to Hobbycraft and see if it's still available..........


This stuff is a lot better

than you get at Hobbycraft Roger

Did some for the shooters as well










Chris


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## Roger the Dodger (Oct 5, 2009)

Excellent work, Chris.....if my memory serves me right, the stuff I used (yeah...well it was in the seventies...) was called 'Plasticraft'? It was all the rage, but they made it look a lot easier than it was...adding bits in layers to build up the final object d'art....everything you touched covered in sticky resin...and then there was the buffing to polish your creation at the end to make it look like yours....mine looked like sad, opaque lumps of clear car body filler! :rofl2: I would have needed a bench mounted polishing mop and compound to get mine looking like yours!







Nowadays they seem to have acrylic blocks with 3D lazer etched pictures inside them in just about every gift shop you go into (or get dragged into by 'er indoors'!)


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## AlanJohn (Mar 17, 2011)

Wow! That's just over Â£33 a watch, I'd gladly pay that for any silver pocket watch.

Well it's surprising "Gaz 64", you'd think not many people into them, but you try and buy at a local auction, prices just go through the roof. I pushed a box of 42 movements to Â£470 and stopped. 15 silver pocket watches went for over Â£500. ( nothing special )


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