# Frustrated Newbie Needs A Bit Of Advice



## smyf (Sep 28, 2011)

Hi Guys,

I'm quite new to vintage watch collecting and have a query after getting a little frustrated over the last few weeks. I stated on another thread that I inherited a nice Roamer watch that wasn't working and it's now away being serviced. In the meantime i've been out and about locally scouting for watches and picked up three.

1. A very nice Enicar. Working well and keeping time so i had the glass replaced and bought a new leather strap. I was really pleased with this watch and wore it for a few days before it stopped working. It will briefly start after a little tap but then stops.

2. A Pierce parashock watch that I bought off a friend that worked when he showed me it and stopped about an hour later. Same as above, will only work briefly. To be fair the friend offered my money back, but at Â£10 I was happy to keep the watch.

3. Then on to today. At the local flea market I found a lovely 1960's Seiko, for Â£20 including a half-decent leather strap. I had the woman set the time, give the watch a wind and confirmed it was working. I made an excuse to wander off and returned 15mins later to find the watch still ticking and keeping time. Bought it. Was chuffed to bits, cleaned with Brasso and wore it all day. I'm sure you can guess the next bit. It stopped this evening and will only run for a minute or two at a time.

So i've a few queries. From my reading about vintage watches I'm pretty confident that a service will get these watches up and running. However I just wondered if there is something I'm missing, some rules-of-thumb that I should be following, or whether I should factor in a service for each watch I buy. i.e regardless if a watch works when I buy it I should just presume I'll need to spend Â£60 etc sending it off. Obviously if this is what you guys do then that changes my aspirations for collecting. Because I'm a used bookseller by trade I attend a lot of house clearances, auctions and flea markets, not to mention having numerous contacts in the antiques business. Even just in the last 3 weeks I've been able to pick up some nice watches at reasonable prices - but obviously I can't buy a new watch every week if each one needs a service as standard. Any advice or helpful hints would be greatly appreciated.

Lee.


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

Old watches which have not been serviced will probably have dried up oils and greases in them. As you say, they will run for a short time and then stop. (and could be wearing dry metal to metal in the process!) You wouldn't buy a classic car and run it on the old oil that had been standing in it for years would you? :thumbsdown: As with the classic car, you need some recomissioning! :to_become_senile:

Mike


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## Retronaut (Jun 14, 2010)

I suspect a good few of us on here have an 'inbox' of watches we've picked up cheaply and are planning to send off for a service as funds permit.

I've got at least two in this category at the moment..... :to_become_senile:


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

tixntox said:


> Old watches which have not been serviced will probably have dried up oils and greases in them. As you say, they will run for a short time and then stop..


Absolutely. I guess I've been quite lucky so far with mine, as they haven't stopped (unless bought as non-runners). I think the point is that one really needs to learn to fix them yourself, because it's a bit expensive to get someone else to do it every time. Besides it's far more satisfying a hobby if you're self-sufficient.

In fact, tonight I just finished my first successful attempt at getting a scrapper going - by canibalising another I'd bought for spares. It not only had a totally gummed up mainspring, but it had a rusty pinion and a damaged escapement wheel pivot as well. I must admit it was quite fun to discover where the faults were, and then to be able to get it running - and all whilst half watching the TV! It was a huge thrill, especially when the balance started going, even before the **** was properly in place. Actually, once I made my mind up to get stuck in, it didn't take long at all. The only time consuming bit was fitting the bridge plate back onto to 4 wheels simultaneously. That was a bit tricky.

So, I now feel confident enough to tackle a 'proper' watch...?


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## aroma (Dec 11, 2009)

I think the bit you have to remember when you find these watches is 'how much will it cost to get it back into the desirable condition. Servicing, unless you can do it yourself, will cost around Â£60 to Â£90 depending on where you go. So sometimes it may be best to buy something more expensive that doesn't require any work. Just my thoughts though but whatever you do, have fun doing it.

Cheers


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## seemore (Oct 25, 2007)

I afraid there is no simple solution to this if you service them your self you will spend quite a lot on tools, oil,s etc and even if you spend more money on an old watch that does not guarantee it won,t stop. On the plus side your not spending much and if you get one going you won,t see many others wearing one the same.


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## smyf (Sep 28, 2011)

Thanks for all the replies. I was just concerned that I was missing something obvious. I'm the kind of bloke that gets a little too enthusiastic about new hobbies and i've realised with the vintage watches that I'll have to not jump in too fast or I'll just end up with a pile of non-runners that all need a serviceit - and will probably never get . Shame really as I've got access to a lot of watches, but i'm going to have to probably be a little ruthless as to what I pick up.

For example, I spoke to a guy I know who does house clearances and hasn't done anything with the watches he gets, other than weigh in the gold ones. He said he's got a carrier bag somewhere in his storgae with over 100 watches in that he's not shown to anyone previously. Can't wait to have a look.

Lee.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

smyf said:


> ..For example, I spoke to a guy I know who does house clearances and hasn't done anything with the watches he gets, other than weigh in the gold ones. He said he's got a carrier bag somewhere in his storgae with over 100 watches in that he's not shown to anyone previously. Can't wait to have a look.
> 
> Lee.


Let me know if he's got any Roamers?


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## Jenkelhymer (Dec 7, 2011)

I noted your Pierce comment and this is why I have joined this forum. My Pierce 1 button, 2 register (I think cal.105) stops periodically even after having it serviced. It is a beautiful piece and needs further attention. Have you had your's serviced and how was the problem fixed?

Thanks,

John



smyf said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> I'm quite new to vintage watch collecting and have a query after getting a little frustrated over the last few weeks. I stated on another thread that I inherited a nice Roamer watch that wasn't working and it's now away being serviced. In the meantime i've been out and about locally scouting for watches and picked up three.
> 
> ...


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## xtriple (Dec 4, 2011)

Just had My Grandads old watch serviced and the cost was "only" Â£50. Mind you, it still seems to be running rather fast (about a minute a day) so be careful who you go to.


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## jasonm (Nov 22, 2003)

Jenkelhymer said:


> I noted your Pierce comment and this is why I have joined this forum. My Pierce 1 button, 2 register (I think cal.105) stops periodically even after having it serviced. It is a beautiful piece and needs further attention. Have you had your's serviced and how was the problem fixed?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> ...


John, send it or take it back to whoever serviced it , this should not be happening unless there is something else wrong, a service will sort out most running issues but wont fix a worn out broken watch....


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## Monaco (Dec 1, 2011)

Roamer Man said:


> smyf said:
> 
> 
> > ..For example, I spoke to a guy I know who does house clearances and hasn't done anything with the watches he gets, other than weigh in the gold ones. He said he's got a carrier bag somewhere in his storgae with over 100 watches in that he's not shown to anyone previously. Can't wait to have a look.
> ...


I notice you mentioned Roamers,I saw a nice auto Roamer at a stall in Leeds for Â£35 is that a good price for a Roamer typically?,I know it ain't easy to answer not knowing the model etc etc.

Thanks.


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## simon35 (Oct 8, 2011)

are you magnetic lol.  All i can say is just look at the overall condition if it looks knackered its probably been worn everyday as a work watch if its damaged on the outside its probably not been regularly maintained.hang on in there we all come unstuck sometimes.


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## Big Bad Boris (Dec 3, 2010)

simon35 said:


> are you magnetic lol.


You may be closer to the truth than you think.

Mechanical watches tend to run slow when my wife wears them, but the very same watch will run far more accurately when I wear it. So she now wears a quartz for everyday wear (she doesn't seem to affect them), and will wear a mechanical watch when going out for the evening.

But she hasn't managed to bring one to a halt yet.........apart from the one's she's broken :cry2:


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