# Vintage Watches



## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi All,

As a newbie to this, does anyone have any general advice on what to look for when buying "vintage" watches, for example typical areas of failure, signs of prior work etc? I just mean general stuff, like always check the ..., see if this works etc.

Hope that makes sense! :thumbsup:

Mike


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## scottswatches (Sep 22, 2009)

obviously check it works, and if you can open up the back see how dirty it is - it shouldn't be dirty at all. Look for tool marks on the case back and on the movement screws, but these could happen during a service.

The balance wheel is normally a weak spot - hence INCABLOC was invented. There is a good article here about it. They are often impossible to get.

If it has a date function check it lines up in the window correctly, and changes when it should.

Hope that helps


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Thanks for that and for the link. When you say that Incabloc are often impossible to get; do you mean to replace if they break or that they are not common on older watches?

The stuff that's obvious to you is where I need to start!


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## seemore (Oct 25, 2007)

Prior to the incalboc system balance staffs would easily break just by dropping the watch. Old balance staffs can be hard to come by for certain watches, so as a rule of thumb make sure it,s going and above all like it.


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## andyclient (Aug 1, 2009)

As well as the above i would recommend after starting the watch up just wait a few minutes talking to the seller or whatever just to check the hands actually move !!

I have bought 2 watches now that started and the second hand ticked away nicely but the minute/hour hands didn't move. One i just paid for and put in my pocket and didn't realise till it was to late the other spent a while chatting to the dealer and the hands hadn't moved , still bought it though as it was cheap lol.

But this would indicate a cannon pinion problem ,which is for me anyway , a watch repairers fix as its beyond my skill level at present.

cheers

Andy


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Thanks for the clarification seemore. And good advice re: liking it!

Thanks Andy; it would be all to easy to assume that if it moves, it works.

With regards to fixing broken watches (or getting them fixed), are there any particular brands that are easier / harder to get done? I guess the more mainstream brands (Rolex, Omega etc) are going to be easier to get spares for.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Mike_J_Smith said:


> Thanks for the clarification seemore. And good advice re: liking it!
> 
> Thanks Andy; it would be all to easy to assume that if it moves, it works.
> 
> With regards to fixing broken watches (or getting them fixed), are there any particular brands that are easier / harder to get done? I guess the more mainstream brands (Rolex, Omega etc) are going to be easier to get spares for.


I think it's true to say with all makes that the older the vintage, the more difficult or impossible it gets to obtain spares. I was advised to stick to post-ETA era watches (after 1970?). The trouble is I prefer the older marques, so I take the risk of buying a vintage despite the fact it may be on the verge of becoming a useless relic.

So when buying, first thing is obviously to make sure it's going alright, but also to check the winding/setting action. If it's stiff or sloppy at all, it could be on the way out. Stiffness could be lack of lubrication, but sloppiness means wear -so beware!

Alternatively, e.g I just bought a 9ct 1947 Omega from eBay for a very reasonable price, because the dial needs a refurb. I factored that into my maximum bid price. It's said to be in superb running order, having been professionally serviced 'to the highest standard'. If that turns out to have been an 'exagerration' and the watch becomes a scrapper in a year or two, then at least the gold scrap value should be part-compensation. That's they cautionary strategy I use. I wouldn't work for plated watches, so I never pay over the odds for them.

Hope this helps..


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

That's interesting on the scrap gold prices, although I don't think I'll be shelling out for any gold watches just yet, especially from the bay - get some experience first.

Post-1970ish also sounds like good advice, I'll run with that for now.


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## martinzx (Aug 29, 2010)

Also look out for a clean dial , not always possible, but good luck :thumbsup:


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Cheers Martin; I think I'll need it! Plan is to start small on the second hand side of things and maybe get something nice and new (or nearly new) as well. All dependent on funds of course :thumbup:


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

scottswatches said:


> The balance wheel is normally a weak spot - hence INCABLOC was invented. There is a good article here about it. They are often impossible to get.


A case in point for me right now, because I just accidentallty wrecked the balance on one of my early Roamers. It has an old MST 372 movement. So now I have to figure out how to fix it, there being several different balances and pivots etc. that were used. Later 372s did have Roamers own variants of anti-shock, called 'SR' and 'SSR', but I'm having trouble sussing out what might fit and/or what's still available from Cousins.

Don't quite know how to find out..HELP!


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## trim (Sep 23, 2010)

Roamer Man said:


> scottswatches said:
> 
> 
> > The balance wheel is normally a weak spot - hence INCABLOC was invented. There is a good article here about it. They are often impossible to get.
> ...


Sent you an email, but yeah - the inca, SR and SSR staffs are not interchangeable with the plain staffs. Pretty easy to find spares movements if you can't find any from cousins or the link I sent you.

Did you drop it? Having ruined a wonderful old Lanco (since fixed - phew), I am now very careful to put on and off my watches over the bed.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

trim said:


> Roamer Man said:
> 
> 
> > scottswatches said:
> ...


Yes, I did drop it. It bounced off the wooden furniture and onto a hard floor - after only two days of ownership! What's worse is I'd paid quite a lot for it as it had a guillochÃ© dial. I've got others without anti-shock, so I'll be taking extra care from now on!

Thanks for the link..


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Ah man, that sucks. I feel for you! Hope you manage to get it fixed. Definitely something to think about on older watches I guess.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Mike_J_Smith said:


> Ah man, that sucks. I feel for you! Hope you manage to get it fixed. Definitely something to think about on older watches I guess.


Thanks for the sympathy. It's funny how we take things like anti-shock for granted nowadays, and it's only when we 're-visit the past' we realize how things have moved on.

I had a thread recently on the subject of anti-magnetic watches which caused quite a stir on the forum. That's another development we take very much for granted, and the younger members seemed to have difficulty believing people could actually 'stop' watches prior to the late 1960s - but I don't want to restart that debate!


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Roamer Man said:


> I had a thread recently on the subject of anti-magnetic watches which caused quite a stir on the forum. That's another development we take very much for granted, and the younger members seemed to have difficulty believing people could actually 'stop' watches prior to the late 1960s - but I don't want to restart that debate!


Another thing I never knew; could you post a link to your thread so I can have a read?


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Mike_J_Smith said:


> Roamer Man said:
> 
> 
> > I had a thread recently on the subject of anti-magnetic watches which caused quite a stir on the forum. That's another development we take very much for granted, and the younger members seemed to have difficulty believing people could actually 'stop' watches prior to the late 1960s - but I don't want to restart that debate!
> ...


Don't know about a link, but it's on page 2 of Vintage - 'Curious Watch Problem'


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## Mike_J_Smith (Sep 13, 2011)

Cheers buddy, I'll have a look.


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