The other reason is that every time a watch needs a part, due to damage or ordinary wear, then that's one less spare part in the world. These parts are not made anymore, not for many decades. We are running through the supply left by the old timers, and what we salvage. When they're gone, they're gone. Parts have gotten more and more scarce over then past 10 years. Big estates and old long closed shops are not so common anymore. Some parts can be made, but this is a significant amount of work.
That said, if you do want to use a vintage pocketwatch everyday, a classic Elgin, 12 or 16 size, from the 'teens on up into the '40s and '50s is a good choice. These are solid and reliable products, well made, without being real high end, and they made a whole lot of Elgins. Parts for most of these watches are not hard to come by (yet). But you can expect costs of service to go up over time, if your watch needs parts. If it's kept clean and dry and is well cared for, it could never need parts other than the mainspring. Jeweled bearings with hard steel pivots will last just about indefinitely if no grit gets in there, and the lubrication is good.Personally, I own a number of antique watches, many of which are "carryable" in that they run well and are not exceedingly rare, fragile or super valuable, and I know I can fix them if need be. I rotate these around. I also own modern watches, and I use those. For special occasions, I get out the more special watches Or just because I feel like it. I sometime use 2 or 3 watches in a single day. But I avoid using an antique on a rainy day, for example, and take other precautions too.
So it's just a matter of your tastes and opinions on the matter. Having a mechanical watch, that ticks, is something I wouldn't want to give up. Sometimes I just wind them up and listen to them.
2 comments:
Hi Jeff, just found your blog. It's informative and enjoyable. A couple comments.I agree on case scrapping being a tragedy for the hobby. But I disagree on carrying watches. To me, the biggest WASTE of parts is repairing watches that will never "work" again - display case queens. They need not run at all, just like a car in a museum can and probably does have a locked-up engine after sitting for years and years. My watches are carried, handled and appreciated daily and are the better off for it. I've dropped and broken one uncased movement - while handling it in the "safety" of my bedroom. I exercise the same care handling my watches in daily use that I do handling my expensive precision tools - micrometers, calipers, torque-wrenches, etc. I'm a professional diesel technician. Machines are built to run, not to sit idle. And how are you going to promote the hobby and introduce new people to it unless you're prepared to do so at all times? Pulling out a pocket watch is an attention-grabber and could lead to anything. As far as value, I base my value system on rarity. I have a Grade 454 in very nice condition (and yes, I carry it but not as often as others) that's certainly my fanciest and "nicest", but to me my most valuable watches are the first one I purchased and the one that's one of 5500 movements produced - the grade number escapes me at the moment. It doesn't work currently, but I'm working in the direction of doing my own repair and service and plan to make it my first project. It is wound and the balance seems fine, but it will doesn't run. It'd be just fine in a display case, though, but that's not good enough for me. What's the point of owning something you're scared to let yourself possess?
My point is not that one should never carry an antique watch, indeed I do often myself. My point is that one should do so with the implications clearly in mind.
I deal with folks all the time that want watches repaired. There is something different about many peoples' ideas about watches, from other antiques - namely that they can always be repaired. But when you opt to carry an antique watch, you are consuming it. A watch may be 100 or 150 years old, and used by multiple generations. But if you consume it, you may be the last. The reason is that parts are not made any more. We are slowly consuming a finite supply, and the increasing cost of parts reflect this. Yes, most parts can be made by hand. This greatly increases the cost in time, skills and specialized equipment, and limiting who you can find that can do the work.
I was not going to write more about this, but just in the past few days two people that have been using antiques on a daily basis, and whose watches I have worked on, wrote to me that they broke the crystal. I no longer repair crystals. It's too hard to find them. Glass crystals in some sizes are essencially extinct, especially for hunter cases. Each one that is broken is one less that exists in the world.
So as I wrote at the top, "Should you use a vintage pocketwatch every day? Well, that's up to you." And it is. It's your watch.
Oh, and watches do not need to be carried to stay in working condition, unlike autos.
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