My grandfather's watch

[dontfeartheringo]

Hello, all.
I have just joined the forum. Christmas came and went and brought with it the gift of my grandfather's watch. I have attached a photo below.

It was given to my grandfather by a business partner in the early '60s. He wore it every day until he passed from this world. My father then wore it every day until the clasp became unreliable. He got an estimate of $1700 for a replacement band, got irritated with that and put a nearly identical Seiko band on it and wore that every day until the action became somewhat unreliable, then he placed it in a safety deposit box until a few days ago. Now it is mine.

You can see that the crystal needs to be replaced. I have the original band with the unreliable clasp. I'd like to get it serviced but am a little leery of what Rolex would charge me to do it and also am not entirely interested in their promise to restore it to factory condition, as I like the patina on the face and the wear on the body. I think it's more interesting that way.

I would like to get it restored to full functionality, perhaps fix the clasp, and wear it every day.

I am, though, of modest means, by no one's estimation would I be mistaken for wealthy. What would you propose as the most cost-effective way to get this watch up to speed and ready to be on my wrist every day? I live in the Southeast, though I travel for work.

I look forward to your input.

[silversurfer96790]

Nice, welcome to the forum.

[pdoukas]

Query Michael Young in the forum and then send the bracelet to him in Hong Kong. Query rikki at timecare inc or ABC watch works in the forum as well and send it to one of them.

Welcome to the disease.....er, I mean forum!


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

[Darlinboy]

Originally Posted by pdoukas

Query Michael Young in the forum and then send the bracelet to him in Hong Kong. Query rikki at timecare inc or ABC watch works in the forum as well and send it to one of them.

Welcome to the disease.....er, I mean forum!


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

X2 this advice. These gentlemen are as good and reasonably-priced as you are likely to find.

[mjclark32]

Originally Posted by pdoukas

Query Michael Young in the forum and then send the bracelet to him in Hong Kong. Query rikki at timecare inc or ABC watch works in the forum as well and send it to one of them.

Welcome to the disease.....er, I mean forum!


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

X2, welcome!

[Nissanzx1]

Originally Posted by pdoukas

Query Michael Young in the forum and then send the bracelet to him in Hong Kong. Query rikki at timecare inc or ABC watch works in the forum as well and send it to one of them.

Welcome to the disease.....er, I mean forum!


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

Yes, yes listen to this comment. These are both people I have used and had great luck. You are going to let go of a bit of money to be honest, but you will have a fantastic watch with great sentimental value.

I am not sure exactly how much it will cost, but I would plan on spending around $900-$1000 on both the bracelet refinishing service and service/crystal/crown/tube/gaskets, etc...

It will be worth whatever it costs.

GH

[Pix]

Get estimates for both, but I would do the watch first and then put a nice leather strap on it till you can afford the bracelet restored.

[dontfeartheringo]

Originally Posted by nissanzx1

i would plan on spending around $900-$1000

:omg:

[Nissanzx1]

Dontfeartheringo- don't worry too much. Just start saving slowly, you'll have the money before you know it.

Any good watchmaker will charge $500-$700 to completely service that watch. Visually it needs crystal/service/gaskets/polish/looks like it needs a crown and tube, etc. That's many, many hours of work for a watchmaker.

GH

[dontfeartheringo]

I guess it is what it is. I've spent three times that on drum kits, so I ought to dry my eyes and get on with it.

Thanks for the recommendations, gents.

Might need to sell a drum kit though!

[Cc1966]

Sell that drum kit ~ you will have an heirloom piece in it's place mate!

[dontfeartheringo]

I spent some serious time today looking at people's experiences with Michael Young and Rik from TimeCare. Looks like the bulk of my money will be spent on crystal, tuneup, repairs (likely), and seals on the watch itself. Sending a band to Young seems to be affordable and certainly worth it, judging from other people's before/after photos, though it seems to be like throwing your band into a black hole, communication-wise!

I'm still new to all of this, but looking forward to getting this watch refurbished and on my wrist. I also have this watch in a drawer at home. It was "repaired" twice by a tech who shall remain unnamed. It runs for about 48 hours and stops. Rik may get this one as well.

[pdoukas]

You will not be disappointed


Sent from my mobile device. Please excuse spelling, punctuation, and brevity.

[Nissanzx1]

Cool old Omega. And I must say I LOVE your old Datejust! Cool Pie pan dial. Just take your time, it doesn't need to be restored tomorrow ;) You will be so glad you had it restored.

Looks like a bit of corrosion on the hands that your watch maker will need to sort out. Likely, water entered via the crystal or the crown... Hopefully there isn't much corrosion on the movement.

[dontfeartheringo]

I had an exceedingly pleasant conversation with Rik today, via telephone. I'll be sending the watch to him soon. Probably will be sending the band out to Michael Young soon, as well.

Thanks for the guidance, guys.

[dontfeartheringo]

I got my watch back from Rik and the band back from Michael Young. Both seem to have done excellent work. The buckle on the band continues to be a problem. The tabs that hold it into place have worn down to the point where the watch is not really wearable. I'm looking into a buckle that will work (but is not Rolex branded) just so I can wear the watch.

I sure have put a lot of money into this thing to not be able to wear it at this point. Hopefully I'll have good news soon.

[donaker]

New pictures would be great too! :)

[southtexas]

I'm surprised it came back from MY almost unwearable. Can you get a pic of exactly the problem spot? I bet someone will come up with a solution for you.


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[dontfeartheringo]

Pictures? Why sure!

I tried to upload the images but a "security token" was missing, so here are a bunch of links to full-size images:

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb1.jpg

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb2.jpg

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb3.jpg

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb4.jpg

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb5.jpg

[dontfeartheringo]

The two tabs on the buckle are worn down to the point where they don't grab with any security any more. Not surprising for a 50 year old watch.

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb6.jpg

And the pin in between these two sections is worn or the links on the sections are worn, so the buckle is kind of squirrely here, which keeps it from fastening securely at the tabs.

http://www.patrickferguson.net/image...lexrefurb7.jpg

TO BE CLEAR- I think both Michael and Rik did excellent work. I think Michael is just dealing with a very, very old watch band, and the tabs on the buckle are really worn. That is the reason my father didn't wear the watch much- fear that it would spontaneously unbuckle and he'd get miles down the road and look down to see a naked wrist. (see also: The Rolex Owner's Nightmare)

[dontfeartheringo]

Hang on a second. I've been staring at the tiny parts of the buckle for so long that I didn't notice that the middle section of the buckle has the words "Hong Kong" stamped on it. Also, it looks like there are some little fractures there at the hinges.

Hunh. I wonder if my grandfather had it "repaired" at some point?

[dontfeartheringo]

Also, this guy lists his ebay store as being an hour from my house. Maybe worth driving over.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/ROLEX-14K-TR...-/121286182593

[anilzat]

It's a nice Datejust get it repaired and enjoy it.

[dontfeartheringo]

Well, I finally got all the parts together and got this watch ready to wear. I've been wearing it every day for a couple of weeks, now. I am so very happy. Thanks to everyone who gave me advice and thanks to Michael Young and Rik from TimeCare.

It's a lovely watch. I hope I don't rear-end someone while staring lovingly at it while driving. This has actually already almost happened.

[s4dan]

Sweet

Something special about wearing a watch that both your grandfather and father have worn before you

[shane0mack]

looks awesome -- wear it in good health.

[bridgs]

So glad you got the watch in tip-top shape! It looks so awesome! Hope you have many good times with it!

[Frosty]

[gerard88t]

That's awesome!
I always feel good for other people whom inherit a Rolex. I grew up in a loving but poor family and it would never happen for me, so I find happiness in others celebrating inheriting one. Now I have, I need to leave for my sister's children. I hope it's appreciated by them as much as you appreciate your grandfather's Rolex

[SAAS]

Great story thanks for sharing