A few questions for the watch experts

[arjay]

I've been rooting around and came up with a pair of watches I bought years ago.The first is an Arnex I bought back in the 80s? And stored away in it's box after a year or so. I wound it this morning and it's lost 5 minutes over 12 hours which is amazing as it's never been cleaned or lubed.
The second one I gave to my dad 50 yrs ago. It's a Baylor (Google says Zales house brand maybe made by Hauer) it's not running.
What does it cost to clean and lube and is it worth the expense on these two?

.the Baylor is on the right

 

[31FordA]

I have that exact Arnex pocket watch, it was a gift from my grandmother, purchased new from a jeweler on Adam’s Ave in Philly in 1986. It finally needed service around 2005, has run fine ever since. I think I paid $200 to have it serviced by a local Lititz, Pa watchmaker back in ‘05. I would guess $300 for service these days. That’s more than the watch cost new, but still worth it in my opinion.

Your watch looks a lot more gold than mine. The case only has a flash gold finish, mine has mostly worn off from carrying the watch everyday for several years.

 

[chief38]

Weather or not it is worth the expense to have it serviced and or repaired is totally from you personal view of what it is worth to YOU to have them working. If you want it repaired to run, then it's worth it. If it is going to sit in the draw and never be used - maybe not.

I also would expect different quotes from different watch makers. There are some that are competent - yet humble and then you have the "super stars" just as in gun smithing. It blows my mind sometimes when it comes to the cost of repairs and service. Some think high priced guys are always the most competent - not always so. Not saying to choose a fly by night bargain basement watchmaker - but to choose wisely. That would be my best advise.

EXAMPLE:

I do all my own gun repairs right in my own workshop. The only thing I won't do is hot re-bluing. I have read many stories, both positive and negative about some of the more popular and famous company's out there. When I chose to have two guns refinished (the only ones I have ever done), I chose Midwest Gun Works. They are less well known, however their workmanship , prices and wait times are far and above better than many of the "super stars". They did EXCELLENT work at reasonable prices and the wait time was 6 or 8 weeks. OK - that was a decade ago, but I would use them again if I needed something done in a heart beat! BTW, they always answer the phone!

 

[s&wchad]

I had Illinois Watch Co. service four vintage automatic watches about two years ago. Their head watchmaker Craig is Omega certified and they did a fine job. I paid around $2K, but a basic pocket watch clean and lube should be closer to $300.

Homepage | Illinois Watch Company

 

[IAM Rand]

There is a watch shop in Colorado Springs, Knight Watch Repair. They can give you a value and a cost to repair. They do great work but, are not cheap. Much depends on what needs to be done.

PM me if you want more info.

 

[chief38]

BTW as long as we are talking watches and service, let me just post the way I do it - which may not be right for all.

I am not a watch collector but do have a few. Two specifically that are very popular and high end pieces. My wife and I wear them quite a bit and they are not "babied". I only serviced one of them twice. Once because as I grew older I could no longer easily read the time on a champagne dial contrasting against the gold. I sent the watch back to their official service center in NYC and they changed the dial, replaced the scratched sapphire crystal, fixed two links that got damaged, cleaned, oiled, re-waterproofed and regulated the automatic movement. I did this more out of need than because I wanted a pristine looking watch - it was running perfectly. I did this about 17 years after I actually bought it and they were not shy about charging me - but they did do a fantastic job and the watch was restored to like new condition.

The second time I sent it in was because the winder and day/date changing stem had become worn so it needed a replacement. This was from banging it while wearing, not from the fault of the watch or design. Anyway, the same watch company recommends sending it in every 3 or 4 years for cleaning and oiling. I do not do that! Unless there is a specific issue, I leave it alone. In a mechanism that is sealed with a gasket and "water proof", unless something is wrong - I keep wearing it. I find that with a delicate mechanism like a fine mechanical watch, the less times it is opened, the better off it is.

My other watch of the same brand (my wife's) has not been serviced since I bought it for her 30+ years ago. She wears it every week and it works perfectly fine. Same model as mine, just the women's version. I see no harm to letting it just be worn and run - will probably cost less to repair when it has an issue than to keep sending it in every few years for factory service. I would NOT bring it to a local watchmaker as I do want genuine parts and service! The Company does not sell their parts to local watchmakers! It is not a gun and our lives do not depend on it. YMMV

 

[IAM Rand]

Almost forgot, the guy at Knight Watch Repair has taken I guess what I would call certification training/classes. He is able to make parts for very expensive watches. When my parents passed I took a couple of watches that belonged to my father there. They not only fixed them but, gave me a certification for the watches.

 

[arjay]

I may take the older one in and talk to the owner of the shop. The one I bought for myself was losing about 12 minutes in 24 hours,but now that it’s been running a few days it’s only lost half a minute in the last 4 hours.That works for me [emoji16]

 

[Fishinfool]

Years spent sitting does a mechanical watch no favors, running wise. All need proper lubrication, and that dries and hardens over time, "gumming up" the works. They seem to run accurately longer if worn regularly, keeping the lube functional.

A few years back I had a local jewelry shop do a CLA on my fathers gold Bulova 31 jewel Ambassador automatic that had been sitting for 20 years. Nothing broken, just dried lube, and repolish the crystal. He charged $200.00 It runs about 3 seconds fast every 24 hours, which is pretty good for an almost 60 year old mechanical watch.

Larry

 

[rwsmith]

Oh, I love......

....pocket watches. I would really like to dump my cell phone and carry one.

I don't have any advice on maintaining good ones, but I couldn't resist a comment.

 

[arjay]

Well its a miracle or sumpin lol. My 40 yr old watch is right to the minute after 8 hrs and the 50 yr old watch stared running 30 minutes ago and is accurate so far. [emoji1][emoji1][emoji1][emoji41]

 

[03hemi]

I've been rooting around and came up with a pair of watches I bought years ago.The first is an Arnex I bought back in the 80s? And stored away in it's box after a year or so. I wound it this morning and it's lost 5 minutes over 12 hours which is amazing as it's never been cleaned or lubed.
The second one I gave to my dad 50 yrs ago. It's a Baylor (Google says Zales house brand maybe made by Hauer) it's not running.
What does it cost to clean and lube and is it worth the expense on these two?

.the Baylor is on the right

More than those are worth.
Ya don't just "lube" up a watch.
Those are more than likely quartz anyways, but to answer your question a good service will be between $600-1,000 bucks.

 

[Golddollar]

I have a Chief Wahoo Cleveland Indians watch that I acquired in 1994, the strike year. It was made by Bulova. I should have bought two of them. It only seems to fail to keep good time when the battery is dying. It's on my wrist right now.

 

[arjay]

They’re mechanical,not quartz

 

[Musvaleny]

TBH, if the Arnex is losing five minutes in half a day, it might be better to just let it rest. The Baylor, after all those years, probably needs a miracle just to run again!