Vintage Watches, Fix them or Trash Them?
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- Опубліковано 13 вер 2024
- Vintage watches fix them or trash them? this is a question a lot of vintage watch collector's ask them self's every time we send a watch with very little value for service, what would you guys do? fix the watch or pay the bills
Fix them if really like them and you plan on putting them in your personal collection. For resale purposes I don't know... Maybe hold onto them until you get bored and have nothing better to do.
Edit: p.s. I would wear the either of them. I'm a sucker for blued hands.
Fix 'em! In my experience, I've sold watches similar to these (30's and 40's Hamiltons) fairly quickly and in the range you're looking for. It's interesting; the watches that I personally like the most (70's era) are my slowest sellers. The watches that aren't my particular cup of tea (art deco) seem to sell much faster. There's definitely a market for these watches, you may just have to wait a bit for the right collector to come along. Besides, the worst that can happen is you enjoy the thrill of bringing these little guys back to life and they hang out in your own collection for a few months before they find their forever home.
In my opinion ,these pieces are a beautiful segment of horological history and are worth resurrection.
While at present they may not hold high market values, trend with naturally shift and value significantly fluctuates.
Market value a side,as a horologist its important to preserve such history and remember that in many years to come when one passes from old age,the simple fact is a small part of you lives on through your watchmaking craft.
omg that Bulova is stunning and the way it comes apart to show the movement is so special. Fix it please, I'll buy it for 300USD. I just paid over 600USD for a 1945 Longines, its case is 14ct solid gold, but its still very small.....
Keep them and wear them. I have four now, I want to get the Bulova banker next.
I love the Waltham.
I love the Bulova, fix. 👋
I would buy that bulova
I just purchase a 1920s Elgin for around 50.00 dollars cost another 90.00 to be redone. it has taken a place in my collection . I will be a player on the Bulova.
Damn man!! I really love that kind of wathes! I got two old ones, here in Mexico are very few of them, I love Hamilton and Waltham, If I were you, I will definitely repair them and of course use them. Im very very sure that they are going to increase in value, they are just beautiful watches, the detail they put in every aspect of the watch, my god! those were pieces of art, that wont happen anymore, now everything is done by machines, those kind of watches take me to those times and they are USA made, I feel proud of USA, I hope you take them back to life just for the sake of art and love of heritage, thanks for showing them. I fell in love with that Bulova too.
I say fix them and just keep them, no need to sell them!
It’s part of history. Worst case, just save them as is.
I’d be interested in the Bulova after service.
Keep them regardless... Six years from now, they might be all the rage.
Ignore the negatives here sir. They are works of great beauty and deserve to be fixed by someone with your skills. I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I would give you cost and a profit to make it worthwhile. I particularly love the Waltham.
I recently had similar Waltham, Bulova and Dorley watches serviced and cleaned up. I sold mine, yes I had to wait a while for them to sell for a fair price but they did eventually sell. You have the benefit of not having to pay someone else to do the work, so with that in mind, fix them up. If you can't sell them, you might be able to include them in a future trade and a serviced/regulated watch is always worth more. Go for it!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on older watches.I buy,sell,and collect them for all 3 reasons the 3rd i love the artistic aesthetics and craftsmanship so you have to purchase as cheap as you can cautiously because the value is in the buyers pocket.Thanks C.E.Huggins Jr
Beautiful watches. It is a tough call. Love the movement on the Waltham and the Bulova is a beauty. I started collecting last year and already have close to 40. Yea, it is a sickness. I buy inexpensive vintage, and quite a few NOS Tressa LUX, Ricoh, HMT, etc. Weird collection. The issue I am running into is some of the watches are beginning to stop running. They aren't worth a $150 service. Yet, I made sure to buy watches that I really love and are in very good condition, and I am thinking they are worth a service.... to me. Maybe I can just let some sit and enjoy their appearance without wearing. The only ones I paid over a $100 were the six Tressas, the rest are under and many in the $30-$60 range. It is fun and have to think they will go up in value over time. My favorites are the ones with cases and docs.
Fix them!!
I think the first one is fantastic and the second is verry nice also. I wouldn't pay £350 because I can't afford that. I would say fix them for yourself. They are really nice and could be very rare even if the value is low for resale.
I suggest you list them on Ebay under a no-reserve auction starting at $1,00. There is a market for such watches on Ebay.
If I have it it gets fixed, simple.
I think these watches are historical markers and show progressions in the time keeping industries me personally i love i too a good collection of non working ones but i simply love them im really in that same catch 22 maybe i should buy all yours and add them to my collection let me think on it.
Trends change maybe these will become popular again. I remember 5-10 years ago you could pickup vintage chronographs at a decent price. Not do much anymore.
Love them. You should get them to people like me who like to fix and wear them
Hold them both; eventually there will come a time when they will be worth something, at which point they will be worth fixing.
The third option : put them away. If you decide to work on them at your convenience more power to you. The pendulum does swing and it will swing in your favor. I predict the oversized watch fad will pass.
Thanks yet again for your down-to-earth approach! Great watches.
Tough decision. Both those are right up my street and it always seems like a criminal waste to see movements like that languishing, but you have a living to make. For what it's worth I've never regretted spending either time or money reviving elderly watches of little value ... whether they'll ever be sought after again isn't something I have to worry about though. There does seem to be a healthy market in trench watches, but anything else without a big name pre 1945, not so much.
fix then, try to sell and if not wear them. They are pieces of history
They are great values if I would wear them. But that is the crux isn’t it?
I have a trio of Hamiltons from the 30s which I had serviced and regularly wear. With that in mind, I wish I had the skills to do such work myself and save money, but if one does have those skills, then fixing and wearing those nice old pieces would be more satisfying.
Fix them ;)
If you love your craft, you will fix them.
If you need to ask us, then you're probably in the job.
Hey just a more general question, how do you suggest taking out scratches/buffing out the case of a vintage watch and or the metal bracelet?
The watches are not worth anything now, just like rolex's were not worth anything 10 years ago. just put it in the bucket to sell later when the market moves there.
How you doing and how's the new edition to the family..? I was going to suggest another idea, however having read the comments, it looks like you may already have some buyers!? So doing these videos looks to be the ideal solution!
Los puedes arreglar vale la Pena 💯💯
"At all cost, repair this piece of history. It would be a 'sin' not to. Do you have any children to leave them to? Or even a niece or nephew. They've been around a hundred years. Do what you can for them to last another hundred years. If you do, " You're the man", no two ways about it.
Dann
If they were mine and I wasn't going to sell them I would restore them just for the pleasure of it and for a collection but to make money out of them i think I would leave them in a draw or if I was desperate flog them as they are!
Dude!!! I just finish a video of my Bulova, Lone eagle, has the same back display. Keep fixing them, on what else are you going to spend your free time ? 😊
I'm sure if you repair them it will not be hard for you to sell them through this forum. I like both of them and I do not have problems with the size, I actually prefer them that way, and surely many other watch geeks think the same; We are a small market but we exist.
Fix them some reason you were put together with them. I feel if you have the skill and the parts no reason not to fix them eventually they will sell. Many reasons why someone will buy them. Sentimental value, vintage collectors, even women would wear them. They a worthless broken.
I never have seen watches that old before. My grandparents are long long gone but they were both born in 1907 and may have had those small watches. When my Grandmother passed she did not leave any watches but a couple of Timex. I hope you can help me with something. Can you recommend a flat head screwdriver set that has 1mm and smaller screws? I would appreciate it. Amazon and eBay I buy from. but no idea what to get that small. Thanks. I would keep those watches for the historical value. Maybe when your job is not so demanding which I have no idea what it is, you may want something to do. If you would use them is the main question. I have a couple Seiko watches that would cost more to fix than they are worth from my youth 1970's in bubble wrap to protect in none working condition, just sentimental value. Just to look at every now and then for memories.
Muy lindos
SELL tham as Women's watches b/c so many ladies watches are drop dead boring and tiny
They are from a bygone era. Would you wear a 3-piece suit from that period, with waists half way up your chest? Some might, but very few.
Put them back in the drawer, you’ll find them there 30 years from now, or sell them as is. Collecting ANYTHING makes no sense watsoever.