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My grandfather's stopwatch collection sat in a drawer for 15 years - I finally fixed one and now I can't stop
I found a beat-up 1960s Omega Seamaster in his old toolbox, took it to a watchmaker in Portland, and he had it running in two days for $125. The ticking sound brings back his voice saying "timing is everything" every time I check the time. Anybody else have a family object that hit different once you learned its story?
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ryan_shah381mo ago
miller.rowan nailed it about neglect being the real killer. That "die from neglect, not use" bit hit hard. My dad's old Hamilton sat in a dresser for like 20 years before I tried to wind it, and the watchmaker basically had to rebuild the whole balance wheel because the dried up oil had seized everything up. Cost me nearly $300 to save a watch he'd bought for $40 in 1972, but that ticking sound is worth every penny when I think about him timing his Sunday pancakes by it.
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oscarc121mo ago
Find a good watchmaker and get it serviced every three to five years, even if it seems fine. That old oil turns to glue if you let it sit too long, and that's how you strip a gear or break a mainspring. Keep it running and keep that voice alive.
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miller.rowan1mo ago
My grandfather's 1966 Omega Seamaster broke because he let it sit for ten years without service. @oscarc12 is exactly right about that oil turning into glue, I had a watchmaker show me the congealed mess inside that movement. He said most vintage watches die from neglect, not use. I service my watches every four years like clockwork now, it costs a bit but beats a full overhaul or broken mainspring. Keep them wound and running smooth.
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