Any Watch/Clock Aficionados In The House?

[Stratoblaster]

Today I just got back my grandfather's pocketwatch from a complete restoration. It hasn't ran in at least 30+ years and the shop did an amazing job restoring it...was definitely worth the expense to fix and restore it. A shop that can fix these devices are rare indeed these days...it took several months to complete the job but the wait was worth it.

The changed the balance and main springs, disassembled, cleaned, and lubed the entire inner workings, polished and cleaned the case and crystal...the difference, even cosmetically, is fantastic.

It really has taken me 'back in time' so to speak; I can remember Grandpa using this watch many, many decades ago and he used it for decades before that. To see it running again, after so many years, is gratifying and heartwarming.

It is at least ~100 years old, hard to say for sure. From what I can tell so far, the jeweler who made it in Brockville, Ontario had his shop going from the mid 1890's to around 1906, but nothing conclusive so far.

It's amazing to see this very old mechanical wonder ticking again. It has a satisfying heft when you hold it in your hand and it's put me in a reflective mood...a tangible connection to the past.

I have several other watches (quartz and mechanical) but nothing as cool as this piece. I'd love to collect more watches but.....

Any other watch/clock freaks in the house? What have you got 'on hand'?

 

[Carl]

Got nothing to show, but my dad was a jeweller watchmaker, had his workshop in the room at the back of the house. Grew up playing with all that stuff, spent a bit of time in the business myself before music took me away...
Yep, they are absolute wonders of engineering. There's a fob watch in the safe back at my folks place that is "digital" ie the face has numbers that tick over rather than a dial, google antique digital fob watch to get the idea.

Old skool watchmakers joke, direct from my dad who at 94y/o is still tinkering away in his workshop..:

A watchmaker dies and goes to heaven.
He's waiting in line at the pearly gates, where St Peter is taking details, "checking in" the souls etc..
"Name?" asks St Peter of the first man in the queue.
"Bob" the man replies.
"Occupation?"
"Mechanic"
St Peter writes it down in the ledger and allows the man through, and so it goes until it's the watchmakers turn.
"Name?"
"Barry"
"Oh" says St Peter, "I see you're a watchmaker."
The watchmaker is astonished.
"How did you know?" he asks
"Well" answers St Peter, "I can tell by the callouses on your knees!"

OK, so the joke here is that as a watchmaker, you end up spending an inordinate amount of life on your hands and knees looking for that one ridiculously teeny and almost invisible screw/part that's popped out of your tweezers and bounced into nether nether land somewhere on the floor.
And i can confirm from experience that that is exactly how it goes. You're down there at least few time a day...

And FWIW, the method we used to find the un-findable was to take the broom, sweep the area, and then run a magnet through the pile of dust. Amazing the number of metallic bits and pieces, screws, lost washers, teeny things that turn up..still use that method these days to find stuff. Especially now that the old eyes aint what they used to be...

 

[Stratoblaster]

^^^^ funny joke and interesting story. I know the feeling of looking on the floor to find some tiny spring or screw that launched itself from the gizmo I was working on. Sweeping with a broom then a magnet is a great method for sure...yup, the old eyes ain't what they used to be...

 

[Tremonti]

I have a wonderful Oris Dive watch that my wife got me 12 years ago for my wedding gift. Love the watch and had it serviced about 5 years ago by Oris. Looks and runs great!

 

[Stratoblaster]

I have a wonderful Oris Dive watch that my wife got me 12 years ago for my wedding gift. Love the watch and had it serviced about 5 years ago by Oris. Looks and runs great!

Nice watch! Oris makes great quality timepieces at a relatively low price. I really like skeleton watches and the Oris Artelier Skeleton is one that rises to the top for me.