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Repair or Restoration Repair or Restoration?
There seems to be some confusion with pocketwatch owners as to normal repair or service as opposed to restoration. When your watch quits ticking or does not run as well as it used to, do you get a normal service and repair or do you request a restoration? A normal repair involves diagnosing the problem, locating and repairing or replacing the bad parts and then possibly cleaning, oiling and timing the watch. Your watch will be returned to you in good working condition. For example a high grade railroad grade watch or chronometer could be expected to keep time within a minute or two a day. A restoration involves replacing any component in the movement with a new part if it fails to meet size or quality specifications. This can sometimes be difficult because all parts are no longer available for many antique watches. If the watch has been used quite a bit, many parts might have to be replaced in order to restore the timepiece to "as good as new". Gears, pinions, and sleeves with any wear, balance assemblies, mainsprings, etc might have to be replaced. This can be very costly to say the least, and sometimes replacement parts are hard to find. A normal repair is usually performed for most watches as this is normally economical and will result in reasonably good timekeeping. Good candidates for a full restoration would be a valuable historical piece or a very sentimentally valuable heirloom. Normal service many times involves only a professional cleaning, oiling and timing.  Remember to have your watch serviced every few years of use, so that the oils don't dry up inside, causing excessive friction and wear. Keep your watches away from extreme heat or cold or moisture. Polish the case with a carnuba car wax to keep it looking new. Clean any corrosion on the outside of the case with a good quality polish cloth occasionally. General information about care, winding, setting, etc for pocket watches may be found at the following link: Pocketwatch Information Pocketwatcher 26 Empire Road Castroville, CA 95012 831-633-0882 Antique pocket watches make timeless gifts that can be passed on to future generations. Anniversaries, birthdays, Mothers Day, Fathers Day, retirements,and graduations are perfect occasions to give a quality gift that will provide decades of pleasure and pride.
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