Advice on how to treat a watch with sentimental value.

[Digmenow]

My Father passed away almost 10 years ago and I've had his daily wear wristwatch in my possession for almost as long. He wore it for years. It's a gold plated/silver face Bulova Caravelle presentation watch that he, an aircraft mechanic (A&P/R&E for those of you who know this stuff), received for his years in the union.

My Dad was thrifty but he wasn't cheap. He simply never spent a nickel that he didn't have to and his lifetime of parsimony is now paying for my Mother's final years in a nursing home but that's a different story.

Here's what's left of the watch.

As you can see, there is no band. I don't know what kind of band originally came with the watch but I'm pretty certain that a number of long gone Speidel twist-o-flex metal bands kept the watch on his wrist. He liked to push it up whenever he worked on anything mechanical rather than take it off. As the crystal is plastic, it has numerous scratches but obviously, you can still easily tell time with it and it appears to keep time and date without issue.

My intention is to have it cleaned up with perhaps a light polishing of the gold plating, then inspected for proper operation, maybe a replacement crystal and install a new band so that I can wear it from time to time (family gtgs, etc). I am wondering what would be an appropriate band for this watch and before anyone suggests Hermes, that loud noise you hear is my father spinning madly in outrage at such an expense. Does it look like a leather band would compliment it or should I go back to a metal band?

As to the crystal, the watch repair shop has quoted $35 US for a replacement and I would, of course, keep the original. OTOH, every scratch on that crystal came from something that he was physically involved in and each one is a reminder of the things of which he was capable when it came to working with his hands.

So.

Do I honor his memory by restoring the watch to as new (as possible) condition or by keeping it as he wore it?

New crystal, yes or no?
Leather band or metal?
If metal, back to the Speidel or a somewhat nicer clasp bracelet?
Since he would not approve of any precious metals, gold tone or gold/silver mix?
If leather, what color/texture?

I would like the watch to be as nice as possible but still retain as much sentimental value so what would YOU do?

Thanks in advance for your assistance in this matter.

 

[Digmenow]

One more thing...

My Father loved to make things new again. He would buy old mantel clocks and massage the innards so they would keep accurate time and refinish the wooden case. Probably sacrilege to clock fanciers everywhere. His hobby was radio controlled model airplanes. While he liked to fly, his true love was to take the ones that the other guys would crash beyond their ability to repair and rebuild them to like new condition after they donated the wreckage to him.

I'm flexible and can go either way on any of my questions above.

 

[garymyman]

I think I'd fix the crystal even if you don't do a full restoration. You wouldn't drive an old Deusenburg with a cracked headlight. As for straps, I'd put a black croc strap on it and wear it on special occasions. But every day is a special occasion to me, which is why I'm wearing a '75 Omega that has lots of sentimental value...

 

[Gingahbman]

I would probably change the crystal, but I would not get it plated. The goal is to make the minimum amount of changes so that it is still your dad's watch.

That being said, the way you wrote that story, I'm sure your dad would be proud with whatever you did with the watch.

 

[anginaprinzmetal]

I'd leave it exactly as it is, each and every one of those scratches was done by your dad, the time used has given the watch a nice patina. The monetary value of that watch is negligible, wether you clean/fix it or not, but the sentimental value of something your dad use almost every day could be lost if you mess around with it, just my $ 0.02...

 

[Lone Wolf]

Originally Posted by Digmenow

New crystal, yes or no?

Leather band or metal?

Since he would not approve of any precious metals, gold tone or gold/silver mix?


If the crystal doesn't bother you, I'd leave it as is. Not that it's relevant since this is an heirloom that you probably won't ever sell, but restoring vintage watches by replacing the parts actually decreases the value. It's best to leave them as original as possible.

I'd do some research and find out what it was on originally (i.e., find the correct Bulova band), and put that on it. OTOH, if you wanted to keep it as close as possible to the way your father wore it, then definitely get yourself a Speidel in honor of him.

Gold/silver is more versatile in terms of matching to other metals (rings, bracelets), if you're OCD about not mixing colors.

FWIW, I know where you're at; I've got my grandfather's Bulova which he received from my father, aunt, and uncle on the 50th anniversary of his wedding to my grandmother. Means more than the Rolexes, Panerais, and JLC, that I bought myself, although they all get equal wrist time.

 

[westinghouse]

Originally Posted by Perfection

If it was my fathers watch I would use it as a bottle opener

So you honor him by buying clothes instead...

 

[GHo]

Originally Posted by garymyman

I think I'd fix the crystal even if you don't do a full restoration. You wouldn't drive an old Deusenburg with a cracked headlight. As for straps, I'd put a black croc strap on it and wear it on special occasions. But every day is a special occasion to me, which is why I'm wearing a '75 Omega that has lots of sentimental value...

+1

 

[lenahan]

I had a similar issue with my great grandfathers watch (late 50s Elgin Shockmaster, Swiss movement; retirement gift after 25 years at Snyder's Department store Alton, Illinois). Anyway, assuming the crystal is not compromised, the scratches are not deep enough to leave a hole in the crystal, then I would keep it, but that is just me. As for the band, I would use a black leather band. Matching the metal to the existing watch metal is possible, but ultimately it depends on what you want, what you like. I replaced the steel bracelet on my grandfather's rolex with a new version of the same , but my great-grandfather's I replaced with black leather. That was also a twistoflex original, but the gold coloring was fading, it was discoloured, link facings had fallen off, and it was rusting (he died in the 70s, my mother gave it to me in 2010, although ironically, without servicing, it keeps great time to this day). Further, i couldn't find a bracelet/band with the gold in the right color that would work (plus, my wrist is very large, so getting the size was a *****, but i digress). I would recommend a servicing, and touch up of the exterior if you want. Servicing is very important. Good luck. It sounds like your father really liked his watch, and the accomplishment and past it represented to him. It is a nice watch, and I am sure your father would be happy that his son would repair and keep in use a watch that meant so much to him. You are keeping a part of him alive.

 

[Pantisocrat]

If you are close to Oakland, CA take your watch to Borel (The largest watch tools and parts supplier in CONUS). You can easily purchase a crystal from them and borrow a tool (looks like spider with little claws) to remove the old crystal and put in a new one. I have over 200 round crystals and will likely have one for your watch lol. When ebay got started, around in 2001 or 2002, you can buy closeout crystal cabinets (hundreds of crystals in properly marked paper bags) for no more than 30 USD + Shipping. I think sellers these days ask for like 10USD a crystal. As for quality leather bands, I used ZRC for all my watches. They are French, cheap, and very durable. ABP-paris, C. Fournet and a few others are really overpriced.

 

[Digmenow]

Thanks for all of the thoughtful replies. Much to think about. We already have a bottle opener so I think I'll take a pass on that idea. I really like the idea of a leather strap. I did some more searching and stumbled across a single image of the watch with a black leather band on it. Interestingly, it was on a blog created by a gent who frequented styleforum up until sometime in 2010 and left for reasons I was unable to discern. His blog is called "Made to measure" and he had purchased the watch below on ebay for $20. As I said before, this is about sentimental value. Investment value never seriously crossed my mind as several of you had already surmised.

I'm still of a split mind about replacing the crystal. We'll see. BTW, I'm on the east coast so California is not an option for me to drop in but thanks for the suggestion. Thanks again, all.

 

[LooknGr8]

Yes, replace the crystal. I did on my grandfather's pocket watch from about 1915...which had turned a green color and was scratched. You'll love it & appreciate it and wear it more.

As for the band...I'm with the leather camp here, although your father obviously chose what he liked...and so that would be appropriate for you. Like my grandfather's Hamilton (not a railroad watch, just a commoner) this one's probably not worth much on the collectibles market, which frees you from worrying about devaluing it.

I'm thinking, from the details you revealed about him and his timepiece...Target's gonna have a band for you. You could get two, and swap them out once in a while to keep it interesting.

 

[atila]

Definitely change the crystal. Like the poster above said, you WILL wear it more if you do.

 

[qzman]

Before you replace the crystal, you can try to buff out the scratches. Look for a product called Polywatch.

 

[LanceW]

Do not ever let anyone clean the face. If you put a new crystal on it, keep the old one. I would put it on a leather band and wear it with pride.