Has any one else noticed a new ridiculous thing that's been going on lately, that is taking nice pocket watch movements and making giant wrist watches out of them? Personally, I think it's as bad as the gold scrapping craze, or maybe even a by-product of it.I just saw a 16s 23J up/down indicator Vanguard movement wasted this way.To me, these things look so stupid, they really look ridiculous, and those that sell them want a ton of money for them.If they have the skills to build these special cases, why not use them to make new pocket cases for them,instead of wasting the movement for an overgrown wrist watch that looks so bogus? This is bad enough, but to see them using RAILROAD movements makes it that much worse!!...Ted.

I think it's ingenuity at work, Theo. They're probably starting with movements sans cases for whatever reason, making something from little. And most folks other than many of us wear wristwatches these days, right?

OK by me.

Ted,

Because I'm siding with Ken on this one has nothing to do with the fact that he lives down the road from me and that I know him personally. ...really, it doesn't ...but my feelings are pretty much the same. If said hi-grade RR movement is caseless, for whatever reason, then why not give it new life? Why not give it a proper tune-up and and a careful re-casing? Why not give it new purpose on the wrist of someone who will appreciate and care for it? Leave aside ones individual choice of grotesque fashion accessories because it already exists; giant wrist watches are becoming more and more popular...for some strange reason...but the really cool ones that I've seen have antique internals, beautiful and otherwise abandoned, made by such names as Patek Philippe, A. Lange & Söhne and Vacheron & Constantine ...whose solid gold cases were loaded into a melting furnace long ago.

To me, and even if I hadn't read Ken's post first, this is a positive movement (no pun meant) and much more creative and life sustaining than the death-blow inflicted by the steampunk art folks.

In my opinion, This trend of creating Goliath wrist watches will not significantly affect the population of high grade US made pocket watch movements that are presently married to correct, well preserved cases. This isn't a widespread epidemic...YET!

I'd like to see someone make a wrist watch out of one of these babies: HERE

William

Mixed feeling about it myself. Pocket watch movements were never made to be worn on the wrist as they're not designed for the shock that a wrist watch takes each and every day in use.

With the reduction of cases due to the crazy gold/silver rush, at least they're being used....but just to suffer an untimely death if/when they're banged against a hard surface.

Movements like the Unitas types that Peter uses are fine, as they ARE designed to withstand shock....but these old pocket movements? I'm not so sure it's a good idea....but as has been said, what's worse? that, or a steampunk dissection?

Just not sure.....

Regards! Mark

those old pocket watch movements will not last long on wrist as Mark stated no incabloc
I took my Unitas wrist watch to shooting range and it pass with flying colors(shotgun,9mm and 45) try it with Hamilton or
Waltham pocket watch movement on your wrist
you will have a broken staff after first shot.

Everything is BIGGER in Texas

Seriously, I bought this BEHEMOTH in 2005 and sold it in 2006. It was a 16sz Hamilton 993 P/S that was put in a SS watch case with a nice leather band. It was a piece of art, a LARGE piece of art !! It was cumbersome and clunky and seemed to hit against everything. It was a HUGE eye-catcher wherever one went though and was easy to read and see. I bought this for around $1400 and sold it at a loss for $1100 but I got more than $300 worth of pleasure out of it!

As Peter and others say, they aren't made for the wrist and won't take shock well such as sudden slams, falls or possibly shooting firearms. They are bulky and too heavy for correct balance even for the larger framed person as I am a 6 footer and 200lbs back then.

The best part was that nothing was harmed in the making of this GARGANTUAN, as it could be taken out of the SS case and installed back in a correct pocket watch H/C in minutes.

Today, I wish I had it back even though it wasn't correct for wrist usage but it was AWESOME

regards,
bb

Horror of horror. Repurposing a movement that was stripped of its case means it isn't a watch anymore. Just a hunk of metal that has to be protected in a plastic case to be stared at! Sorry but I have two wrist watches made of a Hamilton 923 and a 921 that lost their presumably solid gold cases. I figure I saved them. I wear them often without any troubles at all. I am careful with my watches (all of them not just the Hammies) so have had no difficulties. And, with the size of wristwatches now being fashionably large, my size 10 wristwatches don't stick out at all or cause anyone to jump back in horror as I drag my arm along the ground because of the great weight on my wrist.

Not a watch anymore? Looks like a watch to me. Hey, I have this novel idea ...and this is nothing new ...If you're careful with your watch you can probably avoid breaking it!

William

the biggest one I made was 47 mm in diameter with out lugs

Yes, a pocket watch without a case is just a hunk of metal no good for its intended task. It can be put in a plastic case and stared at. You can buy a case and make it useful again. Or you can put it in a wristwatch case. But, to call the guts of a watch a watch without a case is simply wishful thinking.

quote:

...If you're careful with your watch you can probably avoid breaking it!

William

Agreed, William, but I've noticed deep scratches and dings on my heavier wristies that I have NO idea how they got there, and I'm VERY careful with my watches....so it can happen without you even recalling how it occurred.

Regards! Mark

I've found a way to eliminate those heavy bands required when using a pocket watch on the wrist.

Hot glue, the fine alternative to duct tape.

Great Idea! You can hang your car keys on the bow!

Very early in my collecting days, I bought two of these pocket watch-to-wristwatch conversions for a few hundred dollars each, one with a Hy Moser movement and the other with a Louis Grisel Glasshutte-style movement. Nice though the movements were, I found these huge wristwatches unwearable and an embarrassment, so I sold them shortly after buying them. I don't think they have any place in a serious collection.

In my early days, I also bought ladies-size pocket watch-to-wristwatch conversion, but one almost certainly done when the watch was new, when wristwatches were supplanting pocket watches. That was a nice, wearable 18k watch, but still too weird to keep in my collection when my tastes matured.

I don't condemn folks who make or buy these conversions. They just are not for me.

Pretty high horse. Don't hurt yourself getting down.

Given the shortage of cases perhaps this may be the way to go to preserve movements - provided of course the movement, dial, hands etc. have not been modified i.e. reduced in size to fit its new case.

An interesting topic. If you are old enough you will probably recall that in the 1970's the fad was for small ultra thin watches that were hard to see. Live long enough and the old is new. These pocket watch movements made into wristwatches probably will not have much effect on the pocket watch supply and I suspect that many represent movements from damaged, worn and melted cases. Many of these watches take care to display the pocket watch movement and that may spark an interest in collecting pocket watches.

Sorry guys, didn't mean to alienate anyone! I didn't realize so many actually like these things.Thanks, Ted.

I'm with you Ted! I think the problem is that we're in a minority in today's world. It's a lot about the money now. Pocket watches for most folks today just aren't practical, they're just nice to look at.

What's ironic, Dave, is that most folks use their cell phones to check the time....which they carry....in their pocket....making them VERY high tech 'pocket watches'.

Regards! Mark

For those who have the "bucks", the recent trend IS back to LARGE MECHANICAL wrist watches. At one point in the recent past, a mutual friend and IHC185 member and I considered the possibility of producing "cased" 12s wristwatches. Of course in our next breath, we were talking about making and selling fortune cookies containing highly irregular messages.

Still, the "conversion" of US-made watches into wrist-mounted pieces goes way back. Marjorie still sports her beautiful late-19th century Waltham . . .

Well I'm converting size 10 pw to ww and all works just great for me I must add I will not destroy
good size 12 American made pocket watch just to make
wrist watch and few bucks and I do not have one made but tomorrow I will show you the easy way to ware your pocket watch on your wrist.
No hot glue !

God, I must be old fashioned. I will not have anything to do with steam punk, altered pocket watches or butchered watches. In just the last two years I have noticed a decline in the availability of them. If you wish to remain in and with your hobby, then preserve them, don't butcher them.

FYI I buy brand new size 10 Swiss movements so no watches are being butcher or destroy .

Thanks Peter for not using American!!!As you said earlier, those Swiss movements at least are shockproof.....I agree with the others who condemn that "Steampunk" butcher business, that really is criminal. The only good thing about that is, if you can stand to look at their sites and can bear to go over page after page of total junk,there are good to usable parts to be found.I've bought several usable dials and even a partial 18s 7 jewel Hamilton movement off a steampunk site.I feel like a slug for it, but at least I saved them from "them"!!....Ted.

Hey David Abbe,

I like the fortune cookie idea! Can you give us some examples? Seems like all we do anymore is talk about watches!

Hey Patrick Wallin,

Yes, you're hopelessly old-fashioned...but so are most of us...and that's why we're here! It's not like we're taking fine Fabergé eggs, filling them with molten lead and using them for cuckoo clock weights. Most of the American made movements we see used in these giant wrist watches were either caseless or taken from poor cases. So what's the difference? They're being enjoyed and when this trend of wearing a 3 pound wrist watch ends, at least the guts will have survived and can be re-cased again. This seems to be a benign venture and is certainly a much better option than stripping out good running movements for their parts.

William

here is my ORRS Ball 999 on my wrist
no harm done and all the young kids on the street can drool

Sorry but can't compare to this

or this:

I've seen these and I really love them. That just looks fantastic!

William

I second what William said !!

regards,
bb

Thanks. There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking a bare movement stripped of its original case and having it turn out this nice and useful. It doesn't diminish me as a collector or my collection.