I have a few questions about originality when it comes to watch repair.

Can someone tell me where I can find information on the impact of original vs. replacement parts on watches? It seems like there was a whole lot of swapping of cases, dials, hands, etc. over the years.

Are some swaps more acceptable than others, i.e. if a watch is 100% correct (if not 100% original, since presumably it's ok to replace mainsprings, etc.), but in an aftermarket case, what's the impact?

Are there some things you just shouldn't mix and match?

Is it "ok" to use parts from a watch that will never run again to repair a watch that can? I came across some rather strongly-worded posts on [elsewhere] against the practice.

The recent discussion about whether to polish/clean a case got me thinking. Plus I'm accumulating movements and want to know the best type of cases to find for them, or should I just use them as donors?

Thanks,
Evan

Evan,

There's as many answers to your questions as there are watch collectors, everyone has their own standards.

As with other collectible machines such as cars and guns, repro parts are a large negative in watches, but there's no pat formula. The impact will vary a lot from one collector to another.

Ed,
Thanks. I kinda figured that, but thought there might be a book or two that covers things that affect value and collectibility so I could avoid doing well-intentioned bone-headed things, like putting the wrong movement in the wrong case.

Evan

If you find a book on that subject, let me know, I'd also like a copy. In the meantime, the best you can do is browse the various topics here at IHC.

This has inspired me to pose a question. Was it not the practice at one time to buy a watch to suit your own needs? What I mean by that is you could choose to buy a certain movement, put it in a case of your own choosing and then have a dial you really liked. This would really put the question of originality out of the equation. You can never be sure what the original watch looked like. The only one you could be sure of was a complete factory package deal.



The only place where original vs replacement would come in then would be the movement itself.

That's true David,"originality" can be difficult to prove and some collectors choose to put together combinations of movement, hands, dial and case just to suit their personal fancy. However, most collectors strive for watches that at least are correct and that is also the basis of "book" values. Because of surviving period advertising and fully documented examples, we have a much better idea of what is correct.

Ed, David,
Thanks for the responses. I've perused this and other forums and am learning lots, but mostly what I don't know, which in itself is very valuable! Like David I also seem to recall seeing that jewelry stores would sell movements separate dials, hands, and cases, so they were the Harley Davidsons of their era. That being said, date correctness and to some extent brand correctness is surely important to value and collectibility. It seems like if you get (or put together) a watch that exactly matches an ad of the time you can't go wrong.

I found one book on Amazon that looks like it might offer some guidance. It's "Collecting and Repairing Watches" by M. Cutmore. I'm assuming the information could also be pieced together over time just by watching the market and absorbing the watch price guide (which I don't yet have--thinking I should wait until the next edition comes out in January?).

Evan