does more repairs/services on a watch movement take away from its value

Submitted by Ellierose on January 23, 2012 - 9:43am

hello i was watching cajun pawn stars last nite (i am not advertising for it, i thought to be not as good as the original) anyway the had a fatully gold 18k pocket watch by i think if i remember correctly johnson watch co...the watch was beautiful very ornate...anyway the pawn owner said that if was has more repairs the watch is worth less...i didn't think that was true maybe because the orginal parts were changed it might be worth less..but what about a basic cleaning/service watchmakers mark when they were done..i don't see that taking away from a watches value...i could be wrong..btw the gold pocket watch was going to be over 1K to fix because instead of a mainspring it uses a chain which also happens to be gold...i don't even know if something like that can be made in gold with todays prices..i guess you could use just a metal chain and a metal balance staff instead of gold...which was going to be by itself 500 dollars because its made out of gold...and just think since you have to make a couple to get right..

shooter144
Posted January 23, 2012 - 1:26pm

I would have to disagree, it just shows the owner cared for it as it should be. About every 2 yrs I think is the norm for mechanicals...most do not have anywhere near the suggested service intervals. And in this case you must remember, watches actually have quite a lot of torque for their size, and wear is inevitable... this mvmnt used gold  for some parts, probably for less friction and possibly looks, but gold is quite soft and easily wore so would need repair more often. Many internals are gold plated for lubricity.

 I think it was just the buyer trying to down value to get a better price.

bourg01
Posted January 23, 2012 - 2:08pm

Pawn shops only look at the profit value they can get out of an item. I think what he was saying is that it's worth less to him to make an offer if he's going to have to repair it afterwards to get it working. At best, he's probably only looking at the melt value in the gold for his offer.

Ellierose
Posted January 23, 2012 - 2:52pm

no..that was not what it was..the host said  if there are more repairs that had been already done it detracts the from the value..not the repairs he was going to have to make..

FifthAvenueRes…
Posted January 23, 2012 - 2:57pm

bs

Ellierose
Posted January 23, 2012 - 3:22pm

thank you, thats what i thought, when i bought my vintage car i wanted to know if it had been serviced and looked after instead of something that had never been oiled or fix,correctly

Reverend Rob
Posted January 23, 2012 - 6:25pm

 Repairs due to abuse or misuse are one thing, regular services to maintain the watch are another. I rarely see a watch with service marks at regular intervals over the life of the watch. Some watches get tucked away in drawers, it's true, but some are just run til they begin to fail. (Most Seikos fall into this category) One I serviced that stands out in the last couple years was a Tudor Oyster Prince, which dated to early 50's, and had enough service marks for every 4 yrs or so, and had been maintained very well. With such excellent recording of the services, it is easy to see the watch was properly cared for, and to me, would be worth more for this reason. 

Ellierose
Posted January 23, 2012 - 8:08pm

my thoughts exactly..i would love a tudor watch but some are as much as some rolex watches..also speaking of which i have my grandfathers early seiko 5 that falls in too this category...i really should fix it but it has a date function and i am not ready for that yet...