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Am I the worst? Tear apart this watch.

Tear it apart?

  • You’re tearing me apart Lisa!

    Votes: 18 42.9%

  • Leave the watch alone!

    Votes: 24 57.1%
  • Total voters
    42
Niel

Niel

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 23, 2012
Messages
20,231
I bought this watch because I was taken by the nearly 50 point each antique eye clean white movals. It came and I was surprisingly happy with the rest of the watch. It is missing some of the onyx and the watch doesn’t work. What do you think. I think I could just take off the floral onyx bits and keep the center diamond watch part but I’ll have to have someone look to be sure.
Ruin the beautiful antique metal work just for perfectly matched high color moval sides?
4CBCAEBD-F29E-4466-81E5-A3DDBCAA1AD1.jpeg 01D5DD51-5988-4219-9193-98E3DB6007B7.jpeg
 
You know what I'll say...

Tear. It. Apart.
 
I’m a sucker for a gorgeous old watch so I’d say don’t do it! It’s so beautiful, is this an eBay find?
 
If the watch is broken and you don't want to repair it, I would see if a jeweler can convert it into a bracelet. Take out watch guts and replace the glass with an engraving or enameling. It's too pretty to completely tear apart.
 
Hard decision. I would be really excited to see what you do with the movals though. :love:
Is this is what you are talking about doing? Excuse the terrible job. I used paint. Because I think that would be cool. Then you can use the gorgeous floral design for whatever you want.
paint watch.jpg
 
cflutist said:
Wear it as a beautiful piece of jewelry and get the time from your phone.
Click to expand...

Ditto that! The watch is gorgeous. Only those who ask to see it up close will even notice that it is stopped... Chances are they will not care either.

If that bothers you though, maybe there is a good watchmaker near you who could make it run just fine?

Wink
 
What if you remove the movals and have sapphires or rubies cut to fit the spaces? Lab gems are fine for this purpose, inexpensive, and that way you can resell it or simply wear it as a gorgeous bracelet - who cares if the watch doesn't work, it's a gorgeous piece anyway and this way you get the best of both worlds.
 
Oh don’t get me wrong I wear her without it working. I am just saying it’s not like I’m tearing apart some wonderful watch that looses a minute a month

@ericad I’m inclined to think the work involved in not destroying the bezels would be to much $$$ for me to invest in this watch
 
prinsad said:
Hard decision. I would be really excited to see what you do with the movals though. :love:
Is this is what you are talking about doing? Excuse the terrible job. I used paint. Because I think that would be cool. Then you can use the gorgeous floral design for whatever you want.
paint watch.jpg
Click to expand...
4492F324-7799-4B10-99E8-05A45FE69DDB.jpeg
 
Wink said:
Ditto that! The watch is gorgeous. Only those who ask to see it up close will even notice that it is stopped... Chances are they will not care either.

If that bothers you though, maybe there is a good watchmaker near you who could make it run just fine?

Wink
Click to expand...
I probably wasn’t clear. I couldn’t care less of t runs or what people think when they look at it. I just added that as info Incase that was a determining factor in someone’s decision. If I take it apart I wouldn’t ideally take the watch face portion out anyways (see photoshop above)
 
Niel said:
4492F324-7799-4B10-99E8-05A45FE69DDB.jpeg
Click to expand...
I like that. You are so much better than i am at that too. :lol: I mean you got it for the movals. I think this is a good compromise. I know everyone will disagree with me though. I think it is still lovely with just the watch face. I would wear it.
 
I collect those type of watches. You could get the watch checked by an old fashioned watchmaker (not the type that change quartz watch batteries) as it might be a simple fix.
I have a similiar problem, a diamond watch I inherited isn’t working (or fixable). I can’t afford it (or justify) right now so it’s a pending project.
What I intend to do is remove the watch movement, glass and back and have a white gold plaque made to set into the empty centre space which I will have set with diamonds / maybe a large coloured Stone centre And ta da, a diamond bracelet.
 
those movals are STUNNING and i like the photoshop of the watch, it's much more wearable! tear it apart!
 
farrahlyn said:
those movals are STUNNING and i like the photoshop of the watch, it's much more wearable! tear it apart!
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I’m laughing at you guys calling it unwearable now. You must not know how fancy I am :lol:
 
I really like the movals but dang it’s just so pretty as is.

I must be fancy too because I look at the mock up without the moval pieces and think it looks so basic :lol:
 
I love the watch as it is, and think it would be heartbreaking to alter it. But I love antique watches. Clocks too.

I have found a clock and watch repair person in my city who for a very reasonable fee will fix even the most unfixable things (he makes parts himself to repair those that are broken and irreplaceable). I think it cost me a total of $100 to have my last clock done, and nothing (literally nothing) of the inside pieces worked. Probably less than it would cost to dismantle the piece (and ruin it in the process, IMO). But I am sentimental about things that have survived intact for ages, so take my opinion with that in mind.
 
The platinum, 18k, and diamond antique watch I found was so beautiful but the innards didn't work. We had a local watchmaker that put modern quartz guts in it and found replacement hands. I loved it til I sent it to Erica at LAD to pass along to someone else. It was about $150 to fix IIRC.

It is beautiful and I would keep it as a watch.
 
Ohh those movals are dreamy! The watch is super pretty as is. I honestly don't know what I'd do. Well matched ovals are impossible to find (unless custom cut), but I always get a little nostalgic at the thought of taking gorgeous antique pieces apart. I know, I'm absolutely no help at all!
 
Wow! Those movals are pretty crazy. That is a hard call. I guess it would depend on what you are going to do with them. Will both stones go on one piece and will you use the others. It would be a shame to tear it apart and only use one stone, or make one pendant out of the piece. It is a beautiful piece as is.
 
HI:

Lovely piece. I wonder if those diamond shoulders were added or original to the watch (Rhetorical question ).

cheers--Sharon
 
yennyfire said:
Ohh those movals are dreamy! The watch is super pretty as is. I honestly don't know what I'd do. Well matched ovals are impossible to find (unless custom cut), but I always get a little nostalgic at the thought of taking gorgeous antique pieces apart. I know, I'm absolutely no help at all!
Click to expand...
This is me too, so you’re being helpful to me lol
 
canuk-gal said:
HI:

Lovely piece. I wonder if those diamond shoulders were added or original to the watch (Rhetorical question ).

cheers--Sharon
Click to expand...

Looking at the way they are connected, I don’t believe t was added after the fact but no way to be sure
 
Beautiful watch. Please preserve it.
 
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