Antique Tiffany watch-would you pay for this repair?

[nyquestioner]

I recently inherited this Tiffany custom watch from the 1930s (sister of the pocket watch I mentioned elsewhere).



As there was some damage to the platinum band (visible in the picture), I took it to Tiffany for repair and also to slightly shorten the bracelet. Here is the estimate they gave me:
Service Order Charge... : $1,785.00
Sales Tax.............. : 158.42
Estimate Total......... : $1,943.42

One platinum diamond ladies bracelet watch was submitted for
servicing. The oil has dried in the movement; therefore, it will
require a complete servicing, which is the dismantling of all
parts of the movement in order to clean, oil and calibrate them.
The bracelet will be repaired and two links will be removed. The
watch case and bracelet will then be polished. Upon completion of
the repair, the watch will be regulated to ensure proper working
order.
Please note that the scratched crystal, discolored dial and
discolored hands will remain in the condition they were received.


It just seems like kind of a lot. I was expecting it to be less than $1k. It is a beautiful watch though, and if I don't get it fixed I can't enjoy it. And I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with anyone but Tiffany performing the repair.

 

[valeria101]

Would you wear it ?

 

[nyquestioner]

That's the question, really, isn't it? I certainly would not be wearing it as an everyday watch. I think I would wear it as a special occasion watch, to weddings and fancy dinners and such.

 

[Bron357]

Hi, any reputable and experienced watchmaker (with manual wind watches) can service your watch. Any quality jeweller can do the band repairs. That said, full proper servicing of older manual watches is time consuming and expensive. I acquired a vintage Rolex and the service, similiar to what yours needs, was $650 Australian. I didn’t use Rolex, I found a specialist vintage watchmaker. Interestingly I also found out the the same guy would have been sent the Rolex by Rolex had I given it to them (he is Rolex accredited) and it would have cost me more! As a lover and collector it vintage manual wind watches I say “yes, repair it”. Then wear it regularly and it will last another lifetime or three. Enjoy, it’s a beautiful treasure.

 

[VRBeauty]

The watch is stunning, but not nearly as stunning as that estimate! I agree with Bron... look for a reputable, possibly a more local, watch repair business that can handle manual watches.

 

[nyquestioner]

Thank you for the insights. Does anyone have someone in NYC that they could recommend for this repair?

 

[Tophat1]

I would wear it without the timekeeping feature working