My three antique watchs

[stracci2000]

Somehow I ended up with three antique watches. It was an accident, I swear!
Dad gave me this one, gold filled, missing it's crystal. It doesn't work.

Then I found this one at Goodwill. Sterling guilloche enamel.

And here's one I got two days ago. I found it on eBay. It needed some TLC, and I replaced 7 of the seed pearls that were broken or missing. Some of the enamel is damaged. It was dirty with 100 years of grime. I also replaced the missing loop on top. It has the Swiss mark for sterling inside and on the stem.
So here it is , cleaned up and looking whole again.

 

[Bron357]

Love them all. You can easily buy a new watch crystal on eBay btw. Just measure the diameter, all pretty standard sizes and a bit of super glue - ta da!
Particularly love the enamel and seed pearl one. Wear it as a pendant. Just be careful of chain length. You want less than 20 inches lest you accidentally bang it against tables when you sit down (been there, done that).
And if you can wind it, try gently, and gentle shake to see if you can get it ticking even a bit, a clean will get it working properly again. It’s harder to find proper watchmakers (mostly ancient now) but they can get them going.

 

[Bron357]

And if you want a “home fix” for the missing enamel, look around for a nail polish that matches the colour.
Just a little dab or two. And get a jump loop for the top so the watch sits flat when on the chain.

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Holy amazing EBay find Batman! Did you take a before picture of the watch? It looks amazing. I absolutely adore that Goodwill watch

 

[stracci2000]

Holy amazing EBay find Batman! Did you take a before picture of the watch? It looks amazing. I absolutely adore that Goodwill watch

Yeah, here is the before. I painstakingly went around each pearl with tiny sharp tools to clean out all the black grime.
I had the loupe up to my eye for like 2 hours, and I couldn't see straight for the rest of the evening.

 

[stracci2000]

And if you want a “home fix” for the missing enamel, look around for a nail polish that matches the colour.
Just a little dab or two. And get a jump loop for the top so the watch sits flat when on the chain.

Thanks for all the info, Bron!
I do intend to wear them all as pendants. I will take your advice about chain length.
I used a little dark blue nail polish to touch up the missing enamel, but it was not the exact shade. I applied it with the tip of a needle. I will go out and look for something more accurate, and re-do it.

The original pearls were cut in half. I was lucky that when I went to my local gem and mineral shop, that they had button shaped seed pearls. I still had to file the pearls a little flatter, so they would fit better. They are only 1.5mm, so super tiny!
Also, both the enamel watches run, but they lose time significantly. I am just happy to put them up to my ear and hear the lovely ticking!

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Wow, amazing job, you could definitely have a side gig doing jewelry restoration.

 

[Bron357]

This one. OPI blue my mind.

 

[kgizo]

Love them all! I’m so impressed with the restoration you did. It turned out amazing!

 

[OoohShiny]

The enamel on that blue one is beautiful and has survived remarkably well!

 

[junebug17]

They are all so beautiful @stracci2000! You did a fabulous job refurbishing too!

 

[stracci2000]

I bought another metallic blue nail polish that was a better match.
Thanks for the tip, @Bron357 ) I re-did the enamel touch up, and it looks much better. There's not much else I can do to this thing, this as good as it's gonna get!
I really enjoy finding a sad, broken piece of jewelry and making it look good again. Thanks for everyone's nice comments!

 

[Bron357]

I adore these older watches and am especially happy when lovely people “rescue” them and give them a new “loved” life.
The high level of workmanship is nigh impossible to find these days.
Enjoy

 

[caf]

Great restoration. How do you clean enamel?

 

[stracci2000]

Great restoration. How do you clean enamel?

If it is a gold or silver piece with enameling, I would usually just gently scrub with soapy water and a soft toothbrush.
Being that this was a watch with pearls, I had to get creative.
I removed the back cover from the movement so that I could work on it. I scraped the grime out from around the pearls with an X-acto knife and a sewing needle. Then I wiped the outside of the case with a Q-tips and soapy water.

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

I bought another metallic blue nail polish that was a better match.
Thanks for the tip, @Bron357 ) I re-did the enamel touch up, and it looks much better. There's not much else I can do to this thing, this as good as it's gonna get!
I really enjoy finding a sad, broken piece of jewelry and making it look good again. Thanks for everyone's nice comments!

i am so impresses
and all 3 watches are beautiful