Expert: Melvin Mills - 1/10/2009

Question
Hi Melvin,
I sincerely appreciate you offering your wisdom regarding American pocket watches.
I have a Waltham pocket watch I inherited from my grandfather when he passed away. I showed a friend of mine who has a collection of 20 pocket watches and he suggested it was over wound. I am wondering what the best way to get it unwound so it works again. I would love to use it and put it in my own pocket once in awhile. My grandfather was a veteran of WWII and a very dear man. It is an honour to have his own personal watch, especially because we were close ever since I was a child until he passed away in Feb. of 1997. My friend also suggested that I put a little bit of clockwise pressure on the stem and gently shake it in order to get the movements working. This works and if I continue to hold pressure on the stem, the second and minute hand work. How can I get it working without having to hold continuous pressure on the stem?
Best regards,
Luke Roberts

Answer
Luke, congratulations. This is one of the reasons why watches are considered so valuable: the sentimental value. It connects us with our ancestors. In your case, you have a lot to be proud of.

Get your watch serviced. Over wound is a misnomer. The mainspring needs to be changed. But just changing the mainspring will not do the trick. You need to have the watch cleaned and oiled so no new damage will occur to the gears. This is such a precious family heirloom, I would strongly suggest you not cut corners on this issue.

Find a local watchmaker who can take care of your watch. It will probably cost you somewhere between $100 and $150.  Don't be upset if it's not keeping perfect time. Remember that this is an old watch and even when it was originally made, it wouldn't be as accurate as a watch is today necessarily. It certainly won't be as accurate as a quartz watch.

I would also suggest that you write down a family history of this watch. Right down all the information you know about all the owners. Maybe that is just you and your grandfather. Maybe it was a father and uncle in between. At any rate, right down the owners name, date of birth, date of death, occupation, where they lived. When you pass this on to the next generation, it will increase the sentimental value. If you can add a picture, even better.

Kind regards,

Melvin