Baron - Mr Red
14613
Why pedigree matters....
....I have discussed this issue before on the JLC forum, but its a general theme too. The JLC in the picture was bought by my father in the early1960s. It was missing a second hand when he bought it. The watch became mine in 1979. Last year, i let my 85yr old mother use the watch. I didn't pay close enough attention to how it was treated. She has been used to a modern watch....and so when she wore this vintage piece, she did so in the shower.....whilst doing the gardening..... shopping....sleeping......24hrs per day...every day. After about 6 months (LoL...how did it last so long), she told me that it was no longer working. I looked at the watch and saw that the plexi had lifted...there was dirt/grit/soil/etc etc on the dial. the winder would not even turn......the dial was stained brown and...err...blue. The watch was in a shocking condition.
I sent it to JLC and it came back looking like this....
Now, I am not saying it was cheap to have it restored, but I am saying that JLC could actually do the job very very well. And this is my point...what i truly love about JLC (and some other manufacturers) is that when one buys a watch from them, one knows not only that they can service the watch perfectly well (and given the ongoing complications that are coming with modern watches, that is reassuring), but importantly that they can continue to service and renovate a watch well into the future. Yes, I appreciate that there are some wonderful independents out there, but in 50 years time, will they be able to do what JLC just did for me?
Rather than put a negative spin on this, however, I just want to say isn't it fantastic that JLC can take a watch that was born in 1957 and looked like it had been made in 1057, and turn it into the above! Fantastic job....
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Why pedigree matters....
. ...I have discussed this issue before on the JLC forum, but its a general theme too. The JLC in the picture was bought by my father in the early1960s. It was missing a second hand when he bought it. The watch became mine in 1979. Last year, i let my 85y...
Just wonderful
So happy for you that you have this piece of your family histore back in such marvelous condition - and even with a seconds hand :) I guess you are lucky that this happened to a JLC watch. I don't think that all brands - even of similar standing as JLC ba...
I wished...
....that i had taken a photograph of what it looked like beforehand. However, to have done so would have been to tempt fate. I had no idea IF JLC would be able to make it right...so taking a "before" shot was being a little presumptuous maybe... I am just...
Love this post for several reasons
First, I am delighted that you got your watch back restored to a beautiful state. What a relief. Are you now keeping it away from your mother or have you returned it to her with strict wearing instructions? ;-) Second, it is really great to know that JLC ...
Respo...
she no longer uses the JLC....she is probably the only 85yr old grandmother that wears a Milgauss GV!!!
A wonderful watch Baron
and as you say pedigree does make a difference. To play devil's advocate, how does that make you feel about Rolex - who I believe won't service or release any information about their vintage watches?
Complex question...
.....Rolex produce far less complicated watches so getting them serviced is not such an issue. However, how do i feel about the way that they won't pay much lip service to the vintage part of their brand..... Very sad.
Would it be fair to say...
That the sealed lips of Rolex (not their unwillingness to restore) adds to the mythical status of their vintage pieces?
Uhm...
....i am not so sure. I think in many cases the original knowledge just isn't available.... lost...gone. So as a result, finding out detailed specifics about a watch's history becomes more detective work and consensus of expert opinion. I suspect Rolex on...
Now, THAT is the service I would like to expect from the watch brands...
... and thank you for showing us that at least JLC is willing and capable of doing it. Very, very nice story, indeed! Ken PS: now I understand why you said in WS forum "it is now" :-)
I thought you were talking about your own pedigree. :-)
On the one hand, your father demonstrated great taste in watches when he bought this beautiful watch. On the other hand, your grandmother made an unfortunate, but very understandable, mistake regarding the care and handling of a watch. You, or course, see...
….
my father's watch….and i lent it to my mother….not grandmother. Interesting to see your history too…. i think any history of a watch can be fascinating but when you have it with your own family, then a rich experience.
My great-Grandfather . . .
. . . was a watchmaker. His son, my Grandfather, must've parted with the equivalent of months of wages to acquire a Zenith pocket watch to commemorate the birth of his first son. Needless to say, I'm completely absorbed. Dad, on the other hand, couldn't g...
Maybe it's a virus.
We know genetics make us more or less susceptible to particular viruses. There are theories that significant illnesses, such as schizophrenia, may arise when a person with a certain genotype is infected with a virus at a specific stage of development. Thi...