[Wednesday]

I forgot how much I like the sound of watch-ticking. I keep holding it up to my ear to hear it. lol

 

[Wednesday]

Alas my $2 was not well spent. It worked less than 24 hours on one wind. Ah well. I've spent more on a pack of gum, so I think I'll survive.

 

[Wednesday]

What do you mean by "one wind". That is a misleading choice of words. Does one wind mean a single rotation of the scown? Or does it mean one series of approximately18-20 turns of the crown. If you meant one single turn, then it would be a miracle if the watch ran for more than an hour or two.

Good question. I turned it probably 6-10 times. It was a little stiff so I was afraid to overwind it. I will try again though, as I was definitely nowhere near 18-20 turns.
Thanks!

Edit: okay, just wound it again. It is definitely VERY stiff. I could only turn it a full revolution 6 times before it just won't turn. I was careful to count a full revolution of the crown this time, rather than just the little quarter-to-half turns that I got from my finger and thumb winds of my previous effort. I imagine it needs a service since it probably never got one in its life. I don't know if people usually took care of their Timex watches since they were so inexpensive. Maybe if it got the same attention as the better loved brands got, my little watch might get back to its old self. I know it's usually more expensive than the watch is worth monetarily, but I particularly like this one. I have several other tiny vintage women's watches in various stages of disrepair. I think I'll take them to someone to see what can be done with them, if anything. They're doing no good in my junk-jewelry drawer.

 

[Wednesday]

It sounds like your movement needs a disasseblye and a sonic bath, The winding train is probably gunked up with decades of dried lublicant. After you get it back, you should notice a vast improvement in both winding and improved running time.

Just had one jeweler tell me it would be around $250 - $300 for a cleaning of my old watches and higher for repairs. As I have 4 in currently working order that should presumably not need repairs, that would be at least $1K just for cleaning! Obviously the Timex is not considered "worth it" but I really do love the way it looks and am considering doing it anyway. The others I have are traditional wind-ups and more accepted brands but as these little tiny vintage ladies' watches have very little value at this point anyway, it would really be for my own benefit anyway. I have to weigh if the cost to clean these is worth taking that chunk out of my new-watch budget. More to consider.

 

[Wednesday]

Although there is probably a line of people a mile long ready to tell you what they'd do in your situation, they won't be paying for the repairs...only you will. This is a decision you have to make. It's a position many of the rest of us are all too familiar with, Whichever way you decide to turn, good luck!

Judging from how many of these little watches are cluttering up thrift stores and not selling even at a few dollars each, I'm guessing most would advise not to spend the cash. For now, I'll keep them out and see if I wear them. If I find I wear something frequently, then I will have it serviced. If not, back in the junk-jewelry drawer to be a different day's problem.