Random thread but following a delivery this morning I was inspired to post up and find out who's found the same?
The first watch I owned was a Seiko Arctura Kinetic 5M42-0E39. I guess it's fair to say it "got me into watches". Originally purchased pre-owned in about 2002, I wore it for a few years and when it started to not hold enough charge to last overnight so it went into a drawer. I unearthed it a few years ago and still not knowing nothing much about watches at that point took it into a local jewellers for a service - £120 lighter, and a few months after dropping it off (won't be going back!) and with the watch wearing even more scars than when I took it in, I wore it for a while and enjoyed having it back on my wrist. After a few months, one day I dropped it onto a tiled floor and the second hand detatched itself. Took it to a different local jewellers who sent it off to Seiko (I now know I could have gone directly myself!) - £75 to fix. Then as my interest in watches developed I found a guy on eBay who refurbished the faceplate on them - a new crystal and the metal rebrushed. That was another £35 and worth every penny as it made it look like new. And today I've just had a package from the same guy with a new capacitor kit as the existing capacitor has already died - another £25.
So the watch originally cost me £105 when I bought it and in the last few years I've seemingly sunk around another £250 into it - and I doubt I'd even get £100 for it if I was to part with it. But I really love the watch - think it's a great design, and as it's my first watch I'm quite keen to keep it. And why keep it if you're not going to look after it?
So does anyone else have a watch worth relatively little, that it's cost them a lot of money to keep on top of? :) Or am I just stupid? ;) The offending item is pictured below..
I had a Seiko SQ which I picked up from ebay as a non-runner for £5. Since purchase I spent further on finding the right bracelet for it- lots of experimentation there- batteries and getting it cleaned properly. So over 4 years or so, only £100 more I would guess, £150 tops.
And then I sold it for £50. Small beer perhaps but when you think in % terms....
I was never much good at investment.
Hard to say. I actually think that the watch with the biggest gap between resale value and price paid is my Zenith El Primero A386. Since these watches don't come up for sale frequently, when I saw an outstanding specimen on steel I immediately jumped on it and made a very generous offer in order to secure it. The watch is by no means worthless, quite the opposite... but it's still probably the watch in my collection with the biggest disparity between actual worth/value and price paid/cost to me.
my 26 year old Seiko 5.
Cost me nothing to buy (birthday present) but the price then was £28.50
Since then it's had a new crystal, crown, service, bracelet clasp, case clean. over the years I think I've spent at least 10 times its original price.
Oh, that reminds me, it needs the crown sorting again, and regulating as time keeping is really poor.
But my dad bought it me for my 16th. my first proper man's watch (auto), so it's a keeper
I don't think is an uncommon situation... for example, I have a Sekonda alarm watch that cost me buttons new, but which I have had serviced / repaired twice at a cost of maybe 4 times the purchase price each time. I could just throw it away, but... it is my watch and it has given good service over the years and it seems a shame to do so. It will probably always seem a shame ;)Originally Posted by chicaneuk
I bought a vintage tissot very cheaply, but spent three times the purchase price on a proper service as it was running at double speed.
Both my Dad's watches were left to me so cost me nothing but have had them overhauled at a few hundred. Worth every penny though.
£4 none runner from Ebay, which is running like a train now.
Total cost is £30 for spare parts (including 2x new straps which were too short)
It will be good as new when the 16mm Nato arrives.
Ingersol 7-Jewel Cal302.
You have prompted me to post a wtb for an arctura now, i hope you are happy with yourself :)Random thread but following a delivery this morning I was inspired to post up and find out who's found the same?
The first watch I owned was a Seiko Arctura Kinetic 5M42-0E39. I guess it's fair to say it "got me into watches". Originally purchased pre-owned in about 2002, I wore it for a few years and when it started to not hold enough charge to last overnight so it went into a drawer. I unearthed it a few years ago and still not knowing nothing much about watches at that point took it into a local jewellers for a service - £120 lighter, and a few months after dropping it off (won't be going back!) and with the watch wearing even more scars than when I took it in, I wore it for a while and enjoyed having it back on my wrist. After a few months, one day I dropped it onto a tiled floor and the second hand detatched itself. Took it to a different local jewellers who sent it off to Seiko (I now know I could have gone directly myself!) - £75 to fix. Then as my interest in watches developed I found a guy on eBay who refurbished the faceplate on them - a new crystal and the metal rebrushed. That was another £35 and worth every penny as it made it look like new. And today I've just had a package from the same guy with a new capacitor kit as the existing capacitor has already died - another £25.
So the watch originally cost me £105 when I bought it and in the last few years I've seemingly sunk around another £250 into it - and I doubt I'd even get £100 for it if I was to part with it. But I really love the watch - think it's a great design, and as it's my first watch I'm quite keen to keep it. And why keep it if you're not going to look after it?
So does anyone else have a watch worth relatively little, that it's cost them a lot of money to keep on top of? :) Or am I just stupid? ;) The offending item is pictured below..
I bought a grey faced mid size Tag 4000 back around 1991 as my first "expensive" watch. I sold it in 2003/4 but sort of regretted it so I picked one up off eBay for £110, spent £60 on a bracelet (off eBay), £30 for the pins and tubes to fit the bracelet to the watch and another £100 having if serviced at Genesis. All in all, it stands me at £300 but it's probably worth £200ish as there's no box or papers. Still one of my favourite watches though.
I don't have any horror stories about spending on a particular watch as opposed to too many watches, but I think that's a crackingly striking, good-looking, unusual watch. Hang on to it.
Eterna Four-Hands. Picked it up in used and not well-loved condition, but running fine. Had the case valeted to get the worst of the damage seen to. Later it got magnetised, so had it degaussed - but it never returned to its previous accuracy, so I bit the bullet and had it serviced. At the same time, I had the crystal replaced as the AR was scratched (it's no Breitling in that regard). now I've put as much into the watch as it cost to buy in the first place. On the plus side, it's mint and running perfectly.
...but what do I know; I don't even like watches!
I bought my Air-King in 1979 for £200 (the AD was ending the association with Rolex so there was quite a discount) - since then I have had it serviced 4 times (I think - I wore it daily for about 24 years and tend to get my watches serviced every 4-5 years) so I estimate it has cost me about £6-700 in servicing costs (Rolex services were a lot cheaper in the 80s and 90s!).
Though if I sold it now I might just be a little ahead?
ATB
Jon
I bought this 80s Citizen ana-digi for buttons, then decided it would look better with a new crystal and a proper tejus lizard strap. Oh well.
Similar experience, I bought a 4000 on leather for £749 in 1990, I then put a bracelet on it for £110.
Service and new crown £250
Recent replacement bracelet £250! (Insurance payment).
Loads of battery replacements.
Now worth less than £200 but would never sell.
Thanks! It's on my wrist for the first time today after spending a good 30 minutes last night fitting the replacement capacitor with no major incidents :) Back to ticking properly again - hurrah!
This one, by far, if time, effort and tools are included as costs. It took a number of major efforts to get it all sorted out. For example, the movement has an unusual offset drive for the hands, which was tricky to get right. The dial was a lot of effort, and required quite a few major tool purchases, resulting in the purchase of a pad printer.
Best wishes,
Bob
Last edited by rfrazier; 11th April 2013 at 09:29.
Wow, I have one of these, found it the other day and gave it a quick clean up, it still works. I'm not sure I'll wear it but it's nice to have.I don't think is an uncommon situation... for example, I have a Sekonda alarm watch that cost me buttons new, but which I have had serviced / repaired twice at a cost of maybe 4 times the purchase price each time. I could just throw it away, but... it is my watch and it has given good service over the years and it seems a shame to do so. It will probably always seem a shame ;)
The watch I have that's worth the least but has cost me the most is my UFO, which I had serviced and restored. I almost bought another one yesterday I like them so much!
"A man of little significance"
My brother has one of those Acturas, great looking watch.
I paid more to service this than I did buying it.
To try and improve the value for money ratio I wear it at least once a week.
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