Help with ladies watch

[Simon Finglas]

Hi all, looking for some info on my girlfriends inherited watch circa 1960-65. The watch was valued at around €1000 by a jeweler who fitted a new calfskin strap a few months ago. She was a bit dubious of this so I thought no better place to check than here! No reply as of yet from Accurist as to the origins but I've included pictures for anyone thoughts or comments?? Shown next to a ladies Seamaster 300m 36mm for scale.



Thanks in advance

Simon

[Simon Finglas]

Also watch is hand wound.

[GinGinD]

I'd be dubious too. I think that's too high.

I have copied and pasted part of our valuation stickie from the WUS Vintage and Pocket Watches forum (credit to Ray MacDonald).

Rule #1: 3 things influence the value of a vintage watch: condition, condition and condition. It’s very difficult to assess condition from a photo, hence any online value estimate is a crapshoot.

Rule #2: If you have a solid gold case, add $500 US to the price assessment. If it's encrusted in diamonds and is platinum, it doesn't much matter about the watch part anyway – the scrap value will be higher unless it’s say a Rolex, Patek or Vacheron.

Rule #3: The watch is worth what a buyer will pay for it. There are price lists published, but they assume the watch has been serviced and is in running condition. Any buyer will have to deduct at least $100 US from the price list value if the watch has not been recently serviced. A watch seller will not give you more than 50% of the posted price in any case. Often eBay is the best way to get an idea of what your watch is worth.

Rule #4: Your antique watch is worth far less than you think. They are not rare, even if they are old. For instance Elgin made over 50 MILLION movements. They were built to last and be repaired so a lot of them are still around in various conditions of course. The average price for an 80 year old pocket watch is around $150 US. Of course how do you put a price on something your grandfather gave you when you were 7?

Rule #5. When it comes to wristwatches, men’s are worth more than ladies’ models. Women are not as interested in old mechanical things, and the ladies’ watches are often really tiny - that’s out of fashion today. Besides, the men’s watches of the 30s and 40s are quite small and can serve as unisex pieces. So ladies, go ahead and wear Dad’s old Bulova if you want.

Checking closed auctions on eBay for similar watches will likely give you your best idea of value.

It's a lovely little watch and any sentimental value is probably greater than the monetary.

It won't be water resistant so she needs to be careful when washing her hands and so forth. I won't even wear my vintage cocktail watch if it's raining.

Jeannie

[Simon Finglas]

I'd be dubious too. I think that's too high.

I have copied and pasted part of our valuation stickie from the WUS Vintage and Pocket Watches forum (credit to Ray MacDonald).

Rule #1: 3 things influence the value of a vintage watch: condition, condition and condition. It’s very difficult to assess condition from a photo, hence any online value estimate is a crapshoot.

Rule #2: If you have a solid gold case, add $500 US to the price assessment. If it's encrusted in diamonds and is platinum, it doesn't much matter about the watch part anyway – the scrap value will be higher unless it’s say a Rolex, Patek or Vacheron.

Rule #3: The watch is worth what a buyer will pay for it. There are price lists published, but they assume the watch has been serviced and is in running condition. Any buyer will have to deduct at least $100 US from the price list value if the watch has not been recently serviced. A watch seller will not give you more than 50% of the posted price in any case. Often eBay is the best way to get an idea of what your watch is worth.

Rule #4: Your antique watch is worth far less than you think. They are not rare, even if they are old. For instance Elgin made over 50 MILLION movements. They were built to last and be repaired so a lot of them are still around in various conditions of course. The average price for an 80 year old pocket watch is around $150 US. Of course how do you put a price on something your grandfather gave you when you were 7?

Rule #5. When it comes to wristwatches, men’s are worth more than ladies’ models. Women are not as interested in old mechanical things, and the ladies’ watches are often really tiny - that’s out of fashion today. Besides, the men’s watches of the 30s and 40s are quite small and can serve as unisex pieces. So ladies, go ahead and wear Dad’s old Bulova if you want.

Checking closed auctions on eBay for similar watches will likely give you your best idea of value.

It's a lovely little watch and any sentimental value is probably greater than the monetary.

It won't be water resistant so she needs to be careful when washing her hands and so forth. I won't even wear my vintage cocktail watch if it's raining.

Jeannie

Thanks for the prompt reply Jeannie,
I had my doubts it would fetch that much. To be honest I was hoping someone would be able to shed some light about the watch? Movement, did accurist do a lot of watches, here in Ireland most accurist watches would be of a cheap variety. Between, $80-100 and of poor quality. I doubt she would part with the watch as it has some sentimental value. It doesn't get much wear but I'm sure a service will see it right.

Thanks again.

[GinGinD]

I'm not familiar with Accurist, Simon. You might want to post the watch over in Vintage and PW, but leave out the value question as they will not answer it per that subforum's policy, and it will distract from your main query which I understand to be, "What can you tell me about this Accurist vintage ladies watch?"

Jeannie

[coastcat]

I cannot speak for Accurist as I've never heard of the brand before, but... I collect vintage Hamilton watches and have a few ladies watches from the same era.

1. Solid gold watches and gold/diamond watches ladies watches from this era are most valuable as scrap. Sad but true. There are exceptions, of course, for the big names and rare models - a ladies Rolex or LeCoutre from this era has definite $$$ value as an intact watch.

2. Gold-fill ladies' watches from this era are worth more as intact watches, but they're not worth a lot. You'll see high Buy It Now and minimum bid figures on eBay for even the 10k gold fill watches with non-distinctive designs; what you won't see are many of those watches actually selling. The most I've paid on eBay for a working ladies' Hamilton from the 1958-1965 era is $7.

The 21-jewel movement indicates this was a higher-end watch. That doesn't mean it's a solid gold watch; Hamilton used its top 22-jewel ladies-size movements in both the pricey gold/diamond models and the more affordable line of 10k gold fill models. If the Accurist is considered a highly desirable collectible brand there (quick Google search tells me it was a British brand founded after WWII which used Swiss-made movements), that would increase the value estimate. The €1000 figure might be more appropriate for a ladies Rolex (solid gold, no diamonds) of this era, though.

It's a pretty watch, love the case detail around the dial edge!

[Simon Finglas]

Thank you very much ladies, I knew if it wasn't answered her it never would be! I'll try the vintage forum for more info. She doesn't want to sell the watch as it has far to much sentimental value but was just curious. If it was worth money I'm sure the jeweler could have made an offer. Is it common for watches like this to be serviced/repaired? The crystal has become quite badly marked over time and needs replacing. Is it something that is worth doing or would it be more hassle than its worth?

[GinGinD]

Do you know what the crystal is made of? If it's acrylic, Polywatch will do wonders. If it can't be polished, you might have to search a bit to find a replacement. How much time and effort you're willing to put into that is up to you.

Jeannie