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The Joy of a Vintage Watch Part II

5K views 39 replies 18 participants last post by  ari.seoul 
#1 · (Edited)


There's no doubt about it: I'm a history fanatic. Anything remotely related to WWII gets my blood pumping, and the very idea of a timepiece seeing combat excites me. Assuming they've been maintained, vintage watches-even with military pedigree-can survive decades without a hiccup, never putting up a fuss about daily use. I didn't think this Moeris would be any different.

Earlier this year, a friend who works as the "watch guy" at a jewelry store pulled this little trinket out, excitedly telling me its life story. Normally, I roll my eyes at such nonsense because it's usually nothing more than fabricated BS, but the watch was gorgeous and, above all, for sale. Sadly, I didn't have any money, and a woman who liked it because it was "cute" had supposedly already claimed it. I shrugged my shoulders, walked away, and put the Moeris in the back of my mind.

But, as always, good things come to those who wait. At the beginning of the summer, I was making my usual rounds and happened to remember the decrepit Moeris. As I recalled, it never worked properly--it would rapidly gain minute after minute, and the watch looked like it had been through living hell. Dirt was caked on the case, the dial was deteriorating, and the crystal needed replacing, I thought. My friend told me he'd be right back. A few minutes later, he emerged with the watch and said I could have it. I was floored. It wasn't worth fixing in his eyes. It barely ran, but I didn't care.

I began to consider the Moeris' story. An older, German gentleman had brought the watch in, along with an Egona-branded 18k chronograph from the forties, to trade for a ring for his wife. Gushing about the past, he reminisced that he found the watch during the war when it came careening across the ground, where he picked it up and placed it in his pocket.

Something didn't add up, however. Compared with "proper" Moeris military watches, my example was lacking radium lume, and the face was completely different, and not one easily found in online searches. My watchmaker surmised it was a redial (and that the hands had been painted white--look at the indentions where lume originally sat), which I agreed with.



Fascinated, I researched Moeris as a watchmaker. Surfacing in the late 1800s and early 1900s, I didn't think much of the company's history, but man, was I wrong. During WWII, Moeris supplied watches to Britain and Germany, building each piece to each country's desired specifications. Later, Tissot absorbed Moeris, creating the "Moeris Department" for crafting higher-end offerings (I wonder if Tissot can provide any information?). It doesn't look like Tissot has done much with Moeris, unfortunately.

Rare for the forties was that my watch had shock protection. Very few timepieces employed this sort of technology during the decade, and only in the fifties did shock protection become commonplace. But I unearthed a valuable tidbit of information: according to various sources, the German military explicitly asked that their watches be equipped with shock protection, unlike others, which lacked the function.

Even more convincing was that my Moeris had "shock protection" written in German on the movement when I looked at the service document. "Bruchsicher," as they called it, was a good indicator that this watch was indeed a forties piece, as opposed to the fifties when shock protection became widespread.

And, boy, did the service document tell all. The movement was disgustingly filthy, with bits of dirt, dust, and what seemed like paper flakes, floating around the gears. Water likely entered the case, too, because a fair amount of rust surrounded the stem hole; never did my watchmaker complain about the mess, and he never told me of it, either. He just got to work and brought the Moeris back to life.

The in-house 10 ½ movement was clearly a hearty beast-it still wanted to run even when resistance was futile. After getting the Moeris back, it's not the best timekeeper, gaining between 12 and 15 seconds per day, but I think you'll agree: this isn't the kind of watch one owns for accuracy. For me, it's the look, history, and story, true or not.



I'm currently tussling back and forth with getting the dial and hands restored to their former glory. Replacement lume will be appropriately "aged," of course, and without the radium part of the equation, thankfully. The edge of the dial has started to peel near the 3 o'clock position, so there's a white paint flake sitting between the four and five o'clock position. I'm not happy about that, but what can I do? It's 70 years old!

Thoughts are certainly welcome. Should I restore the dial and hands? Part of me blurts a resounding "NO!" because the current look is part of the watch's history. I know I'll never buy a correct Moeris, too, because I have no desire to deal with radium past my grandfather's Hamilton and my Orator.

It's safe to say this Moeris-WWII watch or not-is my favorite piece at the moment. It's totally destroyed the honeymoon stage with my Tudor Black Bay, funnily enough. And, yes, everything on the watch is as I received it. Other than a new mainspring, it required no new parts, and the crystal and case were left unpolished. I'll never polish a watch. Ever.

Apologies for any typos and/or poor writing. I'm strapped for time today and really wanted to share. Thanks for reading. :)





The dial/hands probably looked something like this originally:

 
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#4 ·
Wow, that was a fun read/ride! Appreciate the time to bring this story to the rest of us. While I typically side with wabi and leaving vintage watches be, my brain screams "Restore This Beauty!" I would say this one has been wronged and needs to be righted. My 2 cents...

Best of luck with your decision and look forward to other comments.
 
#7 ·
lovely read IOL -and lovely watch -short of removing the flake certainly if it is 'mobile' i would be inclined to leave the watch as is -spending probably not inconsiderable money that will not increase its value in fact will devalue it in many instances to the purist is a subjective matter -i think it looks great 'warts an all' i'm inclined to say 'if its not broken why fix it' - i would myself look for a WW2 vintage leather for it to complete its charm -
 
#9 · (Edited)
Thanks for the comments, guys.

At the moment, I'm leaning toward leaving the watch as is because it's the look I fell in love with in the first place. I also think it would look weird with a "fresh" dial sitting inside a well-loved case.

But I have to agree, Camguy. The fact that he traded the Moeris, which obviously held memories for him, is pretty damn admirable--and shows how much he loves his wife. And, shameless, if you wouldn't mind directing me toward the vintage leather, it would be much appreciated.
 
#14 · (Edited)
I'm sorry if it seems that I'm going against the trend here, but I'm not.

I would talk to my watchmaker to discuss possible actions to prevent further degradation of the dial. It's great to have a piece untouched for a long period of time but it's even more important to preserve it's cultural and historical meaning.

Imagine a museum where every single piece would be considered untouchable; sooner or later it wouldn't be more than an empty house.

What I am trying to say is: sometimes, a careful intervention is crucial, because History is much more than a simple group of a particular tale. And no, I'm not trolling! :-d
 
#17 ·
I'm sorry if it seems that I'm going against the trend here, but I'm not.

I would talk to my watchmaker to discuss possible actions to prevent further degradation of the dial. It's great to have a piece untouched for a long period of time but it's even more important to preserve it's cultural and historical meaning.

Imagine a museum where every single piece would be considered untouchable; sooner or later it wouldn't be more than an empty house.

What I am trying to say is: sometimes, a careful intervention is crucial, because History is much more than a simple group of a particular tale. And no, I'm not trolling! :-d
C, I totally agree. But I'm not sure what can be done to prevent further deteriorating, aside from me keeping it locked up in the watch box, which isn't going to happen.

My watchmaker frequents WUS, so maybe he'll be around to see the post. If not, I'll send it his way, but I've already talked to him about the peeling issue.

Good post, thank you - this is why I come to this site... watches with history and provenance are the best.

Personally, I would not restore the dial because: a) it currently looks fantastic, b) any dial modifications/changes in the past have now become part of its own history or identity and c) In my personal opinion, vintage watches should never really look new-old-stock, if you get my meaning.

Really awesome watch.
Noam, I couldn't agree more. A vintage watch should never look new.

It's just that this watch has been redialed in the past, though obviously long ago. That's the only reason it crossed my mind.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Good post, thank you - this is why I come to this site... watches with history and provenance are the best.

Personally, I would not restore the dial because: a) it currently looks fantastic, b) any dial modifications/changes in the past have now become part of its own history or identity and c) In my personal opinion, vintage watches should never really look new-old-stock, if you get my meaning.

Really awesome watch.

*edit* your "Location" does not have anything to do with 'Wasted Years' or 'Infinite Dreams' or 'Stranger in a Strange Land' does it? Excuse me if I'm being incomprehensible.
 
#19 · (Edited)
hi buddy , you might find this to be of interest http://vintagewatchstraps.com/ David is extremely helpful -[ one of my own WW2 watches is on his customer page] otherwise searching for that perfect period strap is quite enjoyable -i often check the bay for some old 40's leather on a non working piece for no money - good leather no matter how dried up will be brought back to life with a little tlc - look forward to the results my friend Analog watch Watch Watch accessory Strap Fashion accessory
 
#20 ·
hi buddy , you might find this to be of interest Vintage Watch Straps - Straps and Bands for Vintage Wristwatches David is extremely helpful -[ one of my own WW2 watches is on his customer page] otherwise searching for that perfect period strap is quite enjoyable -i often check the bay for some old 40's leather on a non working piece for no money - good leather no matter how dried up will be brought back to life with a little tlc - look forward to the results my friend
Well, IoL and Peter, if you don't mind, I'll take this suggestion into consideration (for myself). Hope that's ok with you. Thanks.
 
#23 · (Edited)
I like to update these posts like a blog, so here come a few quick pics. And they serve as a good bump. ;-)

I did some digging on my phone and found the watch how the woman planned to buy it. It's not pretty. :-x



As I have the Moeris now, it goes well with just about everything, even a dress shirt. Versatile is the word for it. :)

 
#24 ·
Great thread! I agree with those who say to leave it untouched. It has a history, and any changes made are part of that. Too bad you don't know when it was done. That would be interesting to know.

Love vintage watches, especially those with military/combat experience! My dad has an Accutron he bought while a helicopter pilot in Vietnam. We had it serviced last year & it's living in a display case with his wings & medals.
 
#25 ·
It does make a lovely understated dress watch there in your photo IoL-of course it isn't but its easy to see why perhaps because of its size the lady mistook it for a 'lady' watch especially if it was presented on 'that sky blue strap' - you didn't give the dimensions but im guessing 33mm ? does it have fixed spring bars by the way - so nice you had the presence of mind to capture the original condition -by the way the more pix you show the more convinced i am for it to be left as it is -regards peter
 
#26 ·
I wouldn't mind seeing your dad's Accutron, Genebe. Awesome piece of history you have there.



As with all vintage watches, it's fairly small. I'll have to measure it when I get home later and get back to you. The spring bars are also not fixed, so it makes picking straps a bit easier. I'm not sure if all Moeris watches were like this.

I almost want to see if I can get in touch with the guy who traded it in to learn more of its history. But I'm not sure if that would be creepy or not. It's just such a fascinating little watch.
 
#27 ·
They did indeed come with fixed lugs also as you see - think yours maybe of the atp [army trade pattern/timepiece ] size usually 33mm - not an issued watch without markings but possibly a private buy - the WWW issued [waterproof wrist watch] versions issued mid 40's or so were of a better quality movement and were larger in size -maybe 39/40 mm Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Jewellery
Watch Analog watch Watch accessory Fashion accessory Jewellery
 
#29 · (Edited)
They did indeed come with fixed lugs also as you see - think yours maybe of the atp [army trade pattern/timepiece ] size usually 33mm - not an issued watch without markings but possibly a private buy - the WWW issued [waterproof wrist watch] versions issued mid 40's or so were of a better quality movement and were larger in size -maybe 39/40 mm View attachment 1248351 View attachment 1248352
I grabbed a pic of the movement for you. This is when it was very filthy (looks worse the more you zoom in), but it appears to be the same 15-jewel 10 1/2 that you pictured. Later in the fifties, I know the 10 1/2 had 17 jewels, but that isn't really applicable here. Just a random tidbit.



My watch is ~44mm tall and ~33-34mm wide. I just measured.

Edit: I see the one you posted doesn't appear to have shock protection. Interesting!

I'm blaming IoL for my next vintage purchase. Amazing read and find. Looking forward to seeing the watch with its future strap.
Take your time, and find the right one. Look forward to seeing it!
 
#32 ·
Glad you enjoyed it! Moeris is a very unique brand, but, unfortunately, not much information is available.

I've decided 100% to leave the watch as is. The only thing I need to do now is remove the paint flake, and try to make sure the dial doesn't peel anymore.

It's pretty surreal have a little piece of history on your wrist. I view all vintage watches as little pieces of history, but this one is different. I'm just glad it didn't get thrown in the trash before I could get to it.
 
#34 ·
Glad to read that you decided to leave your watch as is. My Oris has a similar past and all it needed was a new canon pinion. I left the dial and hands alone as well, I was fortunate though to get it's original strap with it although needing some major disinfecting if you know what I mean.

A great read and thank you for sharing is history with us.

Peace,
Preston

Sent from the inner reaches of my mind
 
#37 ·
Here you go my good man.

Gave the crystal and case a polish, serious on the crystal and just enough on the case.

Needed a cannon pinion so it's nice and firm when setting the time and of course it was serviced (by my former watch repair teacher, I didn't want to touch this one as parts are scarce for this one) as well a nice shiny new buckle as the original was basically corroded off the thing, also the strap was cleaned and disinfected as it was caked with dirt and blood, really disgusting.









Peace,
Preston

Sent from the inner reaches of my mind
 
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