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What do you do when you buy a used vintage watch and it has a personalized inscription on the back?

9K views 23 replies 21 participants last post by  DragonDan 
#1 ·
Such as watches that were gifts from a family member showing the name etc. Do you leave it as it is or you get a dremel and scratch it out?:think:
 
#3 · (Edited)
I've been dealing in vintage watches for decades. There are three very distinct schools of thought on engraved watches. Many (maybe most) collectors refuse to buy any watch with an engraved dedication. A much smaller group doesn't care. An even smaller group -- which includes myself -- prizes them and actively seeks them out. To me, they add history to the piece, even if that history is a total mystery. I have a 14K solid rose gold Hamilton "Brock" marked "M.J.M to M.M. Dec. 25, 1941". I wish I knew who those people were, but I can surmise they were probably married, and that the wife loved her husband enough to spend a small fortune on a gorgeous watch as a Christmas gift. What happened to M.M.? Did he go to war the next year? Did he survive? I have no clue, but I love that mysterious inscription. I have worn that watch every Christmas for 20 years. My own ritual.

I've had many watches with far more detailed dedications specifying who, where, when, and why. They're great too. Sometimes I can even find out details with Google.

But the bottom line is that it's your choice. Personally, I would never in a million years grind off an engraving. But I totally understand that some of my customers don't buy any engraved watches. That's fine. I reserve those for the people who like them.

Different strokes. My advice is don't buy them if you don't like them. That goes for any watch.
 
#4 ·
To me, the engravings are part of the history of the watch, like the watchmakers' marks inside the caseback. And when it's on your wrist, nobody sees them anyway.

I suppose the reduce the value, if most collectors won't buy a watch with engravings, but there's no way to remove them without seriously removing a lot of metal. In the case of gold or gold filled cases, you're literally grinding away money, and it won't leave an original looking caseback. So, your choice is between a personalization that may mean nothing to you, and a scratched up caseback that probably looks worse.
 
#16 · (Edited)
the engravings are part of the history of the watch, like the watchmakers' marks inside the caseback. And when it's on your wrist, nobody sees them anyway.
I'm totally agreed with GeneJockey. I would have learned many precious lessons from personal script than erase them. :) I have some solid gold vintage watches with personal scripts on the back and I really like them.
 
#5 ·
I appreciate the engravings for what they are. As Rene says above, they're part of the history of the watch and add to it even if the owner was no one of significance.

Plus, many of the engravings(particularly the retirement and award presentations) are works of art in their own right and there are very few craftsmen capable of doing that kind of work today.

I love original period engravings, but detest watches that have been destroyed by having the engraving removed.

With all that said, though, I'm morally opposed to modern engravings on antique watches!
 
#7 ·
Engravings are not my prefernce but i would just wear it.

If you shave off enough metal to remove most inscriptions you will have destroyed any value the watch had and posibly killed the integrity of the case until you replace the watchback (if possible).

If it bothers you don't buy it.
 
#8 ·
I purchased a King Seiko a few years back with an engraved back written in Japanese… Initially I was reluctant….. then I thought about it…… It was a special watch given to a special person on a special occasion…..A particular Japanese product that meant something………………It's something now I enjoy about the history of such a unique watch.....
 
#9 ·
I enjoy the engravings. I like the history that they add. It makes me a little sad then I buy one from a family member. You know...grandkid selling grandpa's watch that he got for Christmas in 1936 - usually for less than a tank of gas. But it is their decision.

Plus, many of the engravings(particularly the retirement and award presentations) are works of art in their own right and there are very few craftsmen capable of doing that kind of work today.
A good point. My father was an engraver - one of the last (if not the last) hammer and chisel guys in his industry... There are some beautiful examples of the engraver's art preserved on the backs of watches.
 
#19 ·
Could you elaborate please?

I have an all original Speedmaster Professional ref. 105.012-66, one owner, bought 1968. But it has an "inscription" on the back. Don't mind really, but it is really badly done, even got a typo that has been tried corrected. It could be seen as proof of originality, so I could leave it be. But the problem is the aesthetics of it all...

So, is there a decent way to get it removed without leaving it even uglier than it already is?
 
#13 ·
It was not an engraving but just as personal. about 25 years ago my dad had my great grandpas Hamilton 940 cleaned up for my confirmation. He took the watch to the watchmaker and as the watchmaker opened the back case a small black and white photo cut into a small circle fell out. It had been glued on the back case. My Great grandpa was a train engineer and he kept a picture of the whole family in his watch. There in this 940 was a picture of family I have never known. It gives the watch greater meaning for me and for my kids in the future. That being said I would keep engravings on watches and not scratch them off.
 
#24 ·
I know of several Gallet watches that definitely increase the value of the watch:

Gallet fllying officer, Harry Truman


From the Gallet World.com website:
This Gallet Commander was worn by 2nd LT. James Richard Hoel, one of the escape tunnel diggers at Stalag Luft III, a German prisoner of war camp during WWII. The heroic efforts of these Allied soldiers were later portrayed in the 1963 movie, "The Great Escape", starring Steve McQueen.


There's more on the Gallet World website, but this is a good start.
I wouldn't mind inscriptions on the back. My father has a pocket watch from his father that has the family name inscribed. A nice heirloom!
 
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