This is how to make an heirloom (bit of a long story)....
So, some of my earliest memories are of my dad's gold watch.When I was a kid he was always wearing it. When I was 21, back in 1980, he took me shopping to choose my own gold watch as a 21st birthday present from him and my mum. I chose this, which I still have 24 years later:
I'm now grown up with my own family, and my 7 year old daughter just loves gold. One day, she'll inherit this watch.
Unfortunately my dad died in September of this year. He had a nice little collection of watches, including a DateJust, but his Accurist Shockmaster is still the watch that sticks in my mind, and inspired me to choose the watch above. I inherited the watch, now looking its age! It was his 21st birthday present from his mum and dad in 1961.
It seemed to run with a little shake, but obviously couldn't be wound. My mum took it to a jeweler she and my dad have used before, and they suggested replacing the whole mechanism and face. They said it was the only way to fix it, and that even that wouldn't be economically sensible. Luckily I got it back before she went for that, and took it to my watchmaker (who used to work for Accurist). Turns out the parts are still readily available, and he agreed to service and repair the movement, replace the crystal, sympathetically polish the case and leave the hands and face alone. I wanted to retain the watch's character.
Fast forward to today, and I get the call to say it is ready. I have new spring bars and a couple of new straps already waiting. The watch looks great. It looks old, but characterful. It's usable without being changed. It's running great, ticking away on my arm. The soft, warm crystal is nicely domed and adds some depth to the dial. It now looks like my daughter will also inherit the gold watch my dad got for his 21st.
These watches have history and it seems that you'll be able to perpetuate the tradition for a third generation. Pretty cool!
Great story, thanks for sharing!
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