7 replies to this topic

[uLh2see]

Hi all,
I just received my great-grandfather's Hampden pocket watch in the mail and had a couple of questions about getting it going again. The watch is a non-running, 21-jewel, 16s Hampden from around 1918 (per the movement #). The hour and minute hands appear to be corroded (minutes broken off) and the crystal seems to be yellowed acrylic. The stem winds, and turns the gears in the movement, but I am afraid of what will happen if I wind it more. The seconds hand doesn't move and the mainspring isn't moving either. The mainspring is blued though, so at least it's nice looking!
So to the questions:
The caseback mates with the case and matches the bezel is threaded with very thin threads but says Avalon above a banner that contains F.W. Co. Is this case a replacement? Seems like the original would have said Hampden or Deuber. The Hampden database I looked at also mentioned the plating material as nickel.What are the rough hourly rates are for mechanical movement repair? Should I expect to pay $100 for repair or more like $300 as a baseline? Can I save myself any money by doing anything prior to taking it in? (i.e. buying hands, simple test to come up with a preliminary diagnosis)[/ol]
I'm looking into taking it to Watchworks in downtown Portland this week for a quote. Let me know what you know, thanks!

[lovecheese]

Looks like a very nice movement! Get it serviced, some new hands (the correct style, don't put anything less than on there.. we've all seen them with the wrong hands and you can pick it straight away..), definitely a new mainspring (white alloy type, the old blued steel ones aren't worth keeping) and a new crystal and it'll be a really nice watch. Sourcing hands is a tough one.. different movements have different sized pivots for the hands so sometimes the hands need adjusting to fit, but see what your local watchmaker says. You might be able to buy a junk movement with the same size hands and they'll be able to fit them easily. Or they might have some lying around, you never know.. New acrylic crystals are available but make sure they use the correct style also. I recently found out my families 1845 pocket watch has an incorrect style for the era of the watch, after only being replaced at the end of last year. Was not too stoked on that.. You could also have the current crystal measured, and find a NOS glass one on ebay of the same size. That'd give you the most authentic look i think. I can definitely tell between my two trench watch's glass crystals, and the crappy acrylic one in the pocket watch. The pocket watch one does not look nice..

[cmmaster]

A nice watch that should be able to be fixed up with a little effort. The movement certainly will require a service - don't wind it, there's no point in that as it stands. There's little you can do preliminary to a competent service by a watchmaker. What is wrong with it is what will be, and a good watchmaker will rectify that. If parts are required (and seeing as there is corrosion that is likely) then you can expect it to cost a bit more and sourcing of parts may slow things down a little. The crystal can readily be replaced with a suitables style glass or acrylic one, (low dome, bevelled edge Miconcave acrylic crystals are usually good for such watches). You can sometimes find hand sets for Hampen 16 size watches on eBay, either in NOS, used, or refinished condition. Check with your selected watchmaker prior to purchasing to ensure they are suitable for this watch. Your watchmaker may well have their own sources. Yes, you might expect a Deuber case on a Hampden watch, and I do believe the earlier Wm. McKinley movements were indeed cased up in-house, but later movements were made avaliable separately through catalogues and so examples obtained in such a way may well have been cased up in cases from other companies. I have a 1916 Wm. McKinley example in a Crescent case. Of course, the case a pocket watch movement is currently in need not be its original case. (The "nickel" mentioned in the database will be likely have been referring to the movement, not the case). There was a Fidelity Watch Case Co. of NY City, but I'm not sure if they were marked "F.W. Co" or had an "Avalon" model.

[Vuvial]

Closing the loop on this, the local watchmaker at Watchworks in Portland gave me a quote of around $500. Seems high as he gave me no detail as to what the repair would entail. I've gotten very high quotes on crystals before and style-correct hands seem to get a big upcharge vs style-correct hands I can source myself. The guys behind the counter were great, but the watchmaker was rather condescending as this is just a lowly Hampden movement.
I think I'll just slowly source the parts myself and have the movement serviced at a later date.
A sidenote: the watchmaker also claimed that domed sapphire crystals literally don't exist for any watch (I was hoping to find one as a small upgrade for my Seiko). Confusing as he was wearing a watch that had one. Not sure I'll be back if I have to continue to deal with him. Everyone else in the store was very friendly and helpful.

[Olivegary]

Well - to my eye there is nothing "lowly" about your Hampden - 21j adjusted to 5 positions... I would find a different watchmaker...

[wn-pans]

Find another watchmaker! For the crystal, you want a new-old-stock glass mi-concave crystal. That's what would have originally been on the watch. They're easy to find. Having the crystal replaced would run you $30-35.

[ＮoMos5]

I got a recommendation on a vintage pocket watch repair guy here in Portland. I'll send it to him and see what he has to say. I'm excited to see it work again sometime in the future.

[rustyu]

Please let us know how it works out...