Old Pocket Watch

buster180

Hi
I was wondering could anybody shed some light on this watch for me. It was my grandfather’s watch and was left to my father when his brother died a few months ago.


It is a Swiss made watch and has Venus 17 Rubies on the face of It.


I have tried looking up the name and have come across nothing of much use. I plan on getting it cleaned up for my father, but would like to know apart from sentimental value is it worth my time.


I have taken a picture of the watch for you to look at.


Thanks in advance
Rob

Wibbs

If you can arrange it buster180 pics of the movement may help more.

buster180

Wibbs wrote: »

If you can arrange it buster180 pics of the movement may help more.

I cant get the back of it open at all. God knows when the last time it was opened

blacksasha

Try this clock Forum, http://mb.nawcc.org/forum.php I found them very helpful. You will have to reg with them, and send on a few pic's of the Watch.

buster180

blacksasha wrote: »

Try this clock Forum, http://mb.nawcc.org/forum.php I found them very helpful. You will have to reg with them, and send on a few pic's of the Watch.

Cheers

Menas

From what I can see this is a rare but not valuable piece. Sadly, unless you have a well known brand chrono that is in tip top condition then you will rarely see any value in these watches unless they are gold or silver. Yours is neither from what I can see. Perhaps Nickel?

Venus were a well known brand at one stage....details on the company here.
http://www.venuswatches.ch/0010000088/history.html

You will need to get a picture of the insides first. Try pressing down on the winder and using your thumbnail prise open at the slight groove to the left of the winder on the back door. That should open it.
Once inside take pictures of any engravings. You will find that there is another door that may need a very fine screwdriver to open it. That will reveal the movement and there is the story of your watch. Pictures of that with particular attention to any engravings on the movement will help us. Venus made their own movements so we would be looking for a caliber number or serial number.

Regarding whether it is worth getting it restored.
Two opinions.
1) No. Given the value of the watch it is not as a restoration (service) will cost upwards of 120 euro.
2) Yes. This piece is rare and you are merely the caretaker of it for the next generation. It has family sentimental value and so should be looked after. Leaving an old watch in a state of disrepair will make future restoration harder. The oils will solidify and dirt becomes more engrained in the movement which could lead to some part becoming broken. And that part will be hard/expensive/impossible to replace.

If the movement is in good condition you may just want to get the case and glass cleaned.

buster180

Thanks Trigger Happy
I have tried to open it but it won’t budge at all. And am afraid I may damage the watch if I force it open. The watch is still running fine.

As I said in the original post it is more of sentimental value to me and may get it cleaned for my father. I will drop into O Connors in Dun Laoghaire and see what they say. I will let you know how I get on.

Thanks for all the above advice
Rob

buster180

Just to give an update on the watch. I brought it in to be cleaned. They did a great job in O’ Connors and only charged €75.

The watch is of no real value as expected, but he said it was a very good make. He also showed me some marks on the watch that he could trace back to when the watch was serviced and it turns out that it was serviced by the owner’s father in the same shop.

fishguy

Thank you for the update. I say you are wrong saying it has no real value as maybe it has no monetary value but it has a lot of very real sentimental value...

fg