‘Timex. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.’ I loved those commercials narrated by John Cameron Swayze.
My first watch was a Timex. It had an automatic movement and a date window. I don’t know how old it is. Probably close to 40 years old. I wanted to wear it a year or so ago, and it wouldn’t wind automatically or with the stem. When I tried to wind it it would sound and feel like it was winding, and then there would be the ‘click’ of the spring unspringing. Today I finally got round to taking it to the local watchmaker. In broken English I heard, ‘This watch never run again. Too old to fix. Not here, not Timex.’
So that’s it, then. Did it take a licking when I was little? Probably a few times. But it still ran until fairly recently. And now it’s as dead as John Cameron Swayze.
I suppose it has no value except to a garage sale buyer. If it has sentimental value to you then keep it in the jewelry box. I have a gold Acutron my father gave me and the jewelry box is its home. A much more accurate watch can be had for under $10 these days. The fix for your watch is really quite simple based on what you describe. It needs a new main spring or reattachment. People tended to over-wind those pieces and eventually they broke. There is also a chance that rust is inside too. It might be worth your carefully removing the back for a personal look. If it is rusty, then junk drawer status is best. If it looks clean otherwise, then you may find an old technician that would repair it for $50-100 just as a guess.
If it were mine, I’d probably try another repairman. An older one, preferably. I’ve had luck with getting other items repaired, if you find the old guy who used to fix those ages ago.
Second attempt would be to contact Timex. If you’re attached to it, don’t just send it in - call them first. (I had a friend who sent an old Zippo in to get it fixed. They really wanted to keep it - offered him all kindsa stuff for it. He did get it back, but it was a hassle. So you might want to make clear up front that you’re only interested in repair, not replacement, and want the watch back in any event.)
If all else fails, you could try looking online for someone to fix it. Caveat emptor, though.
Just depends on how much it’s worth to you to have it working.
Yeah, zero collector value. Sentimental value only.
I had dad’s Vulcain Cricket fixed about a decade ago, by a guy I found online. It took forever to get it back, since he was in Canada and it was held up in Customs on the return trip.
A Timex is a cheap watch that the repairman didn’t want to bother with. A real watch maker understands that any piece can be valuable to you and will explain how much it will cost and that the watch isn’t worth it but allow you to pay anyway because it may mean a lot to you. You will never recover your money.
TSS: Yes, it’s a cheap watch. I’ll never sell it, and even if I did I’d be lucky to get a fin for it. I have lots of watches. But it’s my first. If it can’t be fixed, or if it’s too expensive to fix, then so be it. But it would be nice if it ran.
I once found a Timex while snorkeling in a local lake (I think I was in 7th grade at the time). It was a very inexpensive model–it didn’t even have a second hand. I wore it for a number of years. A few years later it stopped working and I took it to a local watch repair guy. He sent it to Timex, but instead of repairing it, they sent me a new watch roughly equivalent to mine.
I love old Timexes. I don’t think I’ve ever paid more than about $15 for one, but I they’re really cool anyway. Their cheapness adds to the cool factor in my book. It’s great that a cheap watch is so durable.
Today I’m wearing a 1971 Mickey Mouse watch. I usually alternate it with 1977 automatic.
If you’re interested in knowing how old your Timex is, there should be a tiny little number somewhere on the face. About 10 digits or so. The last two digits are the year the watch was made.
My old man wore a run of the mill Westclox brass bodied watch for the gods only know how many years. When I was 15, he gave it to me. I wore it off and on for several years then stopped for some reason. After Dad died in 2004 I dug it out. It no worka.
I found a local mom and pop jewelry and watch repair shop. The guy told me it would cost more to fix than it was worth, by about three times. I told him it was the first watch Dad had ever given me and that he’d recently passed away; so I wanted it more as a functioning remembrance and didn’t care too much about the expense.
He called me two weeks later and told me the watch was ready. I went in to pick it up. Total cost of repair: $8 in parts, sold at cost. 15 hours of labor, no charge.
E-mail Tomes with a picture of your watch and tell them you will give them some good PR if they can fix or replace it. It doesn’t hurt to try? Good Luck!
