I got a tissot automatic watch when I got married. It started getting hard to wind, so I put it away for a few years. I recently brought it out and tested it for a few days. On average, it loses about a minute per day. This is way too much variance for me, I can’t have a watch that loses that much time. I looked up how much it costs to repair or service, and it’s basically worth less (120-150) than the cost to repair it (180+.) I want to just get rid of it, but it was a wedding present from my in-laws and part of a matching pair. My wife has the women’s one. She also no longer uses it.
Would it be rude to get rid of it? The watch is now 13 years old.
I would try asking on some of the watch collector forums out there about if it might be worth trying to sell it to a collector. When I was researching a watch to give my then-boyfriend (now hubby) as a gift, I found out that there is apparently a pretty large community of guys out there who like collecting watches of certain higher-quality brands.
If the person who gave it to you will never notice it’s gone and you don’t have any sentimental connection to it, I don’t think you are obligated to keep it.
Would it upset them if they knew you got rid of it? Then toss it in a drawer until they die. It’s not something that takes up a ton of space in your home. Now if they had given you a grandfather clock like my sister is stuck with…
Ask your wife. If she’s okay with it, toss it. If she thinks it would hurt their feelings too much to get rid of it, toss it in a drawer like kittenblue said. Since it’s her family, I’d let her make the call. It’s such a small thing that keeping it to spare their feelings shouldn’t be too big of a deal. But honestly, if you put it away for a few years, their feelings are probably already hurt if they were going to be.
If you’re the type to wear watches, I’d toss it in the back of a drawer and forget about that way if they ever ask about it you can drag it out to show them you still have it (and know where it is) and maybe even wear it the next time you see them. You could even tell them that you wear it once in a while.
If they’ve never once asked about it and you’ve moved since you got it, toss it and if the subject comes up it’s easy enough to say ‘It’s in a box around here somewhere but I don’t use watches so I’m really not sure where it ended up’. Everyone knows what ‘it got lost in the move’ means though.
But, as others have said, it’s just a watch it’s not like it’s clothing or decor or some small piece of furniture (like an ottoman). Toss it in the back of a sock drawer in your bedroom and forget about it.
Your in-laws may not care. If they gave you a car, would you be bound to keep it forever? But, even though it’s not worth fixing, why not keep it in case you have a kid who is interested in them?
Yes, i wear watches. I have to have a watch, and i usually have to prime them at east once a week. In general, i use 3 at a time and if two out of three disagree, i call the phone company time service.
I’d toss it in the back of a drawer and occasionally observe its fine craftsmanship and remember the moment of the gift. It doesn’t clutter much and watches are nice to look at.
That said, I think giving a nice mechanical watch to someone is like giving them a (very expensive) kitten; it’s the gift that causes them great expense in the future. People who aren’t into mechanical watches are totally unaware of the cost of upkeep, which is recommended every 3-5 years.
A proper servicing of a mechanical watch involves complete disassembly, replacement of the mainspring, replacement of any damaged parts (e.g. water damage), replacement of all gaskets and seals, careful reassembly with a dozen or so different kinds of lubricants placed at critical points in the mechanism, followed by adjustment in multiple positions to calibrate, as well as waterproof testing of the case. By the way, don’t expect to see your favorite timepiece for four to six months.
The last time I had one of mine serviced the bill came to somewhere around $700.
I feel bad for the graduate who receives a Rolex from a well meaning (and well off) father, only to find a few years later when he is still young and broke that he can’t possibly afford to send it in for repairs.
I got a self-winding Rolex Oyster for my 21st birthday. I’m now 64. I’ve broken the crystal probably 4 times in that period and taken it in. When they replaced the crystal, they went over it, but I was never charged anything like $700. Once the winding stem came loose and was reattached. That one was more expensive but nothing like It works fine. It’s a touch fast but nothing like a minute a day, maybe a minute a week. Now maybe the Oyster needs less service than other mechanical watches because the winding stem screws into the watch itself to seal. but it has been a great watch and probably cost me less than batteries would have over that period (not that I even could have bought a battery watch when I was 21.)
Sell / toss
No point keeping it if you don’t use it or enjoy looking at it or if you aren’t sentimental about it.
You’ve had it for 13 years and you no longer have any use for it. It’s not like you threw it out the car window on your way home from your wedding, or in the bin in front of them after unwrapping it. You were glad to get it, got some use out of it, possibly some enjoyment, and now it’s just clutter to you - so get rid of it!
It’s not rude to get rid of something of yours you no longer want. I don’t even know why you’re worried it might be.
I must admit I’m a bit hesitant to throw away/give away things I have been gifted. Given it’s such a small item, I’d just stick it in a drawer somewhere and forget about it.
Can I ask where the hesitation comes from? I find this quite interesting, as my partner is very resistant to getting rid of anything that was a gift, but hasn’t been able to explain why and the mindset intrigues me!
I don’t remember the exact prices, but I can say that the $700 repair was on a Omega Speedmaster Pro (Neil Armstrong’s watch ). The reason for the high(er) cost was because this watch has a chronograph complication, so there are many more moving parts.
The last time I had a Rolex Submariner serviced it was probably closer to $500.
Both of these were done at official factory service centers, where you send your watch away for an age and a half and they make it perfect. I’m certain that a skilled local watchmaker could probably do a cheaper job and maybe only fix what is needed. Seriously. Three months after the Omega was serviced I was winding it and the stem came out in my hand. No prob, I thought: they should be able to install a new one for cheap. They performed the full complete teardown anyway, resulting in an identical huge bill.
And if you have some aftermarket doodad on your watch, like a custom bezel or a different band/strap, they will replace it with original equipment, charge you for it, and send your aftermarket bit back to you in a plastic baggie.
Every time I send a watch for service I grumble to myself that fine watches are really outside of my league.
). The reason for the high(er) cost was because this watch has a chronograph complication, so there are many more moving parts.