My first vintage timepiece

[sweeney90]

So I recently acquired my first vintage watch and was hoping to hear the opinions of more knowledgeable people than myself, it's made by JLC around 1940s the case is 10k gold filled its currently in working order, it doesn't have the original band, to my eyes the condition didn't seem to considering the age so I dished out £200 to acquire it. Any thoughts or opinions on restoration, the quality and price I paid would be greatly appreciated as I'm new to this and intend to start my own collection.

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[bobm12]

Welcome to the forum Sweeney! I won't be able to give you an expert opinion, but I like the watch. It's got a certain period flavor. I'm sure the experts will chip in anytime now.

Cheers,

Bob

[WileyDave]

Welcome! Very nice watch, if you look closely with a mag glass at back cover you maybe able to see a date scratched in case, watchmakers used this practice to determine when they serviced watch, I suppose for warranty? Sometimes its a series of numbers and date. If you plan on wearing then professional service is in order, even though it's running, oils and grease can dry out over time and may damage jewels, springs and pivots, etc. Personally, I don't like metal bands they tend to wear lugs, nothing like a fresh leather strap! Dial restoration can be expensive, so if you can read it I would leave alone. Crystals are relatively inexpensive, (and can be polished instead of replaced) make a watch look new, something else to consider.

I'm far from an expert, just a nut who likes these kind of things, WARNING: collecting can be addictive!

[oldhippy]

That's a nice looking watch with a nice looking movement. Just remember this a watch case that has corners is more likely to get dirtier then a round case. Fitting a dust proof button can help. It is surprising how dirt can get in under a glass that has corners.     

[sweeney90]

Thanks for the warm welcome and reply guys, I'm glad some of you like the watch, I can't seem to find nothing on the back so I guess over the weekend il take it to a few of the local shops and see what they have to say about getting it serviced, I totally agree with you@wileydave I'm not a fan of these expansions bracelets either and I do plan on getting a genuine JLC strap but I didn't realise how expensive they actually are, well I think il stick to the "if you can read il leave it alone" philosophy on dials I've heard it can get rather expensive and I kind of like the aged look it has, once I have this piece sorted and as clean and good as it can be, il try to acquire something in better condition I fill I've already learned it might be worth forking out a little bit more at the start because il only end up spending on getting it fixed anyway, yes can imagine it does become addictive my girlfriend has already said I spend all the time on my talking about watches and I'm only on my first piece haha,


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[TimFitz]

Welcome, Nice watch have fun

[dadistic]

Welcome, and great watch!

I have a 1947 Bulova that has a similar band, and the same general style of case. I'm not really fond of the band, either, as it seems narrow to me but I'm not sure what to replace it with.

Have Fun!