Horological Meandering

Wrist Obsessed
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Dummy learns the hazards of used watches and factory service

Thank you, SJX, for your thoughtful post.

When the New Year turned, I realized that this is the year I would turn 50. My God, I thought, if I'm ever going to buy my dream watch, I better do it soon. So, on January 7th I bought my first (and probably only) five-figure watch from a fellow on eBay.

Having lusted after it for more than 10 years, I absolutely ADORED the watch when it arrived. From the first day I got it, it ran fine, but it didn't wind itself, despite my walking three miles a day. The seller suggested, reasonably IMO, that I should buy a winder. I called my Dad, who is the very definition of sedentary, and asked whether he uses a winder for his Rolex. Nope. Does it ever run down? Nope. I decided a winder would be a waste of money.

A couple of weeks after the money-back guarantee had expired, I decided to take it to an AD. I had deliberately dragged my feet. My new baby was so gorgeous and I was like a kid in love: if my dream girl got cancer, I wasn't about send her back. Also, I didn't want my wife get a touch of the seconds. (cough. . .bad pun . . .cough)  I had gotten a great deal, and I reasoned that it would still be a good deal after an expensive repair.

The AD looked at it, then took it to the back of the shop, where he opened it up. He came back out and said the watch was "dry as a bone" and needed a new counterweight, not just an overhaul, and thus it had to be sent back to the factory in Switzerland. Ugh. It was February 12, and I figured better to do it now and have it back in time for spring and summer. I told him to send it. The estimate came back: $2,500 for the repair. I told him to go ahead. He said the factory had told him it would take "four to eight weeks."

Meanwhile, I forwarded the email containing the $2,500 quote to my new friend on eBay. He called me instantly, and was so upset he was shouting. "What a rip-off," he said. He told me I should have contacted him first, so he could let his watch guy fix it for a small fraction of that. I asked him whether the watch had been examined by a watchmaker and found to be sound, as his listing had said. He insisted it had. I believed him, and I reasoned that the auto-winding mechanism might have broken during shipping. I would take it on the chin.

So now I wait. Mid-April is when my new "baby" is expected to be delivered a second time. It's been AGONY waiting for it. I can honestly say that the past few weeks have passed at a GLACIAL pace. Maybe that's the key to living a long time. Buy a nice watch that's tempermental and send it for factory repairs.

PS: I love this forum.

PPS: When I picked my user name, I never realized how apt it would be: I'm WRIST-obsessed because there's no WATCH on it.

PPPS: I'll post photos of the newly refurbished baby when she arrives.

Yours Expectantly,

Ben