For many years now, I’d wanted a silver watch.

Well actually, I’d wanted a gold watch, but I knew I’d never be that lucky. So I set my sights on a silver prize, instead. I did a bit of research, and then I started hunting. I’d managed to make a bit of money, and I’d had a rather significant cash windfall a few months ago as well, so I kept this aside as a watch-hunting fund. Some things were easier to find than others. Sterling silver watch-chains and the various fobs and accessories that hang off the ends of them were easy to find – any old antiques shop or flea-market usually had loads of these things. Since they’re extremely common, finding them at good prices was easy.

Finding the watch itself was tricky.

I love pocket watches. But they’re fickle lovers. They’re expensive and fiddly things. I resolved to have just two watches: My 1950s Swiss railroad chronometer, and one good-quality, solid silver watch. And that would be it! If I ever bought a third, one of the others would have to go.

Well I had about half a dozen other pocketwatches, which I never wore, or which I wore very infrequently. I decided that the sale of these watches would fund my silver watch hunt. So I did sell them, and made a sizable chunk of money out of it. With this behind me, I started my search in earnest.

The Finding of the Watch of Power

Antique silver pocket watches are surprisingly common. Probably because silver is cheaper than gold, silver was always used to make all kinds of things, and silver watches were very popular as timepieces and fashion accessories in times past. After much searching, and trawling through antiques shops and flea-markets, I started to get a sense of what I would have to pay for a good-quality silver watch, and I locked this away in my head while I searched.

The other thing I had to consider is what the cost of servicing would be. Antique watches need regular servicing (anywhere from every 5-10 years, depending on how often, and how, you use them), and that was something I had to remember in my budgeting. You can find the greatest watch in the world for $100, but if you don’t leave money for servicing, all you’re going to do to that timepiece is destroy it by running it dry, without oil, and without cleaning.

After much searching, I found a watch in the lower end of my price-range. I was able to chip down the price even further, and after examining it closely, decided that it was everything I wanted in a watch, and so bought it. Then it was off to the watchmaker for servicing. It took just over a month to get this done, but the watchmaker was extremely friendly and accommodating, and complimented me on finding such a fine timepiece! Haha!! Thanks, Phil!

Silver Accessories

One of the benefits of picking a silver watch over a gold one is that the tidbits and accessories that go along with them – chains, trinkets, fobs, etc, etc…are all much cheaper than the same items made of gold. A gold watch-chain of any decent quality is retailed at nearly $1,000. A silver chain, by comparison, can be picked up for next to nothing! The same goes for things like silver pencils, vesta-cases, and other accessories. There were so many of them made that excessively high prices just aren’t warranted for their sale.

With the rest of my money, I was able to buy chains and accessories easily, over the course of several months (bolstering my fund now and then with selling antiques), and now, only a few weeks before my next birthday, I think I can safely say that I have a pretty nice present assembled for myself! Haha!

The Watch Itself

The watch I purchased was made in Switzerland in the 1920s. The case was made by the A.L. Dennison Watch Case Co., and carries sterling silver hallmarks for Birmingham, 1925. The watch itself was retailed by the London jewelry firm of Bravingtons, and features bold Roman numerals, original blued steel hands, a 17-jewel movement and a swan-neck or whiplash micro-regulator.

After a thorough servicing, the watch now keeps great time, and I couldn’t be happier. When the watch isn’t being used, I keep it in its own little silver-faced antique watch stand – also from the 1920s:

Thanks to Philip Gore at Ferntree Gully Watches & Clocks for doing such a fantastic job on my watch! 🙂

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