Three Ways to Kill a Pocket Watch

As a new pocket watch collector, I’m wandering around at the bottom of the learning curve, looking up at a high mountain. My journey so far includes writing sales copy for Jeff at The Pocket Watch Guy and working with Brendan at Frett Clockworks to restore my watches to their former glory. And reading history. And screwing up, big time. Here are three ways you can kill a pocket watch . . .

1. Leave your pocket watch next to your smartwatch charger

Magnetism. You probably don’t give it a second thought. Why would you? Modern wristwatches aren’t buggered by electromagnetic fields. Even watches that aren’t a Rolex Milgauss or any current OMEGA can sail through a TSA scanner without losing a second. Or stopping.

American railroad pocket watches – my thing – are made of porcelain and metal. Mainly metal. They do NOT like electromagnetic fields.

I’m not talking about an MRI machine, although definitely that, or the aforementioned scanner. I’m talking about my Braun electric shaver, my kid’s hair dryer, Mr. Dyson’s vacuum cleaner, the microwave oven, the computers upon which this article was written, the iPhone that took most of these pictures and especially my Apple Watch charger.

My beloved Apple Watch Series 5 is attached to the charger by a magnet. Strong magnetic field bad! Very bad!

When I placed a pocket watch by my bedside less than a foot from the charger I magnetized my watch. Make that watches, plural. Yup. Every. Single one. They all stopped spinning after no more than ten hours.

Degauss! I bought a degausser and . . . nope. Turns out each part of the watch had to be demagnetized. There are lots of parts and I’m not the guy to take my pocket watch to pieces (and reassemble them). So I sent my babies to Dr. Frett.

At this moment, this avid pocket watch collector has a single fully functional pocket watch – which needs servicing. My Apple Watch charger is in isolation in the bathroom. It’s been warned. You’ve been warned.

2. Drop your pocket watch

There’s a reason why people wore pocket watches on a chain, and it isn’t about style. Drop a pocket watch from even a foot onto a hard surface and things break.

The teeny tiny pointy balance staff – on the end of the balance wheel’s center shaft – is particularly prone to damage.

If that little bastard breaks, your pocket watch won’t work.

I say “you” because I’ve yet to drop a pocket watch. But a friend did. The crystal flew off and the minuscule seconds hand went flying. Miraculously, I found it. That was a very expensive mistake.

To change the time on a lever set pocket watch you have to remove the front glass. That’s not a problem for a stem set pocket watch. But in both cases it’s best to rest a pocket watch on a bed [and kneel in supplication] when doing anything with the watch when it’s not attached to your person via a chain.

By the same token, think VERY carefully before handing someone a watch to examine. The little buggers are slippery and people aren’t used to holding them. To be safe, keep it chained or have them hold your pocket watch over a soft surface. They have been warned.

3. Buy your pocket watch from eBay

Buy an antique pocket watch from eBay and you’ll save yourself the time and effort required to kill it. Chances are it’ll already be dead. Don’t be fooled by pocket watches listed as “running” or “serviced.”

Pocket watches need regular maintenance. If nothing else, they need their oil and grease refreshed and parts checked for wear. It’s only a matter of time – a few years at most – before they gunk-up, slow down or stop.

That’s without considering failure: worn-out springs and/or poorly repaired pocket watches. Or swapped-out parts. Or hidden damage. Or a lack of anything resembling accuracy. A pocket watch can be running like a top and not keep time.

Of course there are reputable dealers on eBay who wouldn’t dream of selling you a pocket watch that ran fast or slow by many minutes a day. And you can tell which sellers deserve your money by their reviews. Right? Right? Bueller?

If you buy a pocket watch on eBay, send it to someone like Dr. Frett to check, repair and service. Figure another $100. Maybe more.

Call first to see if they’re confident with your model, and you’re confident with their abilities. Ask about their warranty. No warranty? No deal.

Alternatively, buy a timepiece from The Pocket Watch guy or other non-eBay dealer whose website doesn’t look like garbage.

Modern wrist watches require very little care and attention. But the majority don’t have half the charm of a properly sorted and cherished pocket watch.

As with anything else, it pays to know what you’re getting, buy the best and treat it with the respect it deserves. As any Zen master will tell you, that which you own, owns you.