Pretty excited to finally get an old watch restored...

[Jims5543]

In 1984, when I graduated high school, my Grandfather gave me a Heuer Diving watch as a graduation present. He was tickled that I was left handed and thought it was the coolest thing ever. He was also a HUGE influence on me as a kid growing up, essentially, without a father to guide me. My mom (my grandfathers daughter) married her high school sweetheart in a shotgun wedding  and the guy she married was a punk.  Was pushed through HS to get him out of their hair and was, to be brutally honest, worthless.

So my grandfather, who lived across the street from our rental when I was a child, took me under his wing and made sure I had a positive father figure to look up to. He taught me how to swing a golf club, how to shake hands like a confident man, to hold doors for woman, to stand up when they leave the table.  He taught me how to navigate a formal dinner setting and taught me how to be a gentleman. Something my father would never be able to teach. He was busy riding in a motorcycle gang, dealing drugs, selling fenced goods and getting high all the time.

When I was 18 I had no idea what this watch was, nor was it explained to me, I just wore it like a Timex and abused it.  After about a year or two the second hand came loose and it needed to be re-attached, I had no idea I needed to seek out a qualified repair person.  I took it to a mall jewelry store to have it fixed, if the repair guy had a conscious, he would have told me what to do, instead he tried to repair the watch and did not water proof it properly, he charged me (at 20 years old) a fortune for fix it too.  I jump in my cousins pool a few weeks later and the watch gets water in it.

I was pissed and frustrated and threw the watch in a sock drawer and forgot about it.

My grandfather passed away in May 2001, it hit me hard. my grandmother pad passed a few months earlier due to a raging case of Alzheimer's disease and it broke his heart. This was a man that could still fit in his WW2 uniform in his 80's. He did 100 push ups and sit ups every day. He literately died of a broken heart.

I was sad over his death, he was my hero in life the man I looked up to he was a great man. I had stumbled upon the watch   he gave me in 2005 and sought to get it restored. I posted on a Porsche forum asking for advice as to where to go. They pointed me to a high end watch forum. I posted on there, told the same story I am telling here, and the bullshit started. Quite a few tried to tell me that the watch was useless but they would buy it from me for $100.  I did not care what it was worth, I would keep it, fucked up, if I could not get it restored.

I found a place in NYC that "might" be able to help me but I was weary of shipping so far away. So I sat on this again.

Friday I went with MRs.5543 to a watch repair shop in Hobe Sound, Florida, this place services Jupiter Island clients, (i.e. Seline Dione, Tiger woods, inster your millionaire here) so he seemed to know his stuff.

He was repairing a watch for my wife, I mention me Heuer watch to him, he asks me to describe it further, I explain it more, he asks some questions and I answer. He goes and pulls out an envelope and shows me pictures of a Rolex that I would assume was a lost cause, it looked worse than my watch. Then he pulls out the restored watch, it looked new!!

As I am typing this, I am almost in tears (could be the Whiskey) I finally found a person I can trust to fix my watch. A client was in there while I was where, he was waiting while the repair guy fixed Mrs5543's watch, he told me, this cat is honest to a fault he charges to little for what he does.

Score!!

So next week I am dropping my Heuer watch off for what will be an emotional and exciting restoration beyond my wildest dreams.  My wife has been all smiles all weekend because I am giddy with excitement to finally have this watch repaired back to its original glory.

BTW - The repair guy was brutally honest with me, he told me this is not going to be cheap, parts are hard to come by and he may need to make some. He also was honest to tell me this watch was worth from $8-12K when restored. depending on the amount of non original parts.  No wonder assholes were tying to steal it from me for $100. They knew, they knew.


Look for updates as I get them as this restoration and highly emotional journey ensures...


The watch as it sits today:

[Jims5543]

Just thought of this. This was the Porsche board that was trying to help me. This thread is about my grandfather, another member there and I were trying figure out if his father and my grandfather were in the same places at the same time. Turns out no. what is in this link is the story of my grandfather, heavy on his service in WW2.

He was my hero, my father conversely found religion in order to avoid Vietnam.  So he could go on and deal drugs.... 

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/376154-george-adams.html

[jeff10049]

Very cool looks like an 1163 or maybe an 1163viceroy?  Cool, watch with a cool history in racing and your family it's nice you found someone to restore it for you.
(Edit on computer instead of phone now) Just noticed the red accents on the hands it is indeed the Viceroy model.

[Willie_B]

Great story about your Grandfather and the watch. I have seen Seikos far worse than that restored. It is going to be great when finished. Wear it.

[94touring]

Hope it gets fixed up to it's former glory. 

[MiniDave]

The best part for me is that you managed to keep it all these years, so that now when you're older, smarter and have the money you can get it fixed right and keep it - and maybe hand it down to your boy someday.

When I was about 14 my grandfather (my mom's father) gave me his Tissot that he'd had since he was a boy in Switzerland, by the time I was 16 it was gone....who knows where. It wasn't anything unique or expensive, but I sure wish I had it today.

As an adult I managed to lose my father's Seiko that was the only thing I took from his possessions when he died.

[John Gervais]

Great story, great watch!  I love watches.  You're doing the right thing in having it restored/repaired; respecting your grandfather and the watch which symbolizes so much. 

Although it might sound odd, but if it were 'mine' I'd want to leave a slight imperfection or a hint of the patina.

[Jims5543]

I may have time this afternoon to get to the shop and drop it off, as you can imagine I want to finally get this started.


Thanks everyone for the well wishes and John, yes I may have no choice on the patina thing, which I will be fine with because it will never be sold.

[Jims5543]

Very cool looks like an 1163 or maybe an 1163viceroy?  Cool, watch with a cool history in racing and your family it's nice you found someone to restore it for you.
(Edit on computer instead of phone now) Just noticed the red accents on the hands it is indeed the Viceroy model.

Did some google searching based on your info (thank you so much!!) and found quite a few examples of varying condition from 3K to 5K all the way up to 20K.  Mine will never be worth that much that is for a pristine example with all documentation which my mom did manage to toss before we moved. I did have everything before the move, case extra band and paperwork.

The only reason the watch is still with me is because I packed it in my clothing when we moved.

[jeff10049]

Jim, Here is a neat article if you're interested I like mechanical timepieces I don't actually own many but enjoy reading the history. I have some other Heuer stuff stashed away on a hard drive I'll look for it.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/ode-to-smoke

Rally/race  History and how what your watch was named after. Some of this site is pretty technical but if you want to know exact specs they have it.

http://www.onthedash.com/Guide/_DashMounted/Rallye_Master/

Pic of Heuer Autavia rally timer on classic mini dash. And another old Heuer photo just for fun.

[Jims5543]

Jeff, that article about the cigarette promotion was really good.

I alluded to something in my first post and never finished my point. If you look at the watches the crown is on the left side of the watch when most watches have them on the right side. As a lefty I wear my watch on my right wrist.  If I needed to adjust the time I would do it on my wrist.

With any other watch I had to take it off. This was a big reason my grandfather bought this watch, he thought it was awesome that the crown was on on the left side.

Thanks, I skimmed the article and it was really cool. Gonna dig into the other one later, gotta get to work!!

[John Gervais]

"I wear my watch on my right wrist."

Steve McQueen did too.   77.gif

[Jimini II]

Great story and a cool watch. I am glad you were able to grow up with your grandfather as a father figure in your life so many kids don't have them in their lives nowadays. Keep us posted.

[Jims5543]

Bad news today, met with the watch guy he took one look and said the watch was too far gone to fix, mostly due to missing parts he said it would be impossible to track down so many parts.

If you look at the pics below you can see what he is say, I am racking my brain trying to remember if I started to take it apart.  Good possibility, the 20 year old version of me was pretty bull headed and thought he could do anything if he tried. I was especially not afraid to take things apart. Growing up all my toys were disassembled inspected as to how they worked then put back together.

In this case I was clearly over my head.

My determination will not wane though, I reached out to this cat in Belgium that sells this very watch. Trying to get a working example in my hands then maybe sacrificing it to somehow to marry it with parts of my watch to give it life again.

[jeff10049]

Most of those parts should be available that's a Buren 1281 or 1282  movement with a Dubious  Depraz chronograph added on looks like the main plate is mostly intact missing the auto winder and the chronograph seems to be totally gone! But they can be found don't give up.

start  here call if you don't see it or it says unavailable they have lots of parts. They do sell the chrono parts/plate as well

http://www.scotchwatch.com/Heuerparts.html

[jeff10049]

more info

http://onthedash.com/docs/ChronomaticMovements.html

[Jims5543]

I feel like trying to track down and buy all the parts, which I am not sure what parts are missing will be very costly. Especially when you consider I would then have to pay the wath guy to put it all together.

I struck a deal with a cat in Belgium who has 4 on hand 2 are in shops being gone over one is on his wrist that he wears the 4th is on his way to him and needs refurbishing.

He sold me the one off his wrist.  I feel like in the grand scheme of things this will be more affordable. Next step will to see if we can transfer the movement to my case. So at least that much is original.


The watch I purchased right off his wrist. LOL

[jeff10049]

did you transfer the movement to your watch? or use parts to repair yours? I'd be tempted to use your case and cleaned up face with some patina as someone else suggested with the new movement. Then sell off all the leftover parts.

Jeff

[Jims5543]

did you transfer the movement to your watch? or use parts to repair yours? I'd be tempted to use your case and cleaned up face with some patina as someone else suggested with the new movement. Then sell off all the leftover parts.

Jeff

Yeah, I saw something shiny and got distracted.

I was helping a friend frind a Heuer Watch, he asked me knowing I was somewhat into them. I have a new one, that busted Viceroy and now that nicer Viceroy and I have been reading a lot of them.

He wanted a new F1 Senna model.  I tried to talk him into a vintage one but no dice. Then I stumbled upon this 1995 Omega Speedmaster Schumacher edition for sale on a site I was pointing him towards for a vintage Heuer.  Then I started obsessing over it... and thinking about it and looking at it and visiting the web page over and over looking at it some more. Then hoping someone would buy it so I would not have to.

I ended up buying it.   ;D


It comes in a super cool case that is a F1 wheel that slides open to store the watch inside. It has all the paperwork too.  Seems it started its ownership in the Orient. I need help.



Back to the old Viceroy, I have to wait until next summer to take it to this guy, he is in season now with all the rich snowbirds back in town and busy.  In the meantime the guy that sold me the nicer Viceroy is on the lookout (as am I ) for 1163  guts.  I would like to restore this one back as best as possibly keeping the patina as well.  I have plans, they are just on hold until the spring. In the meantime I am wearing the one I purchased from Belgium. It is so cool to look down and see this familiar watch on my wrist.

[jeff10049]

Way cool restoring it keeping as many original parts as possible would be my choice as well I thought you had given up on a restore glad to hear it's still a chance. I posted a parts source in this thread worth calling if you haven't.

Also Remember to include that it's a Buren 1281 or 1282  (I think 81 and 82 are interchangeable but don't hold me to it) movement. With a Dubious  Depraz add on  chronograph in your qwest for parts I may know of a complete chrono locally but he's gone to palm desert until spring I will try and connect with him in april.

Also love the Omega.

Jeff
(edit) to add that the dubois depraz module number is 8510

[John Gervais]

Nice Omega!  When I bought my watch, Hyacinth couldn't really understand 'why'.  One of her male colleagues explained that watches are pretty much the only jewelry guys can wear.  No guilty feelings, can't have too many.

[Mudhen]

I'm going to sign up for this thread...you guys must have too much time on your hands to know all this stuff about watches!  (yes, I really did just say that...I'm so lame, I have no life  ::) ).

Cool story, Jim, thanks for posting it.

Pat

[jeff10049]

Some more shit to read if you want.
Also in your qwest for parts Hamilton and Elgin also used the caliber 11 movement. elgin 366 I think. never know what might turn up on the bay.

http://www.onthedash.com/docs/Project99.html

[Jims5543]

Some more shit to read if you want.
Also in your qwest for parts Hamilton and Elgin also used the caliber 11 movement. elgin 366 I think. never know what might turn up on the bay.

http://www.onthedash.com/docs/Project99.html

Thank you again sir, I will definitely read that this evening.

[Jims5543]

Just got the Rolex back from the tune up, this watch guy is gold. He really has a passion for this business and you can tell. Next time I am in there I need to snap some pics. He turned a 1800's pocket watch into a wrist watch.... because he can.

He put it under a microscope and let Gian watch all the movement going on, which was really cool.


He said I could ask $2K for the Rolex, not sure if I am going to sell, he told me to hang on to it and give to one of my kids.  Just hate for either of my boys to have to dole out $700 every 5-10 years for a tune up.