Polishing. We do not polish our watches, though in the case of timepieces that were owned before we acquired them we cannot guarantee that they haven’t been previously buffed. For us the rationale is simple...watches are meant to be worn and enjoyed and there will be signs of it. Mechanical watches have proven that, with reasonable care and maintenance, they may continue to function for generations. Furthermore, we believe that the next owner is entitled to know the general care that a watch was given before it was adopted by them.

Servicing. We only purvey watches that have been serviced within the last few years, and/or perform within accepted standards for timepieces of their type and period. Watches that are newer; do not exhibit signs of being worn excessively; and run well, are not deemed to require servicing on a case-by-case basis. When available, documentation from the servicing technician is included. Just because a watch is 25 years-old does not necessarily mean it needs service. The reasons for this has to do with the predominant use of synthetic lubricants [such as Mobius 9010] in the last 3 decades. If a ten year-old watch appears to have been worn daily, then it would be assessed to logically require routine maintenance. If it looks to have sat in a drawer for the last couple of decades, and performs well on the timegrapher, then the synthetic lubricants are likely in almost original condition.  The service regimen that we employ is typically called a "CLA", or "Clean, Lube, and Adjust".  This requires removing the "works" from the case, then gently disattaching the hands and dial.  Following is a complete teardown of the movement; a stringent cleaning with specialized equipment and solutions; careful re-assembly and relubrication with specific fine oils and light grease; and finally adjusting and regulating the balance components to return timekeeping to a tolerance that would have been standard for that watch.  Then the dial and hands are carefully reattached, and the movement is secured again to the case.

Conversely, true vintage watches almost always require full service. Even the best lubricants have a finite span of effectiveness. On rare occasions we might obtain, say, a 60s Omega Constellation and it runs like a chronometer. From there we will try to ascertain if it has indications that the previous owner had it serviced within the last five years. This can be done by contacting the previous owner, but is usually from the inside case back. In reality, any watch that is older than the late 90s automatically gets in the queue for a doctor visit. We only use accredited watchmakers, but obviously the fewer times you have to take a movement completely apart and re-assemble it is the best result. Hence, we have many vintage watches that will not be for sale until they are properly treated and pass their physical.

Measuring Timekeeping.    It is our opinion that, after overall condition, the difference between a watch worth owning and one that a client should pass on is how well it keeps Greenwich "mean time".  Most reputable watch purveyors share this principal, so we are not breaking any new ground here.  We make this distinction of determining what is a "healthy" timepiece mainly through the use of a "timegrapher".  At this point we are going to keep it simple and try to make sense of this by referring to medical terms.  When we put a watch on our timegrapher, it is like when your doctor puts a stethoscope to your heart and listens to it beat.  The three principal items that are recorded are: 1. [Beat Rate] The average number of times the heart beats in a hour, and if that is fast or slow for what is considered normal, per day; 2. [Amplitude] The pressure being delivered to the blood stream; and 3. [Beat Error]  How evenly the two valves of the heart are operating together.

Amplitude:  Modern watches have the benefit of often more accurate machine work, superior materials, and even some effect of automated processes.  This translates generally to greater consistency in the beat rate, and more amplitude from the main spring.  While an amplitude of 215 to 260 degrees is considered decent for a vintage watch with a less torquey mainspring, 250 to 315 degrees is desired in newer watches.  So amplitude is the factor that usually determines whether a watch will benefit from a routine CLA, at which time mainsprings are often replaced.

Beat Rate: This is a clue into other health factors, particularly lubrication and integrity of moving parts.  One of the reasons we usually time a watch at least a half hour is because these moving parts are sensitive to position and movement.  We let it settle into the beat rate it is comfortable with in that position.  We demagnetize it first, then time it.  If after settling in it has arrived at a consistent average beat rate, that tells us a lot.  If the amplitude is healthy but the beat rate varies more than 4-5 seconds a day, we can safely assume that either the lubricants have dried up, or have become gummy.  Of the two, gummy is preferable. Dried up lubricants will allow pivots to begin wearing against jewels or bearings, and once that happens the watch will never run consistently without swapping out the worn parts with new ones.  This shows on a timegrapher as wild swings in beat rate. Gummy oils occur more often in vintage watches, which primarily used organic oils and greases.  It shows up usually, with normal amplitude, as a watch running significantly slow, or fast.  This is a condition that is usually remedied simply by thoroughly removing the old lubricants and replacing them with fresh ones.

The least understood factor...Beat Error:  Many watches, especially vintage ones, live with a minute amount of beat error. Think of the Balance Wheel as the beating heart, and then think of beat error as measuring the consistency of the heart valves. This is the "tick/tock" of a watch.  If a balance wheel swings 260 degress in maximum rotation, and it runs 130 degrees to the left, and then runs 130 degress to the right, it has 0 degrees of beat error.  If the numbers are 129.5 to the left and 130.5 to the right, it has 1.0 degree of beat error.  This can almost always be adjusted, but it is so sensitive that only a well-trained watchmaker should perform this regulation.  Most watchmakers are cool with anything .5 degrees or less.  If it is a chronometer then they may take the extra time to try to dial it into zero.  Many older watches arrive to us operating with beat errors of 1, 2, even three degrees of beat error.  This is because both beat rate and beat error are inextricably tied to each other, and this linkage has much to do with the "functional" length of the hairspring.  If one goes out, the other will deviate also.  Too much beat error will often cause a watch to not "self-start", and that isn't good.

Lastly, we include images of the watch on the timegrapher in the "dial up" position, rather than a number of positions that the watchmaker may adjust to.  Often they are going for the best measurement "crown down", as the theory is that this is the posiition in which most watches operate the most.  Our reason is to keep it simple.  We might be able to show you a better result in another position, but we are going for a level playing field, so we always show "dial up".  Part of that rationale is that in either "dial up" or "dial down" the gravitational forces of the balance pivot to the balance jewels are relatively equal, so we are looking for an understandable average.

Would You Like That with Cheese?.  Other than servicing the movement and adding a bracelet that compliments the design, we try to preserve the originality of watches as we receive them, and a pleasing "patina" is considered nice.  Wrist cheese is not patina.  It is amazing how many sellers ship us watches that have enough DNA on them to be considered evidence in a court of law.  Not our favorite experience.  Before we ship a watch the case is brushed with soft bristles and wiped with a soft cloth. The bracelet is removed, soft-scrubbed with detergent, and then ultrasonically cleaned at 115 degrees.

Shipping. Within reason, we will not charge you for postage and insurance. We build certain costs into our pricing, and we like the idea that the price is the price.

Taxes. By law, we do not have to charge sales tax until we reach a particular monetary sales threshold mandated by whatever state you live in. We are new at this, so we are not certain how our payment processing partners will deal with this aspect, but we are working to find out. We do have the ability to accept payments without using Paypal, et al, so in those instances we know we do not have to charge tax. The exception to this would be any sales that we physically conduct within the State of Nevada.

Sales outside of the USA. Not at this juncture. This is a small operation and we are not in a hurry to get much bigger. We view our role more as curators for persons who wish to dive a little deeper into the watch scene. Our principal focus is on affordable items that will provide years of enjoyment, or as a gateway to a hardcore horological adventure. 

Questions. We have provided contact@antiquare.biz as the manner in which we prefer to communicate with our clients. Once initial contact is made we can proceed in whatever manner you prefer. Your emails will be read and responded to in a timely manner, and we certainly will attempt to answer any questions you may have. We are registered as an LLC with the State of Nevada, and a currently operating business with the Nevada Board of Taxation.