Malaysia Watch Forum
Main Forums => Watch Gallery => Topic started by: dankhar on October 06, 2014, 01:15:33 PM
-
I've been wanting to share this little story of my first ever watch.
It's kind of long winded story but please bear with me ... :lol:
Growing up in a poor family I didn't wear any watch during my junior or high school days.
Both my parents can't afford to buy a watch for the kids as they don't own any for themselves even until the day they passed on ...
Right after my high school days, I've decided to work for a year to save up enough money for the enrollment fees for my art college.
How I survived the 3 years in college is another story to tell ... :lol:
It was during the 1 year I was working that I managed to purchased my first ever watch using my first month salary ... an Orient Quartz.
The year was 1982 and the price was approx. RM180 if my memory serves me well.
The watch has served me well during my college days and several years well into my working days.
Had lots of scratches, knocks, a crystal change and some battery changes.
It was during one of those careless days I've accidentally cracked the crystal for the second time and somehow water managed to seeped through the movement.
There it was, dead and unable to move even though I've sent it to a few watch maker and all of them had given up hope on it.
Might as well buy a new watch they said.
Call me a sentimental fool if you want but I'm not willing to discard the Orient as both us has a lot of history together.
With a heavy heart I wrapped the Orient and put it away in the corner of my drawer hoping one day I might be able to find a good watch maker who can do magic on it.
So I bought my second watch (the year 1992 and it was a vintage OLMA manual wind watch. That's another story to tell ... :lol: )
Over the years, I've moved to many places - to wherever my job takes me but the Orient stayed with me.
I will open it up once in a while to clean and polish it and again store it away.
Fast forward, due to my work I was transferred to The Philippines last September and got to know a number of local watch makers in Manila. During my recent home trip, when I was going through my drawer there it was the Orient nicely wrapped in plastic, yearning for attention.
Thought to myself, with so many master watch makers here in Manila surely one of them might be able to give the Orient a hope of life?
So, I took to a watch maker that I've befriended and to see if he could do something about the watch.
He asked me to leave it with him overnight and will let me know the verdict the next day.
True enough, the next day I received a SMS from him which basically says "No problem. Can be repaired though it might take some time"
My immediate respond was "Please proceed" as I was willing to pay whatever it cost - all I wanted was to see that Orient to tick again.
It took the watch maker slightly over a month and finally I got the message from him yesterday to collect it.
Lo and behold ... there it was in my hands ticking beautifully and it's alive!
I am really overwhelmed to see that old faithful Orient ticking again.
Though my watch collection has moved towards automatics, this Orient quartz will always have a special place in my heart.
Someday I will pass it on to one of my sons or daughter with a story to tell about how I did not give hope on a good friend ... An Orient watch.
Here are the pictures below showing the before and after of my beloved Orient ...
Before:
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/DSCN0136.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/DSCN0142.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/DSCN0139.jpg)
After:
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/20141006_072943.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/20141006_073002.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/20141006_073023.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/20141006_073044.jpg)
(http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w143/dankhar/20141006_073059.jpg)
TFL
-
Wow, thanks for sharing the story and what a beauty of a restoration. Congrats and have fun wearing your lovely watch again...
Patrick
-
Thanks for the kind words Patrick.
Was showing the watch to my daughter this morning and asked her if she's interested to wear the watch when she grows up.
She gave me this huge smile and an enthusiastic nod. ;D
-
she want iWatch
-
The value of this watch is the story...priceless. May it continues to serve generations to come.
-
Great story , Your girl will be the next proud owner of this watch :thumbsup:
-
That's very good restoration work. It needs someone with passion to work on something others would consider worthless.
-
Thank you for the kind words guys.
It's the abundance of master watch makers here in Manila that have re-ignited my interest to restore some of watches that I've collected over the years and kept it safe in the corner my drawer.
There are a few watches that I've lined up for restoration works.
Will post the story behind the acquisition of the said watch and pictures once they're done.
Cheers.
-
nice story! but they fixed a quartz? they changed parts or replace whole movement? And what a bout the crystal? they replaced a new genuine crystal? as i know it is not common for such a hexagon-shape unless custom made.
-
Hi Ken,
Luckily only part of the IC was replaced according to the watch maker. Not the whole movement.
The replacement crystal is a genuine glass crystal - not the plastic acrylic that I changed previously.
Somehow these watch makers here can source for original parts.
Now I understand why he took more than a month to complete the whole job. The sourcing might have took time I guess.
nice story! but they fixed a quartz? they changed parts or replace whole movement? And what a bout the crystal? they replaced a new genuine crystal? as i know it is not common for such a hexagon-shape unless custom made.
-
What a story!! Its the sentimental value that make it priceless.. Keep it in good faith bro..Waiting for your next "restroration" story.. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
-
Wow what a great story and what a beautiful watch :thumbsup:
-
WOW Amazing after re new
-
Thanks for the nod nasa, Arcanum and craftvn :Cheers: :Cheers:
-
Congratz, and its a loveley watch.
I know the feeling of restoring a watch.