Vintage Help

[Hannibal singh]

Hi Guys, and thanks for having me on board.

Ive this very nice 1929 Oyster,
WTC have told me the Balance staff and plates have gone and they cant find the parts.
Im wondering if it's worth having restored and will this bring the value down if the parts have to be made. Rolex in London have told me if they don't have the vintage parts they cant do the job so Im a little stuck and I don't want to pay more for a refurb than the watch is worth.

Many thanks in advance.
Ive attached some photos and one of a mine one that I found..

[DAC2]

Shouldn't this be in the vintage forum ?

[scurfa]

Do you know the size and movement reference?


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[Dan S]

A balance staff can be fabricated by a true watchmaker. The cost is significant, but not astronomical. I suspect you could find someone to do that as part of a service for an additional 100-150 GBP, roughly. What do you mean by the "plates" are gone? If that is something major, it might be more economical to look for a parts movement. That could be time-consuming, but if you found one, you might be able to buy it for a few hundred GBP. These old oysters have some value, but they aren't terribly expensive compared to later models, in part because of the size.

[Jessiecopeland]

An aftermarket balance staff should be readily available for this watch.
Shouldn’t require a custom made staff.
It’s a very pretty dial and hands, isn’t it?

[zapokee]

I suspect it'll cost more to repair than it's worth.

If it's not sentimental, I'd consider selling it for parts and getting something else.

[alwayshere]

Originally Posted by zapokee

I suspect it'll cost more to repair than it's worth.

If it's not sentimental, I'd consider selling it for parts and getting something else.

agree with this.

This isn't a particularly valuable timepiece

[Hannibal singh]

Thanks Guys..