Running, Serviced or Needs Service: How We Describe a Vintage Watch

The short answerEvery watch we sell runs unless its listing says otherwise. Working watches run for 25 hours before they ship. If a watch needs service, we say so near the price and price it with that in mind.

The first thing most people ask about a vintage watch is whether it works. Our rule is simple: every watch we sell runs, unless the listing says otherwise. If a watch needs service, you'll see it near the price and in the description. Here is what our condition notes mean, and what they don't.

Running

A working watch runs for a full 25 hours before it ships. If it stops, it doesn't go out as a working watch. Quartz pieces usually get a fresh battery first, and the listing says so.

Running tells you the watch works today. It doesn't tell you when it was last opened by a watchmaker. A fifty-year-old automatic can run beautifully and still be due for a cleaning, the same way an old car can start every morning and still need its oil changed. If we know a watch has been serviced, the listing says Serviced. If we don't know, we don't guess.

Needs service

Needs service means the watch doesn't run, or doesn't run well enough for us to call it Running. Sometimes that's a dry movement that wants a cleaning. Sometimes it's something we can't diagnose without a watchmaker's bench. We price these pieces with that in mind, and we say so plainly in the description.

A lot of collectors look for exactly these. A 1920s Waltham Art Deco tonneau like this one is worth bringing back properly, and buying it as found lets you choose who does the work. You can see every one we have in Needs service.

For parts

Once in a while a watch is listed For parts. That means we don't expect it to run again as it is, but the case, dial, hands or movement are worth having. The listing will tell you which.

What else we tell you

Every listing gives the size, the case material as best we can identify it, and the condition as we found it: scratches, worn plating, a cracked crystal, a strap that isn't original. We photograph the flaws up close instead of hiding them in the angles. If we aren't sure about something, like whether a dial has been refinished, we say that too.

Browse the whole watch collection, or filter it to watches you can wear today.

Questions we get

Should I service a vintage watch after buying it?

If its service history is unknown, it's worth having a watchmaker look at it, even if it runs well. Old oils dry out over time.

Why would anyone buy a watch that needs service?

Some collectors prefer to choose their own watchmaker, and a watch that needs work is priced lower to reflect it.

What if a watch arrives and isn't as described?

Tell us within 48 hours of delivery. You can also return any piece within 14 days of delivery. See our Return policy for details.