Question: Engraving watch

I have been playing with the idea to engrave a Wristwatches for some time but I do not know how to proceed, I hope you can help me with some answers. Note that I would prefer a stainless Wristwatches.
1) I do not own a watch, what would be a good candidate?
2) Do I need to have the watch disassemble?
3) Any special precautions and advises?
4) Is it important to keep the marking on the back of the watch?

Thank you for your help

Thierry,
Can't comment on your first questions but I can give you my thoughts on the last one.
I just purchased a nice S&W that I am going to engrave.
I have decided to erase the logo and engrave that portion due to the fact that it gives me more canvas AND I have no intention of selling the piece. If I was gearing to resell it to a collector of that brand of pistol I would definitely not erase the logo.

This falls into the same category as folks ordering spurs with their initials and later deciding to sell or trade them off years later.
But, as an heirloom, the initials, even though they do not belong to the heir WOULD mean something.
Me? I would engrave MY dated monogram surrounded by scrollwork to be used as an example of my talent and then leave it as my legacy to my favorite grandkid.

This summation may well apply to your choice of watches as well.
Buy what you would be proud to LOOK at on YOUR own wrist for years.

Thank you for your suggestions.

its like getting a tattoo of your girlfriends name, then crossing it out when you find a new one, girlfriend that is. don't drink and drive you might spill your drink

1) I do not own a watch, what would be a good candidate?
2) Do I need to have the watch disassemble?
3) Any special precautions and advises?
4) Is it important to keep the marking on the back of the watch?

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1. It depends on what you intend to do with the watch. For yourself or for resale? For yourself any brand will do that is within your budget and that appeals to you. Just make sure that it is 316L stainless and not plated. For resale you need a good quality brand and will cost more money. It must be a mechanical watch and not a battery operated one..................think guns!!!! You can spend as much time on a cheap gun as an expensive one. But the expensive gun will make you more money.

For resale pick a classic style as some of the new chunky watches have limited appeal.

Beware of engraving some expensive watches for resale....some manufacturers are fussy about warranties so the minute you engrave it the warranty flies out the door. This can be important to potential buyers.

2. Yes and no.........it is better to be disassembled as it is generally easier to work on. But, it is not always necessary. I have worked on both.............but if assembled you have more risk of damaging the crystal or "hammering" the working parts loose etc etc. Better to be safe than sorry. If you don't know how to disassemble the watch then get a professional to do it and save yourself the grief. A professional can disassemble and reassemble a watch within minutes and most importantly, won't lose parts and it will work properly when assembled.

3. You'll be fine. You know what you are doing and are a first class engraver. 316L is a lot different from gun metal so you will be sharpening a lot more. #16L is sticky and gummy to work with and does require a certain amount of stoning or sanding to get a smooth finish as it creates some awful burrs on the edge of cuts. Some finishing polishing is also necessary.

If you want to engrave a rotor then beware. Some are harder than the hobbs of hell and are miserable to work on. Carbide is the only thing that will cut them and then the tip can break every few seconds. Other rotors are very nice to work on. A lot of rotors have a brass top and metal bottom. The brass tops are pleasant and the metal part is miserable. Generally they are plated so go easy on the cutting till you know what the metal is underneath. Do not remove the plating.

4. Think guns........the same rules apply. On a cheap watch for yourself it doesn't matter. For resale on an expensive watch it does matter. (unless a client specifically requests the markings are taken off) The markings matter to collectors etc.

As I said, be careful of warranties on watches as some manufacturers are very strict on this. You engrave it and the warranties are no longer valid. You also need to think of how you are going to sell this watch if that is your intention.........buyers tend not to buy watches from engravers. They send us the watch to engrave. So there is a big difference. Engraving the watch will be the easy part. Selling it will be a lot harder unless you have a client base that is interested in the first place.

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew Biggs said:

1. It depends on what you intend to do with the watch. For yourself or for resale? For yourself any brand will do that is within your budget and that appeals to you. Just make sure that it is 316L stainless and not plated. For resale you need a good quality brand and will cost more money. It must be a mechanical watch and not a battery operated one..................think guns!!!! .........buyers tend not to buy watches from engravers. They send us the watch to engrave. So there is a big difference. Engraving the watch will be the easy part. Selling it will be a lot harder unless you have a client base that is interested in the first place.

Cheers
Andrew

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Thank you for the information and suggestions. I recognize that selling engraved watch is difficult, lol, so I will most likely keep it but even for myself I do not want to engrave junk, I was thinking about a Bulova or Omega, they have good reputation and are not so expensive, I will let you know which one I buy and how difficult cutting it is. Thanks again

Hi Theirry

Seeing this watch is for yourself I would highly recommend one of the watches on this link here

Go on....treat yourself

Cheers
Andrew

Andrew Biggs said:

Hi Theirry

Seeing this watch is for yourself I would highly recommend one of the watches on this link here

Go on....treat yourself

Cheers
Andrew

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Those are nice, but I was thinking of getting an expensive watch!