Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'

Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum'
[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

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Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Allan Campbell on 5/2/2025, 6:04 pm

I have my fathers from Reyrolle’s for service 1935-1976.

It’s a good Zenith watch.

As I’m now in my 80’s considering what to do with it. It would be no good to our Granddaughter or to our son.

Found identical on line so took it to 3 places in Harrogate.

One would give me £240 for it the others wanted £90 to value it.

One said that the engraving on the back devalued it.

It was rarely worn because of possible damage. I have worn it for the last week or so just to see if it still works, which it does, excellent timekeeper.

Why not wear it myself, it’s too good to wear and I use my old Diving watch.

Looking on line an identical watch for sale £3,000 and a similar at £2,850.

Draw your own conclusions!

Allan C. Trying another firm for price.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Mac C on 5/2/2025, 7:23 pm, in reply to "Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

No my dad died in service at Reyrolle aged 51 in 1968 so popped the proverbial clogs too early for a watch.
But I do have that presented to my Uncle Joe Cummings for service 1919-1959.
It's a Majex 17 Jewel Model worth "who knows" and I certainly don't care and haven't checked. It is never for sale and I am handing it down to my son on the basis that this item is a family heirloom tying him to an uncle, the elder brother of a Grandad he never knew.
It may well mainly live out of sight in a drawer but it is ours. Of our family. In fact thanks to you post it is on my wrist now. It will show the correct time twice today and subsequent days.
I hope you don't sell yours Allan!!
Mac

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Norman dunn on 5/2/2025, 8:06 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

Sorry to hear your dad passed away at such a young age Mac. So sad.
I passed my dad's 40 yrs of Reyrolles service watch to my son. Think it was a Zenith like Allan's dad's.

Norman

Posted by Allan Campbell on 5/2/2025, 8:18 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

I expect it will be the same. I have no doubt that Reyrolle’s bought a batch job of them back then. Remember all the photos of retirement, long service that you have.

Photo of Dad’s attached. The engraving on the back devalue it I understand.

Allan C.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Allan Campbell on 5/2/2025, 8:11 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

Mac I’m wearing it but will I sell it maybe yes maybe no.

Depends on what it’s worth. However I may have it properly valued and then insured just in case!

Back in 2004/5 I sold 4 pocket watches which were no good to me, I should have kept them BUT.

To be honest these type of things are of no use other than sentimental purposes and probably it better that they go to a collector who will appreciate them.

At the moment I do not see any sense of it just sitting in a drawer as it has done for the last 40 years.

In a few years time it could end up ditched anyway, it’s had its time. I treasure photos and some tools of Dad’s more than his watch. He didn’t wear it very often, too valuable to use every day, not suitable for wearing when working or doing jobs at home, so kept in a drawer.

I will keep photos of it and his other stuff plus the story of his life that I have written.

What I do have are the wedding rings of Both my Grandfathers, Dad plus mine which I do not wear these days as now tight and stopped wearing mine as to dangerous to wear when doing jobs, had a close shave one day so stopped wearing it.

You have to let go sometime. Allan C.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Brian on 5/2/2025, 8:29 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

Allan if you're emotionally attached to them keep them and let your children decide after you've gone.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by John Shearer on 5/2/2025, 8:50 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

I don't have a presentation watch as such but had two nice watches, which I give to my Son's, one a Breitling Chronograph the other an IWC Geneva, I found them much better on them. Always time to let things go.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Sheila on 5/2/2025, 8:52 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

Brian, that's the best advice and I’m doing the same with things my father brought home from his time in the Royal Navy. I have two wales teeth which I was going to throw out, brought home in the 1920’s, so they are legal. I believe it’s illegal to have them now.

Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Brian on 5/2/2025, 9:10 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

No I think it's illegal to sell them .

Re: My father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Allan Campbell on 5/2/2025, 11:17 pm, in reply to "Re: Have you your father’s presentation watch?"

I will be discussing with my son what to do with Fathers watch.

He probably knows more about him than I do or did.

Why is that. We used to take him up the Mum’s during the school holidays and he would be there days, or weeks from age 5 to 16-18 often going to Sunderland matches etc.

He would see Dad as I never saw him. Dad working or going to various meetings and me at work then college. After work.

For the 10 years before I got married we were both gadding about doing our own thing. I rarely went to the football, cycling and running more my thing. I was a doer not a watcher.

After Dad retired in 1977 he would take my son all over the place and I would then hear things that I never knew.

Of course moving away from Tyneside in 1968 didn’t help.
Allan C.

Re: My father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Sheila on 6/2/2025, 8:44 am, in reply to "Re: My father’s presentation watch?"

Brian I might be wrong but I was told if they are old they can be sold on. I can’t be bothered to find out, so it will be for my my daughters to decide.

Re: My father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Mac Hardy on 6/2/2025, 11:09 am, in reply to "Re: My father’s presentation watch?"

My father was awarded a pocket watch by the Lifesaving Society for saving a man from drowning when the man fell in the river whilst jumping from the mid Tyne ferry when approaching the Walker landing.

At the time dad was a young rope boy on the ferry and jumped in and saved the man’s life.

Unfortunately the watch has gone missing within the family, I would love to keep it in memory of my father’s bravery.

Re: My father’s presentation watch?

Posted by Allan Campbell on 6/2/2025, 1:15 pm, in reply to "Re: My father’s presentation watch?"

Hope it’s found Mac.

These things are easily lost depending on their size.

A few weeks ago Ann lost her engagement ring and its box.

I searched every crook and cranny in the bed and bathroom two or three times, no luck.

Then one night Ann got up say 3 am and found it. As being half asleep she has no idea where it was.

Maybe it was in a sock or something as she tidied up? In her spare dressing gown as other in the wash?

However a pocket watch is probably too big to loose easily. Hope it’s in with something else !

Allan C.

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[ Norman Dunn's 'Hebburn and our Neighbours Forum' ]

Rules! No Party Politics,swearing,derogatory remarks or we will delete. Anyone sharing our content on Face Book must credit 'Hebburn and our Neighbours'.