A community for watch & horology discussion.
This is a very valuable watch.
Waterproof Universal Tricompax "Clapton"
https://www.chrono24.com/universalgenve/tri-compax-eric-clapton--id20496752.htm
Post over in r/VintageWatches for advice.
Ohhh... crap, well this is going to be harder than I thought.
Can't view the community apparently
In my personal opinion, before doing anything else, you should get it insured. May need to get an appraisal first, but just get the thing insured. Look into Jewelers Mutual Insurance, great coverage and prices, basically the leader in jewelry insurance in the U.S.
Idk what repair cost are, what i should and should not replace and what the time period would be for fixing. Obviously my grandfather wore it a ton and I think the worn look is nice but am not sure what I should replace and not.
On the topic of what to replace and not, the dial, bezel and hands are a no-go. Be very, very clear they shouldn’t be replaced. And don’t get the case polished either. In general keep it as original and close to your grandfather’s watch as you can. Maybe polish the crystal, that’s up to you and the watchmaker. As for the movement, don’t expect parts to be easy to find or cheap. You gotta be patient and willing to pay to get this watch going again, but it mightn’t even need any parts if it was looked after by your grandfather. But seriously, what a watch!
What region do you live? We may be able to recommend some vintage watch restorers in your area.
My dad lives down in s/e Florida, so I would probably want to service it near him if possible.
This is a grail watch. Do not restore anything on it. Leave it as it is and get just the movement serviced. I have had good experiences with farfo and grand central watch. Both have done excellent services for me.
I recommend a service company called The Art of the Watch. I am not affiliated with them - I am a happy customer. They specialize in “preservations” where they make the watch mechanically sound without polishing or any of the other invasive procedures all the smart people here have recommended you do NOT do. This is correct. You want it mechanically sound but physically as-is.
Wow. Replace nothing. Polish nothing. I know the initial reaction to a vintage watch can be to "restore" it, but restoration is actually generally a destructive process that involved replacing original parts, polishing (which subtracts metal and changes the original contours) the metal components etc.
You have a genuine family heirloom with signs of your grandfathers years of use on it. I'd treasure that wear and tear and only seek to preserve it. You could polish the crystal and have the movement serviced and Im sure it would be well on it's way to giving your family decades of continued use.
Be very selective in who you let service this watch, only allow an expert in these particular references to service it. Might help to reach out to some quality vintage dealers to get a watch maker reference. I might message someone like Eric Wind or Kevin O'Dell for a recommendation.
Brilliant watch. Truly
Absolutely stunning.
If you’re interested in continuing the story of this incredibly cool heirloom piece, I can suggest contacting Marshall at Wristwatch Revival - he has a YouTube channel where the process of servicing your grandfather’s watch (and it’s story!) could be shared with millions of people.