Recently I have serviced a number of sentimental family watches for ClockSavant customers. This watch belonged to the Great Grandfather of the owner and is from the very early 1960’s. I wanted to reflect for a moment on the unique connection people have with mechanical watches. Mechanical watches store and carry-forward the personal energy of their owners, be it hand winding or arm motion. On their wrist, they track the passage of time and life and reflect personal style. These watches are also tied to an era— a point-in-time— different from today. Times we may associate with a sense of importance or joy. When we go back in time, we may reminisce for an era that felt more fun-loving, connected, and fulfilling. Or perhaps we may honor the bravery, commitment, and importance of those that used the watch to navigate critical decisions. Whatever the memories, the personal connection is there for those that choose to see it, and for me it’s an honor to maintain and restore these family treasures. This particular watch carries with it some of the long lugs found in watches from the 1950’s with the changing styles of the 1960’s. It carries an ETA 2472 which has many of the design components found today in the ETA 2824. The ETA 2472 rocker-mechanism used to drive the crown wheel which winds the mainspring via the ratchet wheel is a bit more robust in my opinion than the mechanism that came in later ETA watches.
