Water Resistance - As a general rule, I do not recommend getting any vintage watch wet. The only exceptions are relatively modern Rolexes that use the current-style crowns and tubes. The system of a screw-down crown, screw back, and a specialized crystal is an effective means of waterproofing a watch, provided that the seals are fresh (less than 5 years old). I do not believe that non-screw down crowns or snap backs effectively seal a watch. Chronograph pushers and date correctors are also sources of leakage. Small amounts of water can also affect the watch's lubrication. Vintage watches that have leaked are generally very expensive to repair (over $600), so I don't think the risk is justified.
Water-resistance means a watch is sealed against dust and water. It refers to the pressure the watch can withstand, measured in atmospheres or bars.
Pressure is a force applied to a surface where 1 bar = 1 kg / sq. cm.
There are two types of pressure:
The water-resistance indicated on a watch usually corresponds to relative pressure. During diving, the pressure on the watch is absolute pressure. At sea level (zero altitude), atmospheric pressure equals 1 bar and increases by 1 bar for every 10 metres below sea level.
Freshwater has a density of 1, meaning one litre of fresh water weighs 1 kg.
Saltwater has a density of 1.026 because of the salt it contains.
In reality, relative pressure increases by 0.98 bar in freshwater and by 1.007 bars in saltwater
Shipping Recommendations - I recommend that you use Registered US Mail when sending your watch in for repair. You should pack the watch in a box, and use paper tape to seal the seams. The post office will stamp the seams to show that the box has not been tampered with during shipping. On the Registered Mail form, there is a box to check to insure the package, and it can be insured for up to $25,000. Registered Mail is handled separately from the rest of the mail, and is therefore more secure than plain 'Insured' Mail (in fact, everyone who handles a Registered package has to sign for it throughout its transit). Insured Mail uses a blue sticker/form, while Registered uses a red sticker. Insured Mail is adequate for packages valued at less than $500. There is a price break (at about $500) where Registered Mail is actually cheaper than Insured. Additional insurance for Registered packages is relatively inexpensive, so I generally over-insure packages. Generally, a package shipped Registered US Mail and insured for a few thousand dollars will cost about $18 to ship including insurance costs.
Historical & Value Information - I welcome any questions specifically regarding the repair of a watch, such as: can I fix this brand?, can I fix this problem?, approximately how much will it cost?, what kind of performance can I expect?, etc. However, I get numerous inquiries from people looking only for general information on their particular watches, such as: what can you tell me about this watch?, when was it made?, how much is it worth?, etc. Unfortunately, I do not have time to answer these types of questions. For historical information, I suggest you obtain the book, the Complete Guide to Watches, by Cooksey Shugart, Tom Engle & Richard Gilbert. It has a lot of historical information, pictures, and a price guide. This book can be bought at a local bookstore, borrowed from the library, or purchased at an on-line bookstore.
Plastic vs. Sapphire Crystals - Watches that originally came with plastic crystals cannot be converted to use a modern sapphire crystal. Plastic crystals are domed higher than sapphire crystals, and therefore provide much more hand clearance. If you tried to fit a sapphire crystal, the hands would bind on the crystal and the watch would stop. Mineral/sapphire crystals didn't become popular until the 70's or 80's, so most round vintage watches originally came with plastic crystals. Some of the very early watches used glass crystals, especially in the fancy (non-round) shapes.
There is no way to properly fit a sapphire crystal onto a Rolex which originally came with a plastic crystal, as the cases are designed specifically to accept a plastic crystal. Any attempts to do so will result in a poor fit and an unsealed watch.
Watch Winders - There seem to be a lot of different opinions on the use of watch winders. My opinion is as follows. The main issue with watch winders, in my opinion, is wear and tear on the movements (especially in the autowind section). I think you're better off not running your watches if you're not going to wear them (although I think it's probably a good idea to run them at least once every two weeks or so.) If you're going to use a watch winder, it makes sense to run it for the minimum amount of time to wind your watches, so as to minimize wear on the movement. I don't recommend putting most vintage watches on a winder, as finding replacement parts for a worn vintage watch can be difficult and costly. Some movements, like the vintage Rolex bubbleback, have early autowind mechanisms which are prone to wear. This is much less of an issue with modern pieces. In short, I think watch winders are probably OK for most modern watches, but probably aren't a good idea for vintage pieces.
Watch Parts - I do not sell watch parts outright. Of course, I will take care of finding all necessary parts when I service your watch. If you have a piece that someone else could not find parts for, you are welcome to send the entire watch to me for servicing and I will take responsibility for finding the correct parts and repairing the watch.