Display Only
If your watch is too costly to fix, then another option is a cosmetic one. Your family heirloom can look like it used to when it was newer, you don't have to worry about maintaining it, and you can show it off in a place of honor while being glad that it survived all these years.
Permanent Damage
People of varying skill levels have been working on these antiques for generations, occasionally doing far more harm than good, and some of it can be irreversible. If your watch should prove to be too damaged to restore, then simply making it look good again could be the way to go. We can clean and patch the dial, install a new crystal and correct hands, and buff the case so it can be put under glass on your mantel.
Cosmetic Work
Dial Refurbishing
Watch dials are fragile things made from porcelain, and like a mirror, once it's cracked it cannot be reversed. We offer basic repairs, although the dial has to be reasonably intact for us to have any kind of success. White porcelain dials only, please.
Dial refurbishing starting at $25
Enamel Replacement
Harsh chemicals can scrub the enamel inlay from the plate engravings, so we offer enamel replacement in both black and the brick red found on several Illinois models. It's a very tedious and time-consuming process, but definitely worth it.
New enamel starting at $35
Tarnish Reduction
Plate tarnish can be substantially reduced using several methods, regardless if the tarnish was caused by chemical residue, decades of exposure to smoke, salt air environment or harsh cleaners. We can't always eliminate it completely, but it will be an improvement.
Tarnish removal starting at $65
Hand Coloring
Wartime material shortages meant using acrylic for crystals, which yellowed and caused the hands to rust. If the hands on your watch aren't too pitted they can be polished out and returned to the factory colors of either plum or cobalt blue.
Hand coloring starting at $20
Crystal Replacement
Very few watches will still have the original glass, and for a crystal to be both original and scratch-free the watch would have to be a time-capsule example. Cheap plastic crystals scratch easily and don't belong on an antique watch, much less a family heirloom, so we can install a proper glass crystal in all sizes and styles of new and NOS.
New crystals starting at $40
Case Polishing
Nickel or silver watch cases can be polished up like new, unless there is ornate engraving. Gold cases shouldn't be buffed at all.
Case polishing starting at $25
Display Conversion
If your movement has a dazzling pattern, we can mill the back cover into a bezel, add a new glass crystal, and turn your vintage timepiece into an instant showpiece. Not every case is a good candidate because only certain kinds can be converted, so be sure to contact us first.
We only cut into cases that are worn or damaged.
Display conversions starting at $145
All cosmetic work is performed during service or restoration of your watch, meaning that none of these services are offered separately.
Glass Domes
Shelf Stands
Shelf Stands
Show off your cherished family heirloom on your mantel while protecting it under glass in a walnut display dome.
Shelf Stands
Shelf Stands
Shelf Stands
Display your grandfather's watch on one of these sturdy acrylic stands, which can hold even the biggest 18-size watch.
Restoration Highlights
One of Illinois's rarest watches was the 23-jewel Washington Lafayette. Only 190 were ever made.