Leo Hamel Fine Jewelers | A Lasting Legacy

A Lasting Legacy
by Leo Hamel

The Patek Philippe watch company runs a very successful advertising campaign which states, “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.” The same could be said about any fine watch or piece of jewelry. Any fine time piece or jewelry item you own, or acquire, has the potential of becoming an heirloom. Over the years, the single most treasured item I have been shown by customers has been their “Father’s watch” or “Grandfather’s watch.” I am always touched when I see the pride and value (far beyond the monetary value) attached to the forefather’s wrist watch. Sometimes the watch is not very valuable in a reselling sense, but because it is considered a family heirloom, small fortunes are spent to bring the watch back to life. More often, the watch was well cared for, and a cleaning is all that is needed to recondition it.

A modern wrist watch, if of the better Swiss or German manufacture, has the potential to run well for 100 years or more. We often service or repair 100 year-old pocket watches and they run just fine. The modern wrist watch has a much more water and dust-resistant case than older models, is made of modern metals and the lubricants have improved over the years. My guess is that if serviced every three to five years, a modern watch might well last 200 years!

A diamond, ruby or sapphire has the potential to last for, well, millions of years! Most of us don’t plan that far ahead, but diamonds make great heirlooms. After the man’s wrist watch, the heirloom we see most often is “Mother’s ring” or “Grandmother’s ring.” The metal is often worn but usually can be rebuilt. If set in platinum, many rings look almost as good today as they did 75 years ago, because platinum is very durable. Platinum prices went as high as $2,000 per ounce this year, but as I write this, the price is around $1,550 and a relative bargain. Palladium (a platinum family metal) is a real bargain at $350-$400 an ounce with gold at $900. If you want your ring to have the longest lifespan I would recommend buying platinum or palladium.

Wrist watches require a little more care than jewelry does. The single worst “enemy” of a wrist watch is not moisture or dirt, but the belief that an expensive watch will last forever with no maintenance. The most often repeated negative statement about a Rolex watch is, “It lasts forever but doesn’t keep good time.” To this I ask, “When was the last time you had it cleaned?” Often people have men’s or ladies’ Rolex watches that “don’t keep time” because they never, or rarely, have them serviced. Over time the parts have worn to the point where it can no longer be “regulated,” the process whereby it is made to keep good time.

This is preventable by servicing the watch every 3-5 years. After five years with no service, the parts in your watch start to wear out, much like running a car on low or dirty oil. The oil in a watch moves off the points where it is needed causing metal-to-metal friction which slowly wears the parts; after time, they are so worn that good timekeeping is a thing of the past. Modern watch cases and bracelets are so well made that the watch still looks good, but it just doesn’t keep time.

To maintain your watch in the years between servicing, you should also invest in a good quality watch winder. A watch winder will keep the oils distributed throughout the movement and keep the mainspring at its perfect balance of tension. Cheap winders can over wind the mainspring causing it to actually lose tension over time. I carry very affordable, yet top quality, watch winders by Wolf Designs. To spend a couple hundred dollars to protect your investment of thousands is a no-brainer.

We also offer chic leather jewelry boxes by Wolf Designs that are permeated with a special anti-tarnish treatment that is guaranteed for 35 years. If you own silver or gold jewelry, this is where you must store it to maintain its luster. And don’t be without their wonderful travel jewelry roll to protect your valuables on your next vacation or business trip!

There are very few things we can purchase that will last our lifetime and be passed on to several generations. A fine diamond ring, a platinum or gold broach, a well-made gemstone bracelet or a fine Swiss or German wrist watch will last three generations or more if well cared for. And THIS gives us a logical reason to add a watch or precious jewelry item to our collection for each son, daughter, grandson and granddaughter! Not that you really need more reasons to add to your collection, but this is a good one, right?