VINTAGEBULOVA.COM
What is Keeps Good Time?
The generally accepted definition of what is meant by "keeps good time" in the vintage watch community is +/-1% per day. If you do the math on this: 60 minutes to an hour times 24 hours in a day gives you 1440 minutes. One percent of this is 14.4 minutes. You will see this figure rounded up to 15 minutes. I strive for a better standard. All watches delivered will keep time to +/- 10 minutes per day. The vast majority will be within +/- 5 minutes per day. Keep in mind that the most accurate watch you can buy contains an inexpensive quartz movement. You should not expect spot on accuracy from a watch that is over 50 years old. That being said it's hard to beat the sound of a fine vintage timepiece ticking away on your wrist, the experience of winding it every morning before heading off to work, or the looks of admiration you will get from your friends and co-workers.
Who Am I?
My name is Jay Willner. My involvement in vintage timepieces started several years ago when I purchased a 1920's Gruen watch on EBay. I then went on to buy a 1920's Bulova and sort of just kept on going. Over time I have built up quite a collection and at the same time learned quite a bit about their care and feeding. My collection got to the point that it had to be extensively thinned out. When you buy a watch from me it is one that I have been proud to own. I spend a lot of time and effort to make sure that every watch that I sell is one that YOU would be happy to own. You are dealing with me and only me. I do all the work myself, with the exception of dial restoration. All ad production, photography, shipping, correspondence and everything else is done by me. I do not employ a staff of people or sell under several different ID's.
What If There's a Problem?
I stand behind every watch I sell. If there is a problem Email me immediately. This has happend VERY rarely and I have taken care of the problem in all cases. Of all the watches I have sold three times problems had to be resolved. The first was a watch which arrived with the second hand loose in the case. I had the buyer return the watch and I had it repaired and sent it back the next day. The second instance was a watch that was 15 minutes fast per day. In this case the buyer preferred a refund. I issued a FULL REFUND, including shipping upon receipt of the watch. The third time was a watch sent to Germany. The package arrived empty!! While this was insured via USPS, after waiting several weeks for a refund I offered the buyer a replacement watch or the money out of my pocket. He took the replacement. I am still waiting(over 2 month!) for the refund. Like I said, I stand behind my sales at all times. I want you to be happy with your purchase.
What About Private Auctions?
Some vintage watch sellers have taken to making their auctions private. The "official reason" is that they are protecting you from unscrupulous individuals who will contact you and try to scam you out of your hard earned money. This doesn't give you a lot of credit. In point of fact at the level most of us operate there is very little of this type of thing going one. These watches do not go for thousands of dollars. When you cannot see who you are bidding against you can be at a serious disadvantage. What some sellers worry about is their buyers being "hijacked". That is, lured to another sellers similar item. While this is expressly prohibited by EBay, and not in any way condoned, it does happen. As a buyer you want to see as many auctions as possible with similar items . This allows you to judge the items TRUE value, not the value on one particular sellers auction. If I was selling items that cost thousands of dollars I would probably go the private route to protect you, the buyer. My auctions will remain public so you can see who you are bidding against.
Enjoy your vintage timepiece.