How do I clean a tarnished silver watch case?

Use a soft jeweller's cloth to rub the case gently. Silver polish liquids can seep through the hinges and ruin the movement. Never dip the whole watch into a cleaning solution. The dial and internal gears cannot handle moisture.

I found my grandfather's watch in a drawer and it ticks for a few seconds but then just stops no matter how much I wind it up, what causes this?

Old oil dries out over the years and turns into a sticky paste. This blocks the tiny pivots and stops the gears from turning smoothly. Dirt also finds its way inside the case. A watchmaker needs to strip the movement down, clean every part in a specialised machine, and apply fresh lubricants. Forcing the mainspring by overwinding will just snap the metal. Leave it unwound until it can be serviced.

Why does my watch have two cases?

You have a pair case watch, common in the eighteenth century. The outer shell takes the knocks and keeps dust away from the winding holes. The inner case stays firmly shut holding the movement.

The glass on the front of my old pocket watch has fallen out and it feels like plastic rather than real glass, is that normal for these older ones?

Many early twentieth-century watches were fitted with celluloid crystals instead of glass. This early plastic was marketed as unbreakable, making it popular for workwear. Celluloid shrinks and yellows as it ages. The shrinkage eventually causes the crystal to pop out of the metal bezel. Watchmakers still stock replacement glass or modern acrylic crystals to fit these frames. Having a new one pressed in is a standard bench job.

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Antique silver watches are pocket-sized mechanical timepieces carried daily by men and women across three centuries to keep track of the hours in a developing urban world.

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