Maybe you inherited a pocket watch from a relative, or perhaps you picked up a vintage one at an estate sale. In any case, these watches truly are a fine representation of the old days, and they are worth preserving. Here are a few common problems you might have with your vintage watch. 

The second hand is no longer moving. 

The second hand can be one of the first hands to stop functioning on an antique pocket watch. This hand's housing is a bit more delicate, and the hand itself can get bent or damaged due to age or corrosion. In a lot of cases, a bent pivot inside the main housing will be the cause for an immobile second hand, but a watch repair service will check everything thoroughly to see if anything else could be causing the problem. 

The watch no longer keeps time at all. 

When an old watch stops keeping time, there can be a number of problems present. If the watch hands are not moving at all, you could be dealing with something like a disrupted balance staff or a mainspring that has deteriorated and broken. If the hands move occasionally but not enough to properly keep time, the winding might not have oil on it or there might be small bits of corrosion that prevent free movement. 

The interior of the face is damaged. 

It is common for the outside of the pocket watch's face to get damaged, but it is actually possible for the interior of an old watch's face to get damaged as well. This most often happens because contaminated residue gets trapped inside the watch, and the contaminants cause the material to deteriorate. In general, this kind of damage will mean that the face, which is also sometimes referred to as the crystal, has to be replaced. 

The watch's clasp is broken. 

Maybe you can close the pocket watch, but it does not snap closed as it should. If this is the problem, you probably have a faulty clasp that needs to be replaced. In general, this issue is one that is not hard for a watch repair service to mend. They will look for a replacement clasp, but if one cannot be found for your specific watch type, the watch can usually be retrofitted with a different clasp or a new clasp can be made. 

Reach out to businesses like Bennisson Watch Repair to learn more.