Boyfriend Watch Thrifty Find.

Posted by Unknown at 1:03 PM Sunday, April 22, 2012 Labels: , ,
I love "boyfriend" watches. I like them with bling but I also love a woman wearing her man's watch.  ('cause isn't that how it all started?)  My sister, savy trend setter that she is, was doing this in the 70's. 
 

I would love to steal the one I got for Mr. Bill for our wedding a long time ago. But, I just got that one fixed up for him with a new crystal and new band so he is wearing it again. It ran about $100 to get it all fixed up.  Instead, I'll take the one he wore in H.S. It's very vintage looking. It also needs a new band but I won't replace the crystal. Well, maybe I will after looking at this photo.



I hadn't been wearing a watch for a long time. I teach preschool and dainty watches take a beating at my job. I carry my cell phone around with me all the time so I really haven't needed a watch in a long time. But, last summer I decided to try out the look to see if I could pull it off. My favorite thrift store is the perfect place to shop for a trend on the cheap. 
I found this watch for $3.00.

I don't know how old it is but it is a Calvin Klein watch. 
It is two tone which I love! It is hard to see the but the numbers are gold. I don't know why this thing was priced as low as it was because usually their watches start at $10.00.  I was willing to invest three bucks  in a watch I wasn't sure would work. 
With your handy dandy Swiss Army knife (hopefully in a glammy pink color like mine) pry off the silver back. It is a good idea to set your watch on something that won't scratch the crystal.
You can also use a very small flat head screw driver.


There is a little edge almost like a little lip. I actually read that it is called a wrench slot. That is where you pop off the back so you can see what  type of watch battery you need. Walmart has a good selection and that is where I got the one I needed. 
Some of them all look the same but they have different numbers on them. Sometimes, if you are lucky and the battery gods are shining on you, grocery stores will have the one you need. 
Walmart used to replace batteries for you, but they don't anymore. I guess an employee got stabbed taking off the back of the watch. That can be a danger so be careful! 
I was so excited at this point because I got to see if the watch actually worked. 
Yahoo! 
My $3.00 find began to tick. 
Watch a this YouTube video.

Now the band.


 Walmart also had watch bands. 
You will have to know in cm what is the width of your watch. The width of mine was 18cm.

I have perused ebay and they had a pretty good selection of watch bands. My husband prefers to get his bands at a jeweler. His are nice 
faux croc or something. 
 As long as mine was leather I didn't care where mine came from.  I was a little embarrassed to go into a jeweler with my thrifty find. 

To change the band, cut off the old one as close to the pins as you can.  The band is held on by tiny pins that operate just like a toilet paper holder. Once the band is off you can see what you are dealing with.  

Follow the directions on the new watch band.
It is very intricate as you can imagine. It can take some practice moving the tiny pin into place and then releasing it with the band in the way.
I loved this black band because it coordinates with most of my wardrobe.

Here is a breakdown of the cost.
 My watch was 3.00. 
The battery was 6.00 
The band was 7.00. 
I'm no math wizard but that adds up to a good deal. 
When I looked on ebay some Calvin Klein watches were going for $250.00.
I don't know why someone got rid of this watch when all it needed was a battery and a band. 
I have seen it over and over. I've gotten Seiko and Brighton watches this way.
Here it is in action. 

I am embarrassed by this but here are some other shots of my cute watch.
Will you think less of me if I confess that I corrected the age spots on my hand with picassa?
Ha ha. I didn't think you wanted to see those! 
Okay, enough cheese ball.
The bracelet is Tiffany. I bought it with a bonus a few years ago and I just love it. (To make sure you are getting authentic Tiffany buy from the website or the store. There is no such thing as a Tiffany Outlet!!!)
The counterfeiters are really good at replicating boxes, bags, tags and even receipts. 

Happy Hunting!

FyI: I think you need to go for an older men's watch, the new ones are ginormous!
Sprinkled with watch parts,

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