Jewelry

[ECBG]

I love sterling and I bought the siver and Diamonique watch with the round face, J320266, probably around 2005.  I do pull out the stem every time I take it off and don't wear it unless I'm going out.  

When thinking I needed a new battery, I was told I needed new workings inside the watch.  My battery tested good and they tested the one they put in as well.  I was told to go to an "old time jeweler".

If tou gave the silver Ripka warch with the round face, how's yours doing?

Thanks!

[Kachina624]

Watch experts, including those here on the boards, recommend that you NOT pull out the crown (stem) on a watch when you're not wearing it.  By doing so, you allow dust and moisture to penetrate the works inside.  To repair your watch would probably cost much more than it's worth.

Mine is doing just fine.

[Q4u]

Boy that is disappointing because her watches aren't cheap by any means.  I've been wanting one for a long time but something always comes up... and I love that sterling silver watch...

The only designer watch I've ever purchased was Michael Dawkins' Starry Night watch (which I absolutely LOVE)... I thought the bracelet band was stainless steel (that's what it's advertised on the Q's website).  However, I have a very strong allergy to alloy metals and know within weeks if something isn't right.  The bracelet is an alloy with a stainless steel bonded or washed on the outside.  Lasted quite a while but eventually my skin wore it off and I got a horrible reaction to it~!  QVC made good on it even after months of wearing it non-stop... Q was great about it.  But for the money, I was deeply disappointed in corners they're cutting....

[newjerseygirl]

Is this the watch?

I have had mine for many years.   I wear it often and have not had any problems with it.  I do not pull the stem out when I am not wearing it.

I think pulling the stem out saves the battery, but if the mechanism is not moving over a long period of time, it causes a problem. 

[Dallas-Dame]

I own many Ripka watches including the silver sub-dial from many years ago.  I never pull the stem when not wearing (for reasons stated above by @Kachina624) and have not had any problems whatsoever.  I find that batteries require replacement about every 3 to 4 years with "full-time" running.

Sorry this happened to your watch, @ECBG.

[Kachina624]

@Q4u  I literally have pounds of silver jewelry but the only reaction I ever had to a piece was from a Michael Dawkins sterling (?) necklace.  I ended up with an angry red rash everywhere it touched my skin.  I'm convinced his pricey jewelry is junk.

[millieshops]

@Kachina624My favorite local jeweleralso  tells me to pull the stem only to reset the time as necessary.   Batteries are cheap, the workings of a watch are not.

[Q4u]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

@Q4u  I literally have pounds of silver jewelry but the only reaction I ever had to a piece was from a Michael Dawkins sterling (?) necklace.  I ended up with an angry red rash everywhere it touched my skin.  I'm convinced his pricey jewelry is junk.

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You are not alone.  I bought quite a bit of his jewelry and am very sorry I did.  My jeweler said that one ring I had (very, very top heavy) was actually filled with a jeweler's metal and then surrounded with Sterling Silver.  So when they said it was 100% Sterling Silver, it really wasn't.  However, it's not illegal if the majority of the weight is what's advertised.  I was blown away.  So I think MOST of his stuff was done this way.

There are some of us that are the canaries at the mouth of the Silver Mine....  we know by virtue of the reaction we get what the item is made of.....  and his stuff was (as you say) pricey junk!

[jenagal]

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@ECBG wrote:

I love sterling and I bought the siver and Diamonique watch with the round face, J320266, probably around 2005.  I do pull out the stem every time I take it off and don't wear it unless I'm going out.  

When thinking I needed a new battery, I was told I needed new workings inside the watch.  My battery tested good and they tested the one they put in as well.  I was told to go to an "old time jeweler".

If tou gave the silver Ripka warch with the round face, how's yours doing?

Thanks!

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I've heard it many times to never pull the stem to save the battery.  The moisture and dust enters the watch movement and gets destroyed.  Movements are not cheap and then the hassle of getting the watch repaired.  I will never leave a stem out, hopefully your other watches now have their stems pushed back in.  We live and learn.  

[JavaQueen]

Some of the movements aren't as expensive as you think. It's the labor that will cost you. And if they have to order a part, they add on additional charges. I For fashion wataches (and that's what these basically are), it's better to be safe than sorry and keep the stem in. $15 vs. $150?

Also, some movements are more energy-efficient and those used in JR watches aren't the cheapest; they should last a long time. In general, you see the little white "lock" on the stem in a cheap watch and that's because those moevements eat batteries.