Anyone know where I can find an antique/vintage nurse's watch?

[edam]

I know my sister would love one for her birthday but it has to be old, not new. Have looked on ebay but no luck. Any top tips welcomed!

TIA

local antiquey type jewellers are usually a good bet for watches

I know, but nurses' watches are so specific...

Maybe I've always lived in towns with big hospitals but there always seem to be some, ditto old nurses' belt buckles

lovely one here, might be a bit pricey though

Do you mean those upside-down ones?

How much time have you got to hunt it down? You could try a watch repair place - they might have a drawer of old watches they've been saving for parts, or they might be able to point you to someone who fiddles with watches for a hobby.

What about a notice in your local paper? That might bring the hobbyists out of the woodwork.

General auctions/sale rooms might be your best bet, though. The sort of place that does house clearances/Cash In The Attic-type sales is bound to get them through fairly regularly.

too knackered?
ditto?

Oooh, thank you for those links Mrs B, will investigate! And thank you ninedragons too.

thanks Cali. Not sure any of them are quite right, though, they seem to be either new or too fussy rather than proper watches to wear to work (she is a nurse, has a modern one but wants a traditional one). But cheers anyway.

It's worth keeping an eye on eBay (the American one, just for volume). A friend's husband charged me with buying her push present (he wanted one of those 1920s watches with diamonds around the face) so I came to know the vintage watch section of eBay quite well. I have seen them come up - little gold ones from the 1930s and 40s when nursing was one of the few acceptable careers for posh gels.

You may miss this birthday but thrill her at Christmas.

Have you tried putting a want-it-now post on eBay?

I forgot to say, if you find an old one but it's not reliable, it is possible to get the movement replaced with a modern quartz one so she doesn't have to wind it up every day.

thank you!