Hi ,whist walking through storton woods I came across a ring in the path I gave it a kick and it wasn't a ring out popped a rather worn but still recognisable fob watch .I will put some piccys up in a bit but my question is should I put it in coke to clean it .I think its gold but knowing me its just brass but would like to clean up and see if I can find any markings so I can get picture of how it used to look cheers

gold wouldn't tarnish like that has, it looks pretty knackered to me. coke may do more harm than good, if there is much more harm that could be done.

can you see any glass or hands on it? or is it all completely seized?

There's a lot of rust to be honest I have managed to get the back off and some of the glass is still on it .you can just see one of the hands .am just interested in seeing the inside mechanism because am nosey like that lol

There's a lot of rust to be honest I have managed to get the back off and some of the glass is still on it .you can just see one of the hands .am just interested in seeing the inside mechanism because am nosey like that lol

what a cool find, wonder how long its been there?

Quite a while by the look of it ,I will put some more pics up tomorrow as I have managed to get it a part a bit .it's very interesting as you can see the mechanism though I have broken the face getting it out

Quite a while by the look of it ,I will put some more pics up tomorrow as I have managed to get it a part a bit .it's very interesting as you can see the mechanism though I have broken the face getting it out

just an update ,it is an ingersol watch made around the 1930s .i have cleaned up some parts of the watch to find the serial number and stuff .not mutch value i am afraid same watches go for £30 to £50 when in working order though i am convinced its gold but cant find any markings .it was also built in the u.s.a

im no expert but i agree with jdemo that im sure gold wouldnt rust in that way, it maybe rolled gold? you could always sweet talk the staff at the jewellery pawn shop in town and ask them to test the metal, it only takes seconds
nice find though

don't think that's gold ive dug up gold rings metal detecting that have been buried for a hundred years and there in the same condition as the day they were dropped gold just doesn't tarnish like that

More photos of the watch after a partial clean

you've cleaned it up nicely

I literally just rubbed it down with sand paper and it comes up nice

I don't think it is gold. It's just mild steel. Not worth anything I'm afraid.

The sad truth is that mechanical watches were never much good compared to modern quartz or radio watches. I have my grandfather's fob watch, which is good quality, highly decorative, has a 'fusee' or chain mechanism, and after careful cleaning and maintenance is struggling to keep within 30 seconds a day. It is very beautiful, but as a timepiece it's crap! I use a cheapo £20 John Lewis quartz wristwatch and it gains about a second a month!

I have noticed that increasingly, young people don't bother with watches at all. They use their mobiles which I assume are spot on, or can be if they take their time from GPS.