WHEN Peter King says he has time on his hands he doesn’t mean he has nothing to do.
Peter is the man our Woodseats shop turn to when they receive donations of watches and clocks which don’t work.
And rather than letting time slip through his fingers, he has repaired more than 500 watches - and quite a few clocks as well - and put them back in working order ready for sale.
“Around 90 per cent of watches aren’t working when they are received by the shop,” Peter says.
“Often all that’s needed is a new battery and a bit of a clean-up and the watch is good for several more years.”
Peter’s wife was cared for by St Luke’s before she died in 2013 – and not long after he became a volunteer, utilising the skills he had developed in a lifetime working in precision engineering.
“The shop often takes in what are supposed to be ‘Rolex’ watches, but there hasn’t been a real one yet!” he laughs.
“All I need to do is check the movement and I can soon tell whether or not a watch is genuine - and of course the fakes can’t be sold.
“Only recently, though, I re-furbished an early twentieth century Viennese wall clock which I took it down to Sheffield Auctions and it’s gone into the sale with an estimate of £70.
“And not long ago I repaired a rare Black Forest chiming cuckoo clock and that sold for £90.”
“Peter is a really valued member of my team,” said our Woodseats manager Caroline Dodds.
“Without his expertise and knowledge, we wouldn’t be able to sell most of the watches and clocks we receive.”