I don't see a problem John especially given the nature of the project. If it were a reference book detailing specific examples of early American pocket watches it may be another matter but for what is more or less an "art" poster the PS work was appropriate IMHO. Nice work BTW, that lot would have been a bugger to photograph.

As an aside, I'm surprised such pieces were in a state like that, a simple clean and service is not going to devalue them any, or am I wrong?