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bazelot
·Why not buy an orginal and have all the gaskets replaced. It will be just as waterproof (for the screw down crown version) as a Watchco one. That's what i did and it is up to specs for waterproofing.
2024 cost to build ‘WatchCo’ SM300?
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josiahg52
·Why not buy an orginal and have all the gaskets replaced. It will be just as waterproof (for the screw down crown version) as a Watchco one. That's what i did and it is up to specs for waterproofing.
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bazelot
·That's not always the case with an old watch and condition isn't just appearances. Sometimes what you find, or can or want to afford isn't pleasant to look at or ends up having issues not disclosed or simply not known. You might get lucky, might not. It could get expensive. The "Watchco" SM300 is still the lowest risk and probably cheapest way to get a functional SM300, even with the relatively high prices they're trading at.
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Davidt
·I agree with @josiahg52. It’s certainly not a guarantee that even with the best of services and watchmaker that a 60 year old watch can be reliably water resistant. If the case has corrosion around key areas, short of a replacement case, there’s not much that can be done. Laser welding generally isn’t a viable solution for pitting.
There’s also the bezel. A nice original bezel is hard to find and I found myself banging my sm300 as the Bakelite bezel was excellent and any damage wouldn’t had a big impact on its charm and value.
You could say “we’ll change the case and bezel then”, but if you only have the original movement, dial and hands, better to do the whole job and use a ‘WatchCo’ for a beater, saving an original for occasional wear.
I’d note that I had no concerns wearing an Ed White as a daily, but the bezels aren’t quite as fragile, are more readily available and obviously I wasn’t getting it wet.
There’s also the bezel. A nice original bezel is hard to find and I found myself banging my sm300 as the Bakelite bezel was excellent and any damage wouldn’t had a big impact on its charm and value.
You could say “we’ll change the case and bezel then”, but if you only have the original movement, dial and hands, better to do the whole job and use a ‘WatchCo’ for a beater, saving an original for occasional wear.
I’d note that I had no concerns wearing an Ed White as a daily, but the bezels aren’t quite as fragile, are more readily available and obviously I wasn’t getting it wet.
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