I recently had an idea for a thread so I hope at least some of you will humor me here. We are so used to seeing such perfect examples of watches on OF, but we don't necessarily know how long it took to find them or the watches they replaced. Also, some references are so uncommon that it may not be possible to find the best possible example right away. In those cases, beggars can't be choosers and it may be necessary to purchase a less than perfect example to hold a spot in the collection. I just wanted to share a few of mine that I was recently able to "upgrade." 1. I had always wanted a Blancpain Bathyscaphe, but they are difficult to find in good condition and often fetch a premium. I settled for a Waltham Bathyscaphe. The dial was lovely topical but the case and bezel condition were not the best. I was recently able to upgrade to the Blancpain, which will have a permanent spot in my collection. 2. Omega Chronometres in original condition are also quite tough to find, especially in the 35.5mm case variety. My first foray into them was a reference 2367 with a redial. While it was a fair first attempt, I wanted to find something with an original dial. I recently upgraded to a 2366 which has its merits but the dial is far from perfect. With this one, I will keep searching and try to upgrade in the future! Would love to see some of your projects and successful upgrades!
I wanted a silver dialed vintage watch like a Seamaster Then I found one in the same family as the Seamaster Then I got my Seamaster
A year later and a few more upgrades. New Omega chronometre to upgrade the one above: I was also able to upgrade this IWC 666ad: To this one:
You can upgrade your collection by adding a nicer watch to replace an earlier example. Or you can upgrade a watch without acquiring another watch. In the first picture, the Longines with the strap is the project watch. The other is the donor watch. The second and third pictures are views of the upgraded watch.
