So even at 199.00 U.S. it's not a worthy project movement?
As much as I like basket cases 200 bucks is borderline. Back in the day I did not like paying more than 120 for complete movements. Then and now I tend to only want to pay half of that amount for project watches.
I am still looking for a 351 case at a reasonable price. Something like a 2577 case. I suspect there are a lot more movements than cases. Especially for the export movements that were cased locally.
Cheap watches such as A Schild are probably better for learning. ETA movements are a bit more.
I have noticed that a lot of stuff seems to be trending up a bit. Last fall a top level eBay search returned 7 million, then it went to 7.5 and is now at 8 million. At the same time the quality seems to have gone down. Perhaps I have reached saturation. Or it is simply spring and I tends to spend less time on such things. Could be that I am getting more picky as the lack of a case makes the watch hard to wear.
I did re-start some case restoration projects. These got overwhelming in the 1990s. So I am a bit twice shy. Finding time to set up the lathe and such, is a lot different than basic disassembly and cleaning. Have access to a laser cutter. Never seem to find the time to program in the parts, even if such things are simply circles of fixed diameters. (Thinking about making some acrylic cases.)
Still I suspect someone will purchase the OP watch (eventually.) They will then find they paid to much. Or perhaps they need a part like the balance. I have noticed that parts for such junk is all over the place. Low if I do not need or want it. High if I do.
Mostly though I think it is about the chase and the anticipation. There was a stripped watch on Goodwill that had a decent case, but no balance or balance bridge. I was willing to go to 120, but it went for 175. Too bad I can not get Goodwill prices selling. People there seem to bit early. On the other hand the junk stuff is sold by the pound. I have noticed that the GW watches are usually in better shape than the eBay ones. Had I money to burn, 350 or scrap metal price probably makes sense which is what this junk does seem to sell for.
