Always on the prowl, I notice a lot of vintage watches now have those clear plastic with red line caseback covers stickers. Is this some trend to make me think the watch has been in a drawer for 40 years? Meanwhile there are dings and scratches all over and the crystal is cracked. Please stop doing that

 

Maybe they are trying to indicate that the watch has been serviced without having to make an actual representation that it has been serviced.

 

I use them sometimes if I'm wearing the watch on a NATO strap and there are sensitive engravings (e.g military issue numbers) I want to preserve.

 

My 1983 Bulova had a plastic stick on shield on the back, and not a single scratch anywhere on case or crystal. The Bulova signed bracelet on the other hand had lost most of its gold plating. Perhaps the bracelet had been left too long in some chemical cleanser.
Anyway I suspect the plastic disc had originally been on the crystal, these are found for sale for this purpose, and the wearer had peeled it off and stuck it on the case back. In any case it did its job well.

 

I actually tried to buy some of these just to better preserve the hippocampus on the back of my Seamaster. The only vendor I found sent the wrong size (Amazon was involved) and didn't seem interested in sending me the correct diameter. I'd buy some If I could find a good source.

 

Scratch protection

Nato scuffs vintage casebacks, so do steel bracelets. Some people even go as far to wrap watch/bracelet around a business card during storage.

 

And some pictures needed for this thread also....
In all other cases i never use the plastic protection on a caseback, other than with an NATO strap.

 

Do those stickers leave adhesive residue on the caseback that's hard to get rid of if you put them on for a long period of time? Do you guys replace with new stickers every X period of time? Or just keep the same one indefinitely until it falls off if it ever does?

 

@CaptainWinsor - It is an interesting point to raise. My blue ray player (which I seldom use) still has a transparent peel off protector on it and so does the washing machine. I just never bothered to remove them and it gives the plastic extra protection. In terms of watches I don’t spend all my time photographing them and a lot of them are in secure storage / not at home. Thinking about (which I did not till your post) I it tend to photograph them when I have just bought them or when they are going off or back from a service. Typically, the people I use for service work do put peel off protectors on (like you get on new Omegas). Sometimes I leave them on for extra protection. The watch in this thread:
https://omegaforums.net/threads/ck2495-265-manual-wind-1950-%E2%80%A6-feedback-please.92773/
Was just back from a service so it had a sticker. @ChrisN noted in that thread that if you are wearing the watch on a regular basis it could trap moisture and condensation which is a good point. I don’t leave stickers on anything I wear a lot. To answer another question @shishy the ones I have seen don’t leave any residue. One sad admission when I get a new Omega watch for some reason I save the peel off stickers in the box (sad I know :0)

 

Keep in mind that they are ineffective without the red stripe.

 

Would you elaborate a bit on that point. I have never given the design much thought / tend to peel them off and throw away after a service (single use?) I see now there are a lot for sale on Ebay from different suppliers.

 

You just took the bait.

 

I hear you....It is Easter … the sun is shinning and the beer is flowing.... I am taking everything Swiss Tony offers ;0)

 

If you pull them off you can also accidentally tear away the momentum spring on the coier thus rendering the watch due for a immediate service.

And what ever you do, do NOT remove them in the presence of a squirrel. That mess I would not bear to see.

 

'twas a joke.

 

I think it is to enhance their New Old Stockiness

 

Cousins have them in 2mm increments from 10mm to over 40mm

 

I guess I’m in the wrong. My bad

 

Like others, I use them to preserve military engravings, especially if it has an abrasive-type strap on it.

Cousins UK is an excellent source and not rip-offs like many EBay sellers.

 

I’ve acquired some of these, mainly for my Smiths military watch, which I wear with NATO and perlon straps.

However, I’ve also just bought a Connie, which will either go on a leather strap or SS Milanese bracelet. Is there any received wisdom on caseback stickers to protect the observatory and stars?