Movado HS360 advice?

If you don’t get enough attention on this post, this linked sub forum would also be an appropriate place as well 👍
https://omegaforums.net/forums/zenith-watches.33/

Given the age of the watch and the fact it isn’t running properly, I wouldn’t wear it until it’s serviced, regardless of if it keeps great time. Continued wear can cause further damage that will inevitably run up the repair bill.

One that is knowledgeable with the El Primero movement and one that has a supply of, or ability to source, Rolex parts.

I had the Sub Sea HS360 and it needed a service. The chrono wouldn’t reset and the auto rotor weight could be felt spinning under its own power.



I asked my regular go to watch maker if he could service this movement. He explained that he loved working on the El Primero movement and would service them somewhat frequently; however, he had to turn me away as his Rolex parts supply was dwindling and he was reserving those parts for other jobs (he regularly services vintage Rolex). I had a hard time finding someone to service mine. With the help of a few members, I reached out to other independent watch makers but was turned away for similar reasons that my watchmaker gave me. That, or they weren’t taking new clients.

I’m in the states and ultimately reached out to LAWW, who accepted the job. This was just about maybe two years ago now- the estimate they gave me was a base price of ~$1,600 to service the movement, which they stated did not include cost for parts.

Hey Achim, yeah I remember being shocked at that estimate pre parts. I hadn’t considered or even thought it was a viable option to reach out to Zenith for a quote. To be honest, there was both a lot going for and against this watch. The positives were- it was an eBay auction that went unnoticed and my final bid was ~$2,500 (compared to others on the market being listed around $4k in worse condition and without the bracelet). It had an incredibly sharp case, original full length GF ladder bracelet, signed crystal, and Bakelite bezel condition was very good. The negatives were- it was sold as “just serviced”, which usually doesn’t mean anything to me. However, in this instance, I believe more damage was done as a result of it. The included paperwork for the ~$300 service had an address to one of those battery changing suites in a mall. The chrono hands would “reset” to a random location on the dial and was hit or miss getting them to reset properly. The auto weight would spin around under its own power. But the biggest negative was between the 1 & 2 indice, the dial had an undisclosed inward dent. Not entirely sure what would have caused that as there were no impression marks on the surface. The eBay listing photos were good and the seller provided more when I asked for them, but I realized after the fact that, just like my photo above, the minute hand was in the same place, which hides the dent.

My photos below



Long story short… my attempt to find someone to properly service this was me trying to accept/live with the dent given the rest of the condition and purchase price. However, with the taste left in my mouth from the whole thing, it was just easier to return the watch.