Hi everyone,

About 14 years ago I was handed down a vintage Zenith watch from my Grandfather after he passed. The crystal had a crack in it and, being a very sentimental piece, I never wanted to bring it in anywhere for repair. Over the years, I've brought a few pieces for repair to a local and reputable jeweller and had no issues, and the crack on the crystal had begun to spread (and a few more cracks from the same point also formed). I brought it in to the jeweller and, unfortunately, things did not go well.

Anyway, a longer (terrible) story follows but I've added some photos with the current state of my watch. Currently, the caseback goes in and stays on although due to the slight break in the case there are gaps. These gaps are currently covered with a glue in order to prevent anymore moisture going in.

Since moisture got in due to the original slight break in the case, the frame on the inside of the watch was rusted and, due to this, the crystal could not be pressurized in. A slight crack in the frame inside of the watch was welded together, although the risk of pressurizing the crystal in was still not worth it. Currently, the (new) crystal is also glued to the case.

I understand that Zenith offers vintage watch restoration services, although if I could find a case (with the frame) for this watch, I could properly repair it (instead of relying on the glue). If anyone could help me identify the watch (it would be very difficult to open the watch now as I would have to get the gaps in the caseback re-glued) so that I can attempt to find another case, that would be great.

Also, for those of you who have sent your vintage watches into Zenith, how was your experience, how much did you pay, etc?

The photos:

 

You are looking at thousands of dollars to restore properly. You could maybe get parts off ebay like a new case, crystal and movement. But then it would be a different watch. It's a big problem.