I bought a Polerouter watch at a car boot sale a couple of weeks ago, it was just about running and kept good time for the next hour till I arrived home. The case back was loose so I unwound it using putty, the sealing ring gasket had gone hard and was crumbling so I removed it, closing the case caused the watch to stop. I certainly didn't torque the caseback down so I'm guessing this was coincidental. The crystal is cracked and the dial has a used patina. What should my next step be, repair, sell or dismantle, Its a decent looking watch and I believe these units have tremendous accuracy which I would welcome as both my Omega Constellation 751, and my Geneve a 564, lose and gain respectively, the closest I have to an accurate watch is a Seiko 5 Auto. Photos to follow

 

a couple of photos which aren't great, mechanism is the standard and early? 215

 

Well worth bringing back to it's formar glory.

 

well if you want it at that figure it's fine with me

 

these photos aren't great, I'll try again with a different camera, the case is solid and in good condition for a watch which could be nearly 60 years old, the picture of the dial is poor but so is the dial's condition, it might clean up but probably needs re finishing, the movement needs a service.

 

Everything seems original to me. Hands, crown and dial. I got mine fixed and a new crystal for 500 chf. It was well worth it and the watch runs great. In other words... I would get it fixed if I was you.

I guess it also depends how much you paid for it and how much you're willing to put to get it fixed.

 

that's about £320, do you have contact details for the repairer please

 

Sorry Swiss Francs

 

Someone can probably help for repair in the UK. Not sure my sources in Switzerland are useful to you.

 

My nearest watch repairer has 4 Universal Geneve mechanisms, this has surprised me somewhat, two of thes are Polerouter's though one is a date movement. He has agreed to service mine after Xmas, he also had a list of available spare parts so I'm encouraged that a repair is possible. What he said is that the movements have come from gold watches that were scrapped for the gold value of their cases, utterly criminal but would suggest to me that the rarest thing about these watches is the cases themselves.

 

That's quite a nice Polerouter. The dial has a heavy patina, caused by moisture or UV damage to the lacquer coating on the paint, but I like the look. You could find a nice leather band of a similar color to highlight it as a feature to be proud of. With some brands, such as Jaeger LeCoultre, it is possible to use a weak solvent or soapy mixture to remove the lacquer without damaging the paint, but the procedure is risky and could end up either removing the black paint, or giving the dial an uneven look. I would leave it alone. The case is wonderful, and I hope you will not polish it. On these "Microtor" models, the etched design on the case back is so thin that it often wears off. On yours the design is still crisp. I do not mind the light scratches, and my guess is that the case looks better in person than in the photos. If you polish the case at all, it will ruin it, in my opinion. Just accept it as it is, and do not try to make it look like a new watch, which it can never be. You can ask your watchmaker to put the case in the ultrasonic cleaner with the other parts, but not to polish it. That will make it look noticeably shinier. The original crown is quite rare. That low profile crystal is incredible, and probably original too. Check with a loupe to see if it is etched with the "U" logo in the center. I would keep it, even if it is cracked. You can polish the crystal with no problem. Don't worry about waterproofing. Assume the watch is not waterproof, and don't wear it on rainy days. The watch stopping after you removed the old gasket may not be a coincidence. I had a similar problem with one of these, and my watchmaker installed a case back spring, which was missing, and it started running again. This watch may be worth about $300 or $400 in running condition, but they are going up in value as long as they remain in original, unpolished condition. I think it is worth repairing. Another option would be to tuck it away for a few years, and see how you feel about it then, and see what the prices are at that time. Just don't polish the case!

 

many thanks for your comments

 

So did you send it out for repair?

 

I'm promised a slot for a repair/service in the new year