so should I assume it is a fake or a POS!
Definitely not. Looks like you have a well worn and well loved Gene, sans bracelet.
It'll probably clean up well and with a new crystal (310T14AN) should look OK, although it's hard to tell what the dial and hands are like because of the current condition of the crystal.
Hardly a collector grade specimen, but it would make a nice daily driver.
Nice and lucky find! Yes, december 1970.
Bezels often became ghosted on these. I also see an original rubber strap, probably from the same era, which is a nice bonus, but not to be used because it might give out.
A service, a glass change (or at least polishing), a khaki nato and you're good to go! 😉
Thanks! And good to know about the strap because I can’t figure out how to get it off and was gonna chop it off with a saw today! 🤣🤣
Just let the watch sit in the sun for a while so the strap softens a bit, then you can use a springbar tool to remove it.
If it's gone old and hard, use a craft knife to slice from lug to lug to remove it.
First digit is year of manufacture
Second digit is month of manufacture
3rd to 6th digit is the number
and the second digit is
1 Jan.
2 Feb.
3 March
4 April
5 May
6 June
7 July
8 August
9 Sept.
O Oct.
N Nov.
D Dec.
perhaps it was regularly maintained.
Deep scratches on the crystal but no cracks. Polish it out!
