Hi all

If I replace the RAM in my laptop with something faster or more powerful, it's seen as an upgrade and a positive thing. Although perhaps, in 40 years, if someone was buying old laptops, they may be unhappy my laptop was upgraded, as it's no longer original.

Is this roughly the same logic when it comes to putting better movements in old watches?

For example, if I took a 5xx movement out of a vintage Omega and replaced it with 5yy (which is considered a better movement - perhaps more reliable with more spare parts), is the only issue that the watch is no longer original, or is there some other problem?

Cheers

 

I don't really know the answer.

Maybe you could email some of the eBay watch sellers from the Sub-Continent, they've been doing it for years.

Sorry

 

What like putting a Merc motor in a Toyota Camry

Just think like artwork and most antiques the more original the higher premium.

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/08/anti-purist-1963-ferrari-gte-sports-hot-rod-chevy-v8/

When you start appreciating certain objects, be they old cars or watches, you often start out appreciating the aesthetics of the object, the look. Later on you get to know about the mechanics and the history of the object, perhaps you study the era it was made in and put that knowledge to use when viewing completely different objects, and you end out with a holistic approach to enjoying what others only see a single layer of.

 

Big difference between that Chevy and a Camry

For a quarter mile car yeah but the original Chevy in mint condition would probably be worth more and more collectable to a Chevy collector.

 

That's one of the things I find weird.

If they just wrote their eBay ads honestly, something like this:

The original 5XX movement was damaged, so we replaced it with a 5YY movement. It fits perfectly in the watch, and actually runs better due to the 5YY being considered a superior movement - [some link proving this]. 5YY is easier to service due to an abundance of spare parts - [some link proving this].

This isn't an unreasonable thing to say, and I think we would at least respect their honesty.

 

The analogy between a watch and a laptop might be appropriate for cheap quartz watches, however the laptop was built and designed to be thrown in the bin after a few years. A proper watch should live a whole lot longer.
I do know I made a mistake giving away my trusted old Commodore 64 some 20 years ago, however regular laptops will most likely be just as collectible as regular Camrys' in the future. Different RAM or not.
I have not heard much talk about getting "matching numbers" Camrys' either?

 

Honesty is always fair. It gives the potential buyer the chance to decide for himself.

 

For sure the Computer is a bad example, it's really created for a very limited life time. But If I would like the design of a car of 1965 and wanted to limit the consume of fuel putting inside a modern motor, this would be ok. BUT for sure it isn't anymore a collectible. For a watch I could think it in the same way, has sense but isn't a collectible ... Nothing wrong with that. For sure it must be said!

 

A friend of mine had his old Porsche 911 3.0 SC engine converted from an old mechanical to a moden electronic fuel injection system.
No longer original, but pumping out a lot more useable power at a wider rev range, cutting the fuel consumption by at least 30% (the old system was tired), and over all making it a much easier car to own and use (it was suddenly even running smooth at cold start)....
It is now even possible to find people who can service the thing who is not in their late 70s.

 

This is sort of what put this idea in my head.

I am looking at old watches, researching their movement and then see how hard it is to find replacement parts.

I can definitely see an advantage to "upgrading" a watch to a better movement if it's your daily wear (and you've no intention on selling it).

I can certainly see the disadvantages too though.

 

Its the trade-off between functionality and originality influencing collectability.

As watches get older, it's entirely possible that parts for the original movement may become very hard to find or prohibitively expensive to source. If you want to keep a working, aesthetically pleasing timepiece for your own enjoyment, then I see nothing wrong with going down this route as the alternative will be to stick it in a sock drawer and never use it.

However, should you decide to sell/trade then full disclosure is a must.

 

Pfft, this conversion is even more sacrilegious

http://jalopnik.com/the-worlds-first-electric-ferrari-ditches-the-v8-for-ti-1775115307

 

Try buying a C-Type Jaguar and dropping a Camry engine in it and then reselling it....

You might get away with it -- and with putting a new movement in a watch -- if you don't have to modify the original, advertise it clearly, and sell it with the original parts alongside.

And here's a gratuitous picture of the C-type in question...

 

I can understand why replacing a good, original movement with a fake or inferior movement is a problem, but sometimes I see the movement has been replaced with something better, and everyone screams run away.

 

On purely practical grounds, a Camry engine is better than a c-type's engine, just like a quartz watch is more accurate than a Lange...

 

Here is one idea, just buy a watch with a nice movement

I do like a nice clean movement on my watches

 

I could learn to live with that car, even if someone did the blasphemous thing of slotting a AJ133 or AJ126 in there.... +

 

Well… http://jalopnik.com/this-is-the-worlds-first-turbodiesel-porsche-911-1545469388