Navitimer 806 to restore or not

[quantieme]

Hi, I am working on a vintage 806 navitimer and my problem is do I replace the slide rule insert or leave the very worn original which is completely worn with just a few numbers legible, If I have managed to do it please see picture. If I replace it it will stand out like a sore thumb as it is white, any opinions would be appreciated .

thanks

[wls1971]

Looking at the watch I would very gently wipe the dial with a cotton bud, slightly dampened with distilled water you have lost all the luminous paint off the indexes except the twelve. The dials are fairly robust compared to some other watches. I had one where the laquer on the dial had peeled so I cleaned it off carefully and it looked so much better the bezel rings do suffer a lot from damp and any attempt to clean can ruin them buy a replacement but keep the old one in case you ever sell the watch.

With a cleaned dial a new insert wont be so glaringly obvious.

It has a replacement non original crown as well.

I would add also avoid cleaning the sub dials with anything as the printing on those is not as robust as the black parts of the dial

Edited October 2, 2017 by wls1971

[rogart63]

I would keep as is. Service and clean as good as you can. Maybe i would try to get the hands to look a little better.  But you will never get that to look as good as new anyway. probably worth more if you keep as is. That is my opinion  

[quantieme]

1 hour ago, wls1971 said:

Looking at the watch I would very gently wipe the dial with a cotton bud, slightly dampened with distilled water you have lost all the luminous paint off the indexes except the twelve. The dials are fairly robust compared to some other watches. I had one where the laquer on the dial had peeled so I cleaned it off carefully and it looked so much better the bezel rings do suffer a lot from damp and any attempt to clean can ruin them buy a replacement but keep the old one in case you ever sell the watch.

With a cleaned dial a new insert wont be so glaringly obvious.

It has a replacement non original crown as well.

I would add also avoid cleaning the sub dials with anything as the printing on those is not as robust as the black parts of the dial

Thank you I know the crown is a replacement and have ordered an original nos, I do intend to sell the watch which is why I am unsure to replace the slide ring or not, if I were keeping it I would keep it original, perhaps I have answered my own question. I am aware the sub dials are fragile , I used a dust blower very lightly and it blew off some of the printing on the dial at 3 o'clock.

[quantieme]

54 minutes ago, rogart63 said:

I would keep as is. Service and clean as good as you can. Maybe i would try to get the hands to look a little better.  But you will never get that to look as good as new anyway. probably worth more if you keep as is. That is my opinion  

Yes thank you, I think I am leaning towards keeping it original and the new owner can decide what to do.

[oli]

I would keep as is, the (lovely) aged dial will not look right with a brand new insert.

[noirrac1j]

The watch is certainly old and should look it, yes? It is a matter of preference, but I would try to clean the original  insert as best possible and use that.

 

J

Edited October 2, 2017 by noirrac1j

[RyMoeller]

That's a great watch @quantieme, I have one just like it on my wrist right now. 

You've asked the million dollar question and you'll get many great answers from both sides of the fence.  The good news is that you'll have interest in the piece regardless of what your decision is. 

My personal opinion would be to leave it as it is and let the next owner decide what to do.  If it were my watch for keeps I'd probably replace the bezel with a service bezel and have the dial re-lumed by a trained professional.

[quantieme]

14 hours ago, RyMoeller said:

That's a great watch @quantieme, I have one just like it on my wrist right now. 

You've asked the million dollar question and you'll get many great answers from both sides of the fence.  The good news is that you'll have interest in the piece regardless of what your decision is. 

My personal opinion would be to leave it as it is and let the next owner decide what to do.  If it were my watch for keeps I'd probably replace the bezel with a service bezel and have the dial re-lumed by a trained professional.

Thank you, yes I love these navitimers I wish I could keep it but sadly it has to go. I have decided to keep it original it's what I would do if I were keeping it and as you say the next owner can decide what to.  There is a great story that goes with this watch. I bought this watch about a month ago from an elderly gentleman and he told me that he used to work on the London docks in 1965 when he was approached by a Russian sailor who offered him the watch for sale,  he didn't know anything about watches at that time  but he liked the look of it so he gave him £13 for it and he's worn it every day since which would explain the terrible condition that it is in. I have dated the watch to 1963 and on the movement it is marked WOG which I believe is an Ebauche code for a US bought  watch which means that the Russian must've bought it in America. I just like the fact that it was bought in America travelled over the Atlantic ended up on the London docks and he's done a deal with the Russian and kept the watch for over 50 years, its not  often that you get to find out about the history of the watch that you bought but then I'm just an old romantic .

 Thank you again for all the replies which have helped me to make up my mind .

[Watchtime]

Would leave it as is, it has a history...unless you want to make some money with it