Here’s another example of an ‘economy class’ vintage watch case restoration. This is the horrid condition it came to us in, originally from a local car boot sale, bought for just £10. Would you pay a tenner for this?
It’s not very obvious at the moment, but the case is actually a Concept 80, “The world’s most advanced watch” from the famous brand ETERNA. We’ve put an example of one of their advertisements at the bottom of the page, the striking resemblance is no coincidence.
Right now it’s all filthy, covered in some sort of dirt. Looks like it’s been pulled straight out of a swamp. Smells like mold.
The repulsive state of the strap is especially concerning. What could be going on inside?
Luckily, this automatic Swiss movement is in great condition, there’s no rust or traces of previous repairs gone wrong. Always a joy to work on!
As is often the case, we forgot to take pictures of the actual restoration process, but have a look at these results! We now have a charming, sporty watch that feels great on the wrist and is in pristine working condition.
This watch is available for purchase in our online store, here’s the link: Le Cheminant Master Mariner Concept-80. The original Eterna Concept-80 is also available in the Shop.
What could be improved?
It’s always worth asking this question, even if we achieved a marvellous result. In this case, we tried to keep everything to a budget, and decided not to fix the miniature, but deep indentations on the front surface of the case and on the sides. These can be filled in with laser welding, and the watch could be even smoother.
For an economy-class vintage watch, we believe the degree of restoration we’ve achieved is rather enough. It’s fair to leave a few traces of time in an antique object. If this had been a newer generation watch, we’d recommend a more thorough approach: shape restoration with laser welding, full polishing, brushing, and decorating; for more details check our Repair Services section.
