Restore or leave in original condition, Beobachtungs-uhren

Beware of DAVIDOLIVER. Although the advice may seem sound, it was generated by
a chatbot, as evidenced by the first sentence:

"If you are referring to "Beobachtungs-Uhren," which translates to
"Observation
Watches" in English, it depends on the specific circumstances and your
personal preferences."

If DAVIDOLIVER was a person, they would have seen the second image that was
posted with "B-UHR" clearly engraved inside the caseback, and would not have
questioned what you are referring to.

It is interesting that these chatbots can engage in basic conversation, but
still are not ready to analize images (at least for civilian purposes).

Hi Ben,

Thanks for pointing this out, is this an AI system that IWC have added?

A conversation to have on another occasion, not appropriate in this forum.

Best regards,

Stewart

Why vandalise an original dial when its possible to have two ( dials)...

"Thanks for pointing this out, is this an AI system that IWC have added?"

No, and unfortunately they are popping up more frequently these days. New
forum software hopefully will be cutting down on this soon.

As for Catherine's advice, I totally agree. I would keep it completely
original and have it serviced by a local watchmaker who is capable and willing
to work on it. If you do want a new lume, I would also agree with sending it
back to Schaffhausen without the dial and hands to see if they could be
replaced. But do hold onto those original hands and dial

I'll follow your advice, as long as you can confirm that you aren't a chat
bot..

Many thanks,

Stewart

Cheers Stewart;)

And please do keep us updated on your progress, It is always fantastic to see
these historical pieces revived!

Good morning Bryce June,

I will follow your advice, and thank you for your input. The watch hands and
dial aren't damaged, but unfortunately time has taken its toll.

Kind regards,

Stewart

On Saturday I met up with a horologist, who had a good look at the watch. His advice, do nothing to the watch.

He had a good look and is sure that it is authentic, in his words you can't counterfeit aging and the watch doesn't have any obvious marks that alterations may have made. He is looking into options for authentification process.

I got to have a good look at the movement, see attached.

Kind regards,

Stewart

Stewart, I like your friend's advice. The watch does indeed appear authentic. And like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Regarding the crown of your B-Uhr:

As I responded in a previous post, it is a pocket watch crown.

B-Uhren had two different crowns that I am aware of and there might be others too!

The reason is say you should try replace the crown with a correct one will enhance the authenticity of the Watch and also, if you decide to wear the watch, which should be safe to wear for short times once the crystal is replaced. The existing PW crown will allow moisture and humidity to penetrate while wearing.

If you choose to keep the B-Uhr as a display piece, do nothing. But a new crystal will enhance the appearance markedly.

It is entirely your choice too, because the B-Uhr looks fantastically aged by the yellowed crystal, which must be very brittle by now.

According to my personal knowledge with Ref 431 B Uhr, I am very confident that the crown on your watch is not authentic!

In one of the posts you can see the two authentic crown versions for this type of watch.

Good luck with the search for a proper authentic crown!

Greetings Martin

Thank you Ben, Mark and Martin, I value your input and experience.

Mark, thank you for the advice re the PW crown and humidity, I will follow this up and try to source a replacement crown. I'm torn regarding the crystal, I appreciate what a new crystal would do for appearance and can see good reasons for change. I also appreciate that the current crystal has seen things throughout its life that makes it quite unique, replacing the crystal could be similar to taking my grandmother for a facelift. When the horologist first saw the watch on Saturday, his eyes lit up and he kept saying that you can't fake aging, the look in his eyes has stuck with me. I'm not in any rush and will continue to weigh up options.

Any tips on where I might look for a crown, would be gratefully received.

Thank you again for your input, I'm loving the journey.

Stewart

I'm sorry, but i am failing to see the relevance.

Kind regards,

Stewart

The previous response is from an AI Bot, advertising some sort of service or other.

I like your friend's advice. The watch does indeed appear authentic. And like they say, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

Best regards
misbah

I am of the firm opinion that altering the dial or hands is unnecessary and undesirable. I kindly urge you to refrain from making any changes in this regard.

As far as I understand, Swiss law mandates the removal of high radiation levels from old watches, and it seems that IWC's servicing approach adheres to this regulation. However, I strongly believe that allowing such alterations would be an unfortunate decision. Instead, I recommend seeking a service provider who will maintain the watch without replacing its finest components.

While I acknowledge that this is a subjective viewpoint, I am inclined to believe that a majority of dedicated collectors would share this sentiment.

Wishing you the best of luck with your decision.