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My son's battery in his 96 navigator is in need of replacement and I've ordered one (Renata 371) and thought it might be prudent to change the battery hatch seal as well. Does anyone have info on what size they are and where to obtain them? I read that someone tried Silvermans but didn't get any reply. Imagine Cousin's may have them but without a size I'm a bit stuck. To add the watch is away with him and he will visit late June and would like to get this done at this time.
I do not know where you would find them
To be honest it’s a watch from 96.
The crown seal will be in the same state. It’s the same for the case back - mid case interface.
I would keep the original seal and give it a smear of silicon grease
The watch was not very water proof when new, a new hatch seal will not help much now unless you replace them all
I've just had my 1980 Navigator fully serviced by Olli of this parish and all the seals were replaced as part of the job. I understand that Olli has access to parts from Silvermans in order to undertake servicing and repairs on older watches.
Your sons watch is a rare bird and being 25 years old personally I suggest he goes down the same route as I did.
https://i.postimg.cc/JznVjcWr/IMG-3258.jpg
I'm sure the hatch hasn't changed size over the years, but in all honesty I don't know. The cases did get slimmer to accommodate different movements, but not sure if this affected the battery hatch.
If your sons had broken I would have offered you the old one that Olli returned to me in the pic above which might have been useful as a stop gap, but as that was 41 years old Olli was keen to replace it.
Cousins will certainly have them. Suggest you measure the current one and order same.
Having spoken with my son, he's going to drop the watch with me when next down and I'll sort out a service, hopefully keeping all original parts except battery and seals, probably with olli as mentioned by Ken. Thanks.
Wise decision. If you are going with Olli I would have the crystal changed as part of the service. He uses genuine CWC crystals that have the brushed satin torsion ring and you are not compromising on originality. He would return the old crystal to you anyway, so you would still have that as part of the Watch. It really makes a difference. It is around £35 as part of a service.
Also, book a service slot well in advance, don’t leave it to the last minute. Watchmakers are busy.
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Well off it went to Olli and came back today after a change of movement, nothing wrong with the old one but it could have failed. New crystal, tension ring and seals. Passed a 30m water test too. All old parts were returned so any purists for complete originality can be happy. Excellent service and comms from Olli and would definitely recommend.
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...590f280c37.jpg
Excellent, looks like a brand new watch. Well worth the effort for such a rare piece and you should have peace of mind now for a good few years to come. It is a great feeling getting a fully sorted watch back from Olli, definitely the go to guy for these older and rarer watches, it’s also great that he has such a passion for them rather than just a watch guy doing the next job.Quote:
Originally Posted by bobc
Restoring these is actually quite straightforward, getting hold of the correct crystal is the hard bit. I’ve got a couple of these in the ‘ fixer upper’ drawer to sort out and sell when time permits. Not my cup of tea but they have a certain appeal, good ones are getting harder to find thesedays.
Never easy getting parts for old watches. Which is why I turned to Olli of this parish who is a qualified watchmaker and has access to CWC parts.You can scramble around posting wtb's for parts but often its easier, quicker and cheaper to pay the going rate.Quote:
Originally Posted by walkerwek1958