Advice on bringing Gen 1 Seiko Monster back to life.

[kk]

After a failed attempt to adjust a bracelet (losing a couple of collets in the process) I bagged up a Gen 1 monster many years back and put it away.

I came across it recently and thought about recommissioning - stuck it on a rubber strap and wore for a few days, but power reserve was rubbish.

So I have a random pile of bracelet (seemingly missing at least one link and maybe some collets) and a watch not running as it should

Question to the mod fraternity: is it worth servicing the original non-hacking movement, or best replacing with a higher-spec hacking one? The crystal is scratch-free and looks fine, but with service work being done, might it be sensible putting a sapphire on it instead of the original hardlex? The case shows some use but I have no plans to refinish, it's in nice, honest condition.

The bracelet is the hard bit, I would rather fix up the original but I'm stuck for one or two bits (notabl, a small width tapering link near the buckle seems to be missing).Whats the view on replace it with something off a steeldive or somesuch? Are some of these third party bracelets convincing enough? My preference would be to try and locate an old (perhaps partial) bracelet somewhere to cannibalise, though in the week or so I've been looking nothing has really come up.

Appreciate suggestions. I probably won't do any movement or crystal work on it myself but should just about manage the bracelet.

I seem to be on a nostalgia kick at the moment picking up stuff I owned or wanted to own from my early days of WISdom in the mid-late 90s and early 00s, and the black dial Gen 1 Monster looms large in this period for me - it was always my preference over the SKX007 or 009.

[AmosMoses]

I've been down a similar route with a Monster I rescued off ebay. I swapped the movement for a modern NH36 and popped a new sapphire crystal in there. They are such good watches that modernizing them just makes sense. You could probably source an original bracelet on eBay if you are wedded to that, I instead went for a Super Engineer II bracelet that was much tougher and had a better clasp.

[kk]

I've been down a similar route with a Monster I rescued off ebay. I swapped the movement for a modern NH36 and popped a new sapphire crystal in there. They are such good watches that modernizing them just makes sense. You could probably source an original bracelet on eBay if you are wedded to that, I instead went for a Super Engineer II bracelet that was much tougher and had a better clasp.

Thanks - very helpful. Any pic of the watch on bracelet? I'm trying to avoid changing the look too much.

[magpie215]

Thanks - very helpful. Any pic of the watch on bracelet? I'm trying to avoid changing the look too much.

Mine has migrated over to a super engineer bracelet....really suited to the Monster IMO.

[kk]

That is nice!