Welcome to the forum. No, a crystal replacement should not take anything off the value (unless the original crystal has a diminuitive etched logo in the centre, as the old Omegas do - and then probably not much either!).

Hartmut Richter

 

Has it been serviced recently?

 

I don't believe that anything has been done with it going back a couple of decades. The winding seems to be a bit tight. I'm not sure what that indicates, but I'm guessing that getting it serviced would address that symptom. What type of price point would you normally expect for that type of work? We have a couple of different jewelers that do watch work where I live, but I don't know if I should just take it to the first place that's been recommended to me, or look for something specific...

 

Ask for a quote.

 

Thank you for the greeting! There doesn't appear to be anything on the original crystal and I know that it'll look 10x better if I get it replaced. Thank you for the info!

 

get it serviced through a watchmaker and wear it in good health

 

Hi New to this, you've got a nice watch there. It is the Gallet Flight Officer, and looks to be late 2nd gen or early 3rd gen. It should have the Venus 150 caliber in it. Unfortunately, it does show some rust marks, I hope the movement is in good condition. Does it run?
The LH subdial hand is not correct, so that tells me somebody has done some work to it in the past.

I'll PM you with some more info
~Daniel

 

Crystal replacement won't hurt value but ensure that the new one had a very similar shape/ profile as an original . Some people put these very upright/ bubble crystals on that ruin the optics when looking at the dial.

 

Yes, this crystal has a flat base, because it is sandwiched between the caliber and the inside of the case

 

I have a local shop ordering and replacing the crystal, with an estimated cost of $50.00 for parts and labor. That sounds pretty reasonable to me...since the new crystal will probably make a dramatic improvement to the overall look.

I took the cheap band off of it before I took it in, and the guy doing the work asked me if I wanted a 'period style' band on it, military style, etc. He said the choice of a band can totally change the overall look of the watch and make a difference if you're going for more of a dress or casual appearance. Does anyone know what type of band originally came with this watch model, or is the answer to that as broad as asking what color houses were in the 1950s?

 

This article has some old photos and advertisements.

https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/the-original-gallet-flying-officer-as-worn-by-president-trum

 

When I took it in, I did tell him that I thought it was winding hard. He wound it a bit, tested the button functions, and said that it felt fine to him. Since he's worked on hundreds? thousands? of watches over the years, I decided to defer to his opinion and not pursue it as an issue. It seems to run well and keep time, so I'm just going to have the crystal replaced for now. I know that getting it fully serviced is probably the best thing to do for the proper preservation of the watch, but if Gallet's service cost is any indication of the standard price to have that kind of work done ($875.00), then it's not in the cards, at least for now.

 

Thanks for the pics, Dan! That helps give me an idea of what may have originally been on it.

 

My only request is to grab a photo or two of the movement once the watch is apart. I'd like to post a photo of the watch on Gallet's facebook page, if that's alright with you. Once you get it back, with a spankin' new crystal and all.

For those who are not familiar with this model, it was among the first commercially released 'waterproof' watch case. Brevet 215450 is the Swiss patent number. The Flight Officer model was the first Gallet to have this, beginning in 1938.

 

Question for DragonDan. Were you able to help the original poster find a new/replacement crystal? I have the same watch and would also like to replace the crystal. Any help is much appreciated. Thanks!