[jb1776]

The term Frankenwatch appears from time to time in discussion of watches that show up for sale, or in forums. I'm wondering what the general consensus is for what makes a Frankenwatch.

I order a bunch of parts to change my Seiko 7002 into something new and that is considered "modded". But what if I buy a bunch of parts to bring an old abused watch back from the dead? I have a Baby ProPlof that I bought a few years ago that was sold as a project piece, maybe more of a project than was advertised by the seller but whatever. It was a real BPP with all the proper bits and movement minus a missing bezel insert.

After I got it i determined that the case was ruined due to the stem hole having been drilled, the hands were beyond use and the clasp while functioning wasn't worth trying to use; so I sourced the parts, had the movement serviced and the watch reassembled. Is that a Frankenwatch? If so, at what point does part replacement on a watch become a Frankenwatch?

Or is a Frankenwatch only when someone pulls parts from various sources to produce a watch that didn't exist before, that never came from the watch brand as what it is now? Is it the movement or the case that is the core of the watch? On a car typically the chassis is the part that "is" the car, on many firearms it is the frame, so what is it on a watch?

Interested to hear thoughts.

 

[csu87]

Ive seen it used 2 ways

1) Pulls parts from various genuine watches to create something that was never produced.

2) Pulls parts from various genuine and fake watches to create the "ultimate" replica watch.

If you are going to buy a watch that is Frankened, you need to figure out which category it falls into.

As for Seikos, you tend to see those called "Modded" when they use a bunch of random parts.

 

[oso2276]

A sample of a Franken type 1. Built using genuine Omega parts, old and new, to mimic a 1957 speedmaster

Enviado desde mi Moto G (5) Plus mediante Tapatalk

 

[mav]

Many would probably consider this, an Omega Speedmaster 3570.50 modified with a Mitsukoshi panda dial and broad arrow hands, to be a "frankenwatch".

I'm not sure if I would agree though. Yes, it's modified, with all genuine Omega parts. As an analogy, my car is also slightly modified, so am I driving around in a "frankencar"?

To me, a frankenwatch is when you modify a watch with non-manufacturer parts to make it into something entirely different.

 

[Medusa]

I think one of the defining factors for a Frankenwatch is that the watch was built from the ground up. Prior to it's assembly, it did not exist as a whole.

Kinda like the real Frankenstein.

I think anything else that starts with a base watch or watchcase & movement falls in to the Mod or modded category.

 

[Watchbreath]

A kludge.

 

[TwentiethCenturyFox]

An example I have seen are old Tudor rangers that have red writing on the dial. That was never proven to be a real watch, so essentially a "franken" watch design creation. Modding a watch with real genuine oem parts I do not think qualifies as a frankenwatch.