My bashed-up old Eco-Drive. What's it worth?

[Papa_Hotel]

Hello.

I bought this watch about ten years ago, it travelled with me everywhere, spent more time living outside on various army deployments than was good for it and in November 2004, sadly, it passed away. The hands were all over the place and it seemed to have two dead batteries inside. (cue violins)

Anyway, I didn't buy another watch after it, generally just used my mobile to tell the time. Then my wife bought me a TAG last month for my birthday and I decided I needed my old Citizen back. I dusted it off, left it lying for a week with the intentions of taking it to a jewellers to get fixed up but lo and behold, when I pressed a couple of buttons yesterday, it sprang back to life. Inspired, I downloaded the manual and learnt I could realign the hands myself, so it's fixed!

I love this watch, I bought it for £100 when I didn't have that kind of money to spend on a watch and it seemed a big buy at the time. It's not in great condition, there's a scratch on the glass from top to bottom and the bezel has more nicks on it than Ulrika Jonsson's headboard, so I wouldn't expect that it would be worth much. I don't really care though, just wanting a general appraisal (or criticism) of it.

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/9686/dscf1905x.jp...

(big picture, 56k warriors need not apply)

[AlexKP]

Honestly?

I would say it is worth next to nothing to anyone else, but should be worth a great deal to you.

And that is the important thing.

[CommanderJameson]

Papa_Hotel said:

(big picture, 56k warriors need not apply)

Do people still actually use dial-up?

What about 50Mb warriors?

The Virgin Media man upgraded me at the weekend

[wiffmaster]

I expect the sentimental value far outweighs the monetary value. It's nice to have a watch with a history and the battle scars to prove it...

...that said, if you fancy selling it, how does £5 (plus P&P) via Paypal sound?

[deejuic]

wiffmaster said:

I expect the sentimental value far outweighs the monetary value. It's nice to have a watch with a history and the battle scars to prove it...

...that said, if you fancy selling it, how does £5 (plus P&P) via Paypal sound?

I'd agree. If you paid me £5 (plus P&P) I'd probably take it and give it a home.

[redtwin]

I would say its priceless...to you.

How many of the very beautiful and seriously more expensive watches often mentioned here will have a fraction of the history that your watch does (tours of army duty etc) and 50 years from now you can look back on a particular scratch and say to your grandkids "that was done while exiting a Land Rover in Falujah" if you know what I mean.

I have a Citizen WR100 that looks very similar to that, not eco-drive though, that I would never sell it even though the only "sentimental wound" on it happened while walking through the entrance of a Taco Bell.

[Papa_Hotel]

My watch is smiling, it didn't want me to post this in case it was dismissed as a piece of st. There's a lot of snobbery on this forum, I'm glad an old scarred warrior gets the thumbs up!

[toohuge]

Papa_Hotel said:

My watch is smiling, it didn't want me to post this in case it was dismissed as a piece of st. There's a lot of snobbery on this forum, I'm glad an old scarred warrior gets the thumbs up!

There is not a great deal of snobbery on this forum, sorry if you feel there is. The watch is priceless to you and that is what is important. My beater is in similar condition, it was cheap when i first had it and I wouldn't give it up for the world. It has seen too many good times.