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Cracked crystal on Hamilton Khaki....what to do?

post #1 of 24
3/15/08 at 10:04pm
Thread Starter 
Somehow, the crystal on my watch (quartz Hamilton Khaki field watch) cracked today.

Should I find an independent watch shop and ask them to replace it or should I send it back to Hamilton?

The watch was purchased relatively inexpensively from a non-AD ($60, overstock.com) so I don't want to put a ton of money into it. How much should I expect to pay for such a service?

Thanks in advance.
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post #2 of 24
3/16/08 at 12:07am
Since it didn't cost much, how about getting some sort of glass sealant? It'd be cheap and also gives the watch some character.
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post #3 of 24
3/16/08 at 12:22am
I cracked the sapphire crystal on my Citizen and it was going to be 80 bucks just for the part. Now it sits in a drawer.
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post #4 of 24
3/16/08 at 1:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by j View Post
I cracked the sapphire crystal on my Citizen and it was going to be 80 bucks just for the part. Now it sits in a drawer.
This is what I was afraid of. That's so frustrating.

The worst part is that I cracked it (somehow...I'm not even sure when it happened) on my way to get a computer part that didn't even work.
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post #5 of 24
3/16/08 at 1:45am
I should have clarified, if the crystal can be replaced with a glass one, they cost a lot less, I think he said around $30. So it might be worth it in that case. In my case, the repair would have totaled about half the retail on the watch, so it didn't seem worth it.
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post #6 of 24
3/17/08 at 7:49pm
It's my understanding that the sealing mechanism is generally different between sapphire and mineral crystals, so you generally cannot replace one with the other. I may be talking out of my ass, though.
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post #7 of 24
3/18/08 at 2:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nerdykarim View Post
Somehow, the crystal on my watch (quartz Hamilton Khaki field watch) cracked today.

Should I find an independent watch shop and ask them to replace it or should I send it back to Hamilton?

The watch was purchased relatively inexpensively from a non-AD ($60, overstock.com) so I don't want to put a ton of money into it. How much should I expect to pay for such a service?

Thanks in advance.

My son has the exact same watch and has busted his glass twice. The first time at the Sears watchmaker -$60. and 2 weeks wait. The second time I found a man that works out of his house that does repair work for jewellers $20. 2 days wait. These repair people can be found by asking people who collect vintage watches.
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post #8 of 24
3/19/08 at 1:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcg View Post
It's my understanding that the sealing mechanism is generally different between sapphire and mineral crystals, so you generally cannot replace one with the other. I may be talking out of my ass, though.
You might be right; I was just clarifying that my crystal was sapphire and didn't know what the OP's crystal material was, so the repair might be cheaper than mine.
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post #9 of 24
3/19/08 at 12:05pm
You people really don't want to know what it costs to repair parts on Swiss watches. Hell, the service for one of my watches is going to run close to $2K if I send it to the manufacturer (I've been holding off on doing it).

Jon.
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post #10 of 24
3/19/08 at 12:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dcg View Post
It's my understanding that the sealing mechanism is generally different between sapphire and mineral crystals, so you generally cannot replace one with the other. I may be talking out of my ass, though.

You fear of the right scenario. Mineral crystals can be replaced with sapphire, watch mod enthusiasts have this done all the time with their watches, Seiko divers in particular.

Here is the quote (not including service charge) for sapphire crystals for Swiss watches from MIIK, one of the more trusted customizing services:
http://www.mkiiwatches.com/CategoryP...Watch+Crystals

Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
You people really don't want to know what it costs to repair parts on Swiss watches. Hell, the service for one of my watches is going to run close to $2K if I send it to the manufacturer (I've been holding off on doing it).

Jon.
Thank you for your insight.
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post #11 of 24
3/19/08 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by whacked View Post

Thank you for your insight.

Well, since the two options possible were mentioned: either fixing it or not, due to the low cost of the watch, I mentioned in passing that it could be much worse; i.e. trying to make the OP feel a bit better.

You need to lighten up.

Jon.
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post #12 of 24
3/20/08 at 6:08am
Quote:
Originally Posted by imageWIS View Post
You people really don't want to know what it costs to repair parts on Swiss watches. Hell, the service for one of my watches is going to run close to $2K if I send it to the manufacturer (I've been holding off on doing it).

Jon.
No, "us people" don't. We're, after all, just lowly plebes and can't imagine that echelon of entitletude.
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post #13 of 24
3/20/08 at 9:25am
You can call Frei & Borel (510-832-0355) and ask them if they stock a crystal (Hamilton or generic) that fits your watch. A new crystal will run you from ~ $5 to 20 (plastic to sapphire). Hopefully, a neighborhood watch repair can replace for you for a low fee.

All said, I can't imagine it would cost you less than 50-100% of the price you paid for the watch. So you have to decide whether that watch is worth the additional repair cost to you
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post #14 of 24
3/20/08 at 4:30pm
Thanks for the reference G, I called them about mine and it sounds like the crystal will be from $30-40. Are there any online sources for replacement crystals?
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post #15 of 24
3/20/08 at 5:40pm
Honestly, if you find that you crack mineral crystal/glass/sapphire often, switch to plastic. There is a reason military timepieces have traditionally used plastic. May scratch up easier but it is resistant to impact unlike sapphire/mineral. Plus you can polish out light scratches with plastic.
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