I bought this used for a great price on eBay from a Japan seller with great reviews.I just got this message from eBay authentication:

“I’m happy to share that the watch has been confirmed authentic however, after inspection, we’ve determined that the crown screws down all the way but does not reach a stopping point, it just keeps turning.”

Is this absolutely unacceptable or not a big deal?

This was not disclosed by the seller and I have the option to get a refund, but I have been after this for a while and got a really good deal on it, unfortunately I’m not knowledged enough to know.

For some more context: watch is otherwise in pretty good condition. Even though got an awesome deal, this a large amount of money for me and wouldn’t want to have to spend extra on service and fixes…

I have a couple days to make up my mind and would appreciate any help.

  • NG_Armstrong@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    A screw-down crown is part of the waterproofness mechanism. This sounds like the thread of the crown that locks it into place is broken, similar to how you can sometimes break a soda bottle and you can perpetually always continue to screw it in.

    I wouldn’t know if it’s due to the silver or if it’s something else but you’ll defintely be eating a hefty fee on your next service and your watch will not be waterproof. Humdity and water might find their way into the movement and you might have bigger problems down the line.

    If this is not a big deal for you and were not planning on getting it wet or submit it to any water environment then you could go ahead. But know that it’s a problem that might come back to bite you over the course of the watch’s lifetime. Personally? I wouldn’t risk it. If there’s something wrong with the crown it might be that it has already possible water damage. Buyer beware.

  • BlastShell@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    RED FLAG. If you’re going to buy a luxury watch, you really have to do your due diligence. Buying on eBay from a seller I presume is from a different country than you’re from brings with it a lot of risks. I’d take the refund and try again.

  • mutanthands@alien.topBEnglish
    1·
    11 months ago

    Send it back as you could never trust its water resistance, which is bad given that it’s a dive watch…! It’s a lovely watch, but not too hard to find. There will be other, better examples that you can pick up. The discount just isn’t worth the compromise.