Heres my list of things that you should varify either with scans, or by contacting the seller.
Crown, it should screw down (6309) at least 1.5 complete turn, the more the better. Anyless then 1.5 turns and I consider the case junk.
Crystal retaining ring. As you may know, these like to split. A little rust, a pin hole, and Crack! These are very hard to find in usuable condition, and when they do come up, they are around 30 bucks to replace.
CASE: Because many of these where actually used in humid climates (Phillipines), they will strtat to rust and pit in the gasket sealing area`s of the case, the case back grove, ect. I have seen case`s that where really junk, but you could not tell untill you pried out the old gasket, then you see the huge pits. Of course these get to the point where any stort of water proofing is impossible, but they can be used if WR is not a primary concern.
Movement spacer and pressure spring: These tension/ pressure springs are the first thing to rust when water is allowed to stay in the case. They are thin, and often turn to dust. These are long obsolite, and finding a good one is a chore not unlike trying to find a new crystal retainer.
Lug pin holes: Here recently I have seen some watches that although they looked real good, the lug pin holes where so wollered out that it would be insane to expect a spring bar o stay in them. This is not fixable, and means the case is junk.
The following applies to 6105 divers in addition to the above.
Crown pin, make sure the crown pin still hold the crown still. Big bucks if you need this fixed, but it is worth it if the rest of the watch is worthy.
MOVEMENT: As noted above, 6105 movements, especially the "B" movement, are a chore to find, and unfortunately, alot of other movements fit this case.
About the E-bay cobblers:
Sometimes the cobblers will come up with a watch they did not have to do anything to, and these will sometimes be very good deals. The problem is this though, most cobblers will take a watch that should have been junked for one or more of the reason above, and try to resurect it with a chinese knock-off dial and hands. And so to the unsuspecting, these watches appear to be a very nice watch. Its only when you get them that you realise that one or more of the problems listed above are present in the watch. It then becomes clear that a honest seller would junk them, instead of making them appear better than they are with a repo dial and hands. I basically stay completely away from any watch that has these repo dial and hands, not neccesarily because of the dial and hands, but I figure if they had to change the dial and hands, then they have been into it, and the rest of it has been messed with too, and there is no telling how many real problems are present in the watch.
Parting shot: The difference between getting it right the first time, and a piece of junk, is usually about 250-300 bucks (6309 only, 6105 can go MUCH HIGHER!)
Cheers,
Randall
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Made in America.
Randall Benson
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