I have seen many old watches over the years that have had rubber gaskets that turned to "goop" but the older Heuers seem to have this problem more than others for some reason. I thought I would post a suggestion for something I have been using for years to remove this stuff. I took some pics yesterday and today of the goop that was the gasket on the back of a Calculator case. I use a 50/50 mixture of Simple Green cleaner/water and soaked the case and back in it overnight. The goop will then come off easily with an old toothbrush and hot water. This is much better than using solvents to clean up this type of mess. I soaked the original bracelet in it also - removes all the old grease and grime. I recommend it only for gold, stainless steel and brass overnight. Other metals should only be soaked for much shorter periods of time and should be watched for reactions. Definitely no dials! Craig