Thanks for the excellent reply.

Talking about psychology, I think I can relate to what you say.

For me the psychological drawback of a "not-100%-original" piece, is not that it "doesn't feel right" but the feel that this watch has been "abused". Of course a watch with all original parts could have been abused as well (maybe more) by a careless owner or an incompetend watchmaker etc. but by looking at a modified watch I often wonder "how much wear did the watch suffer during the modification"?

On the other hand I sometimes consider a modified watch as "piece unique" - no other watch in the world is like it!

You made a great point talking about psychology.
Since we have an obsession (with watches) we may find more answers in psychology than in logic.

:
: Kav: Excellent subject that deserves a more
: complete response, but here is my initial
: reaction.

: To some extent this is psychological -- I look
: at the watch on my wrist, and if it has a
: refinished dial or an improper replacement
: part, it bothers me. It just doesn't look
: right; it is not as satisfying as seeing
: something that I know is "right"
: or "correct" or
: "genuine". This is my own
: preference; my own aesthetic; some might say
: my own "hang up". I do not have a
: museum approach -- I only collect pieces
: that I will wear, and I am telling you my
: reaction when I wear them. If it's not
: genuine, I don't enjoy wearing it.

: Turning from the psychological to the economic,
: I beleive that there is a much stronger
: market for the real / genuine / original
: pieces. If I buy something with a refinished
: dial or a replacement bezel, and pay 60% of
: what the original would cost, the market to
: resell it (if I change my mind) is much
: thinner / weaker. Anyone buying these pieces
: is dealing in a smaller, less efficient
: market, and these pieces will often attract
: few offers. So if you change your mind, you
: may be stuck. An original piece, on the
: other hand, will usually be sold into a
: strong market, with far more participants.

: That's just my perspective, but I have never
: been happy with a refinished dial or
: replacement parts. I wouldn't say that one
: is "better", but I know with
: certainty which ones I want to wear and own.

: Jeff

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