Poised as we are at a stationary point, the transition state between ‘before’ (see part I here) and ‘after’, in the spirit of a downhill run, I’ll keep the verbals to a minimum and let the pictures do the talking.

Case

A thorough clean to the case is all that is required, the case in such nice original condition that any refinishing would really undermine the spirit of this project. Here’s the mid-case with chapter ring and crystal gasket ring fitted

ready for the original crystal gasket, still in excellent condition after 32 years

In the choice of crystal we maintain the purist approach by resisting the temptation to fit a domed 6105 crystal but allow a minor indulgence in opting for a coated flat sapphire manufactured to the same dimensions as the original Hardlex:

and secured to the case with the crystal retaining ring

Let’s turn now to the movement.

Movement

Snags around the barrel hole smoothed away:

main plate Diashock setting

retaining spring fitted

reassembly complicated only by some vacillation over whether to go for the 6319 barrel and train wheel bridge.  In the end, the decision was made for me because the third wheel from the 6319 was corroded and the watch failed to run smoothly with it fitted and so I took this as a sign to stick to a 6309 bridge and keep faith with just 17 rather than 21 jewels.  I’ll skip most of that in the interests of brevity, pausing though to consider the dial and hands once again:

Dial and Hands

Here’s the calendar side of the movement, reassembled with the dial spacer fitted

with the dial on

we are ready for the hands and need to make another decision.  You may recall we have a number of options to choose from, ranging from two sets of original NOS hands, one set of aftermarket, and the original hands which cleaned up quite nicely but which would need reluming.  As I fancied having another stab at luming, I thought I’d give it a go and see how they looked before making a decision.  The result of that process, after one false start, actually looked really pretty good, the colour match more than good enough:

We are almost ready to put it all back together, only the crown needing a spot of TLC.

Crown and stem

The crown and stem on these dive watches are a two part affair, with the stem moving against a spring, which as you can see looked in a bit of a sorry state

but importantly all of the components there.  The gasket was hardened and needed replacing, the rest if the components undergoing a thorough clean before reassembling with a generous dash of silicone grease

ready to take its place together with the movement in the case

The home straight

Winding bridge back in position

and rotor

before closing her up and flipping over ready for the turning ring and bezel

It might be worth pausing at this point to compare the slightly worn original insert, with its characteristic dished aspect and slightly granular finish, with a modern Seiko equivalent taken from an SKX007 as well a low grade aftermarket insert

A fresh bezel gasket and on the turning ring pops to bring the process to its conclusion

All that remains is to fit the strap, held in place with the original 22mm fat spring bars, and give it a spin around the block:

Let’s end with a few more of the finished watch