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Hi Col,
The size and thickness of a case's crystal depends upon the specifics of the case itself. A watchmaker performing the work for you would either order the correct crystal from a material house by the case number (to receive a genuine crystal or correct-fitting generic), or they could measure the existing crystal and/or case opening and order a generic based on this. For a case design such as this one, the crystal gasket would also need to be replaced when fitting a new crystal. It would behoove you to replace the other gaskets as well if they haven't been replaced in recent years. If any shards of the crystal have migrated to the movement from any of the holes in the dial, they will cause problems with running and could damage parts inside. It's usually not a matter of "if", but rather "how many" have found their way inside, so most smart watchmakers will not overlook this when a watch comes to them with a shattered crystal.
If you do not have the tools and skills already in hand to perform such a task, why not shop around with other watchmakers to find one you are more comfortable with? $250 doesn't sound out of line for the complete repair of a watch such as this given it's complexity and possible scarcity of replacement parts, but somehow the watchmaker who gave you this quote wasn't able to convey this to you well enough. Perhaps another would better explain what is involved time-wise and skill-wise to complete such a repair satisfactorily. Remember, their fee is not based on how much the watch originally cost you, but rather how much their time and skill is worth.
Regards,
The size and thickness of a case's crystal depends upon the specifics of the case itself. A watchmaker performing the work for you would either order the correct crystal from a material house by the case number (to receive a genuine crystal or correct-fitting generic), or they could measure the existing crystal and/or case opening and order a generic based on this. For a case design such as this one, the crystal gasket would also need to be replaced when fitting a new crystal. It would behoove you to replace the other gaskets as well if they haven't been replaced in recent years. If any shards of the crystal have migrated to the movement from any of the holes in the dial, they will cause problems with running and could damage parts inside. It's usually not a matter of "if", but rather "how many" have found their way inside, so most smart watchmakers will not overlook this when a watch comes to them with a shattered crystal.
If you do not have the tools and skills already in hand to perform such a task, why not shop around with other watchmakers to find one you are more comfortable with? $250 doesn't sound out of line for the complete repair of a watch such as this given it's complexity and possible scarcity of replacement parts, but somehow the watchmaker who gave you this quote wasn't able to convey this to you well enough. Perhaps another would better explain what is involved time-wise and skill-wise to complete such a repair satisfactorily. Remember, their fee is not based on how much the watch originally cost you, but rather how much their time and skill is worth.
Regards,
