I found a long lost friend today... - Skyhawk Saga - Part 1 of 3

...it's a shame it's dead as a doornail.  This was my first watch from a reputable brand that wasn't a complete joke:

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She still fits (!) and is still damned pretty. Anyone have any idea how much a new capacitor/service runs on one of these?  I expect that it'll be too much to make it worthwhile, but, I'm thinking about it.

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Way nice!   The capacitor is not that expensive ($35) and the service might be 1 hour.  Keep us abreast. 

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I found a place locally that has good reviews and works on them.  Going to take in the full kit and see what they can do.  I looked over my paperwork...this thing is 18 years old! 😳

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Citizen does a great job on their watches.

I had a similat model serviced some years ago and was surprised at how reasonable they were.

Replaced the movement.

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foghorn

Citizen does a great job on their watches.

I had a similat model serviced some years ago and was surprised at how reasonable they were.

Replaced the movement.

Can I ask how much it ran you?

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It was a few years ago but the complete service with new movement , seals, etc, was under 200 dollars.

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foghorn

It was a few years ago but the complete service with new movement , seals, etc, was under 200 dollars.

That's what I'm afraid of -- the watch ran about $265-270 new back in 2004, so if that's what the estimate comes back as, I think it'll be time to salute this one and send it off to the bin...or potentially as a non-runner to eBay.

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I took her into a local repair shop this evening.  They tell me that they're going to evaluate it and let me know the approximate cost in the next couple of days.  Here's hoping it makes sense!

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Rocky150

Way nice!   The capacitor is not that expensive ($35) and the service might be 1 hour.  Keep us abreast. 

https://www.watchcrunch.com/JBird7986/posts/to-resuscitate-or-let-sleeping-dogs-lie-2nd-gen-citizen-ecodrive-skyhawk-blue-angels-titanium-13935

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foghorn

Citizen does a great job on their watches.

I had a similat model serviced some years ago and was surprised at how reasonable they were.

Replaced the movement.

https://www.watchcrunch.com/JBird7986/posts/to-resuscitate-or-let-sleeping-dogs-lie-2nd-gen-citizen-ecodrive-skyhawk-blue-angels-titanium-13935

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JBird7986

https://www.watchcrunch.com/JBird7986/posts/to-resuscitate-or-let-sleeping-dogs-lie-2nd-gen-citizen-ecodrive-skyhawk-blue-angels-titanium-13935

Think of it this way.  What you spent 18 years ago is history.  Spend $135 now and you have that really cool watch for the first time, again!

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JBird7986

https://www.watchcrunch.com/JBird7986/posts/to-resuscitate-or-let-sleeping-dogs-lie-2nd-gen-citizen-ecodrive-skyhawk-blue-angels-titanium-13935

Sounds reasonable to me.

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I have a similar skyhawk bought about twenty years ago. The battery lasted about twelve years so it was put in a drawer.

I got into watches properly nearly a year ago. I bought a cheap basic watch kit on amazon,  bought a capacitor battery for about thirty quid and replaced it myself.

The only pain was resetting the bloody thing when it was working again. I posted on this about six months or so if you look on my profile?

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Old Skyhawk revived! https://www.watchcrunch.com/Guvnor64/posts/old-skyhawk-revived-7974

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Guvnor64

Old Skyhawk revived! https://www.watchcrunch.com/Guvnor64/posts/old-skyhawk-revived-7974

So, I ultimately wound up heading down the same path as you, and as of earlier this week, she is up, charged, and ticking once again:

https://www.watchcrunch.com/JBird7986/posts/it-s-alive-it-s-alive-the-skyhawk-saga-part-3-of-3-14789

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Guvnor64

I have a similar skyhawk bought about twenty years ago. The battery lasted about twelve years so it was put in a drawer.

I got into watches properly nearly a year ago. I bought a cheap basic watch kit on amazon,  bought a capacitor battery for about thirty quid and replaced it myself.

The only pain was resetting the bloody thing when it was working again. I posted on this about six months or so if you look on my profile?

Mine was purchased July 1, 2004 based on the paperwork I still have on it.  From your post below, it looks like we have essentially the same watch, just in Blue Angels v. regular editions.  I also bought some basic tools and a capacitor (I was able to find one on Amazon for $12 USD) and went to town.  She’s been ticking away happily since and she’s showing a full charge now, so for about $50, she’s up and running again.  I’m pretty stoked about it.

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Yes sorry I hadn't read the third part when I responded! We did pretty much the same thing! My capacitor was a bit more but still way cheaper than sending it off to citizen. I did try a couple of watch repairers when the battery died. One said mo it was a specialist job and the other one quoted silly money.

Much cheaper and more satisfying to do it yourself!