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What is a FRANKEN watch?

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rich_in_the_lou
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What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by rich_in_the_lou »

I purchased an SKX007 on the bay - I thought it looked a little drab so I got a Pepsi bezel and glued it on. I did not replace the black dial with a blue one as the 009 has. Have I made my Seiko SKX007 into a Franken watch?
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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by Wolfsatz »

rich_in_the_lou wrote:I purchased an SKX007 on the bay - I thought it looked a little drab so I got a Pepsi bezel and glued it on. I did not replace the black dial with a blue one as the 009 has. Have I made my Seiko SKX007 into a Franken watch?
No. Just a SKX with an overcoat!


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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by TheJohnP »

You have a modded watch.

I always correlate frankens with vintage watches.

For example, I bought a watch lot that had a pretty silver and white Wittnaur dial, but a Paul Breguette case and movement. THAT is a franken!
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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by Sporkboy »

If you take parts from multiple things that no longer work to make something that does then you get a franken. As in the case of Frankenstein’s monster, which was made up of parts from a number of people that no longer worked to make a single working (kind of) person (kind of).

Since the SKX was working to begin with, it isn’t a franken.
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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by watchpalooza »

Fine line for sure between modded and Franken. I think like John that Frankens tend to be vintage, whereas mods are typically modern or new watches. Also agree with Sporkboy that mods intend to augment a working watch and Frankens are pieced together from multiple scraps to make a working watch.
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ibus
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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by ibus »

There is yet another use of the term 'Franken' that I'm aware of. That is using legitimate parts to improve the shortcomings of a r*pl*c*.

Again, you're in the clear!



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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by Sporkboy »

ibus wrote:There is yet another use of the term 'Franken' that I'm aware of. That is using legitimate parts to improve the shortcomings of a r*pl*c*.

Again, you're in the clear!



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If it is a commonly used application of the term then that is fine, but I disagree on the appropriateness of the use here. To me, the act of frankening something is to reanimate or breath new life into something with what you have on hand. To get to that point it must fail somehow in order to be a candidate for the process. This is why they tend to be vintage as things were made to last. By the time you need to cobble something back to life it will be in vintage territory.

Since we have more disposable items, this may change in the future.

Anyway, if you have a working homage watch that you add legitimate parts too then I think it is still a mod.
The reanimation of the device is at the core of a franken.

Of course, this doesn’t account for how quickly language changes and adapts. However, I am stubborn and am not likely to change my personal usage of the term. Still, people should use the term how they see fit as that is how words evolve over time. I just don’t have to like it.
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Re: What is a FRANKEN watch?

Post by Dub Rubb »

Since I spent a good chunk of time in the Russian subforum on WUS, I feel I learned a good chunk of info on frankens. Not to be confused with fantasy watches(dials with familiar themes, but not copies of anything and in different cases).

Frankens tend to be a desirable dial/case combo that are original, but have a new, usually lesser and not period correct movement. The general consensus was that repairs were accepetable and not Franken. Sometimes a 40 year old watch broke, and the watchmaker had incorrect but functional rotor just to keep it alive. Acceptable. Reproduction dial, or dial incosistent with movement/case is a Franken.

If you changed parts yourself to improve either the aesthetic or performance, just a mod. And awesome.

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