The wife recently bought a used watch at an estate sale, and somehow on the journey home the back cover came off and was lost. Went to our local watch repair place, and he said he had boxes of used parts - he'd look and see if he could find a back cover that would fit. After 3 weeks of no luck, I went in to pick up the watch - guess we'd have to toss it or donate it to them for parts. As I'm about to leave the owner says off the cuff he perhaps he could fit a crystal (i.e. front clear cover) on the back. I said, might as well give it a try. Lo and behold, he had a crown that fit! It'll make the watch a little thicker he said, but it could still be worn and would work fine.
The Mrs. is thrilled! I think having a clear back so you can see the workings is cool, and it's a unique timepiece now. Cause I doubt anybody would spend $20 to fix a used $3 wristwatch. Just wish more repair places had this thinking out of the box mentality.
