I have often thought about posting this note about watches "breathing" and just now getting a nice 5 adj. RR grade Hamilton 972 ready for cleanup brought it to mind again. A watch case is like the diaphragm of a mechanical barometer. The only difference is the watch case is not sealed so it "inhales and exhales" when air pressures change. If you want to know when a watch needs cleaning, if it looks like this . . . YES IT DOES!!!. If some of you remember I sometimes refer to "getting enough coal dust out of the watch to fire up a locomotive" this is a "living example of that! Oh, and by the way this is why the "dust ring" is best left on the watch, although many of the "old" watch repair persons threw it away.

Boy, after seeing this, I'm leaving the dust covers on!

I can't wait to see how it looks when your finished with it.

Do you have a shovel? hehehe

Sheila if you want to see this, go to;
https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/1086047761/m/7401084923