I am not a railroad watch collector, but I have acquired a few railroad watches. I am selling them, as well as some of the more modest watches in my collection. For my current eBay listings, see my listings.

I would like some advice about selling a very nice 992B (#C477717) in a Model 17 case. I knew the watch had an inappropriate enamel #536 dial when I bought it, but that dial looks so much better than a melamine dial, that I left it on. However, I bought a reasonably pristine melamine Montgomery dial for $80 just in case I would later need one. So now what should I do:

1. Sell the watch with the enamel dial on and the melamine as a spare.
2. Sell the watch with the enamel dial on, and separately sell the melamine dial.
3. Sell the watch with the melamine dial on and separately sell the enamel dial.

Here is the watch with the enamel dial.

And here is the melamine dial.

Ethan my 2 cents, I would clean the melamine dial as mentioned in some posts here on how to clean the dial and put it back on the watch. That will make the watch "technically" correct.

Take the dial that is now on the watch (it looks very clean) and list it in another auction by itself.

I see no problem in mentioning in the listing for the 992B that you have other items for sale, mention some and clearly mention that you have a near-mint to mint porc DS 992B dial.

If that person doesn't desire the dial, I am sure that a few of the many that look at the 992B listing will.

Thanks, Claude. If I adopt your advice, I think I will omit cleaning the melamine dial. It looks completely clean to me, just not the brilliant while of the enamel dial currently on the watch. Besides, I have no experience cleaning melamine dials, and the postings here about cleaning them make me scared to try to learn on my only melamine dial. Cleaning Melamine Dials

The melamine dial you posted is not glossy but few if any are after 50 years but it is not cracked or chunking so I would not see it as reducing the price any. If fact since it is in such nice condition that will add to the price since it is correct and in great shape. Maybe the most hardcore out there might expect a melamine dial to be as glossy as an enamel dial but I seriously doubt that many do. The fact that it is a Montgomery style dial is an added bonus also.

I have a BETTER idea Ethan.

Sell it to ME!!!!

By the way, that Melamine dial should NOT be glossy, only the first few years had the glossy dials.

And good thinking on not cleaning it. You can get in to a lot of trouble really fast on the Melamine dials. On the Montgomery dial like the one you have, you can take the red lettering of very easy!

Regards,
Larry

Ethan, 992b's usually do great right here in our auction. I know a couple of guys that are not afraid to give the best prices. No Fees

Thanks for the advice. Is the consensus that I should put the melamine dial on the watch and sell the enamel dial separately?

As for selling the 992B on this message board, my experience has been poor in getting what I regarded to be fair value, but that's likely because I was selling things other than popular railroad watches. I may put the 992B up for sale here to test that hypothesis.

Ethan Lawrence is dead on about the Red fading. Years ago I cleaned a Melamine and while it was no great loss as it was spidered the red disappeared faster than a scalded cat. I think Claude is right on the way to go but in truth I hate Melamine dials anyway.

Ethan, my experience with melamine dials is "don't touch" . Not even with your fingers except on the edge. If it were me I would sell the melamine dial separately.
As far as the 185 auction simply put a reserve as to what you have to have for the watch.