I would go via the Ad route and haggle, I managed to get a good discount on a brand new IWC, and they dont get discounted that much from what i have heard.
it has been this one all week and i have been putting the chronos to good use in my job
This is a crap panorama shot of where i spend my time right now (photos taken on phone so not so good)
You could just leave it out and adjust by moving the y that is left with a bit of peg wood if needed, it is not essential to the running of the movement
I looks more representive of how the watch would look, i think you have achived what you set out too, how does it look with a bit less time exposure? just a little darker or a lot, seiko have top lume but only that bright in real life for the few mins after charging.