I'm considering selling my A386 mark 2 with the correct crown, hands, tachy, dial, caseback, etc., to make room for one of my grails (just got the call from the AD this week). I've been trying to come up with a fair price for the a386, but there does not seem to be many credible benchmarks. The few that are available on Chrono24 range between $15k and $36k, with a couple in the $20k range. Quite a spread with no real indicators on why these models vary so widely. Plus, these prices seem patently insane anyway. There is also one from Albania that has been listed on ebay for a while for about $12k, but the crown is wrong as are the subdial hands... So I'm not sure than one is a good benchmark either.

I'm not desperate to sell it, but I don't wear it enough to appreciate it... and with the new watch, I'm afraid it will get relegated back to the safe. Any thoughts/advice on whether I should just keep it... Sell it... and pricing if I do sell?

Your thoughts, criticisms, advice, slanderous rants, and demeaning comments are all welcomed!!!

 

pics might help. and I might be interested... there is always a big difference in dealer prices and market prices. prices on c24 are calculated with an additional sellers fee. dealers need to make a living as wel as have costs of inventory insurance etc. with a386 its just all about condition. top all original lots in really good fetch top dollar

 

The spread on A386 are literally anywhere between $5000 and $50,000. All depends on condition, correct parts, bracelet, full set, and overall attractiveness.

As Wouter says C24 prices are dealer asking prices. It's often a good idea to use them as a ballpark price guide for watches that have not sold and discount a similar condition piece to your own, to get a rough gauge of what you might achieve as a private seller.

Post photos of it and you'll get a better answer.

 

Don't sell it if it has sentimental value or you can't ever purchase another. If it doesn't check either of those boxes, why not get something else you enjoy more?

 

happy to opine. . with a good set of pictures

without knowing condition and originality there's nothing to say. a near mint a386 is worth 10x a poor one

 

Here are the photos

 

looks lovely and would vote to keep

 

Thanks! Yours looks beautiful as well!!!

 

How do you evaluate your own watch?


I see a variety of issues that would place it on the lower end of my evaluation.

Dial, case and lume.


Help us help you. What do you see compared to the very top examples?

 

To be fair, @TexOmega, yours is maybe the most amazing A386 in existence

The market is certainly very, very nuanced for A386 examples. For what it's worth, I can provide my thoughts on the private market valuation of my own A386 and you can perhaps work backwards from there (Note: I am not selling mine, nor do I have any intention to any time soon - these are special watches with a valuable, still underappreciated history in horology).

Assessment:
- The case is completely unpolished and unblemished (10/10)
- The dial has no aging or spotting and the colors (including matte white portion) remain vibrant - though the lume is lighter than @TexOmega's, it is consistent and attractive to the eye (9.5/10)
- Hands are all correct
- Comes with the correct Zenith ladder bracelet and end links
- Is in working order with no issues.

From what I've observed over the past couple of years, A386's tend to trade as low as $8-10K and as high as the mid-$20K range. The minimum that I would ever entertain for a sale is probably ~$25K. More realistically, I would not part with it for below $27.5K. Would I get that? Who knows, but the market is quite fickle, depth of the examples matters most, and I find that examples like mine are seldom seen.

Comparing to yours:
- Has a nice case - not perfect, but bevels are intact and it doesn't appear to be soft (8/10).
- It is hard to fully judge the condition of the dial based on the interior lighting, but it looks like the matte white portion may have some aging (more of a cream color). The lume is quite dark, both in hands and applied indices. I'd rate it at a 5/10.
- Tachy scale also appears to have scuffing and damage - would result in a deduction to value.
- Hands are correct
- It comes with the correct bracelet and end links - pro for valuation.

This is solely my opinion, but in the context of everything that noted above, I would value it at ~half of my "minimum" price noted above.

Additionally, I would place zero emphasis on listings like this: https://www.craftandtailored.com/co...ion/products/1970s-zenith-el-primero-ref-a386

 

Tex Omega's definitely takes first prize; what a great piece. And I thank you for putting mine to shame. I "will do better" sir.

Bazamu, thanks for your assessment. I think it's a pretty fair analysis overall.

The consistent feedback I'm getting is to take better pictures (perhaps outside light is better)?

 

My intention was not to shame, but to ascertain your assessment of your example.

then, we can add/subtract in a more objective assessment.

Was I misreading your reason for starting this thread?

my apologies if so.

 

Tex, you did fine. I was only complimenting your watch in a self deprecating way... which is my humor. If you want my assessment: it’s a good watch. It’s not a museum piece and it’s not mint. It has some minor flaws like a scuff on the tachymeter, some patina on the metal part of the applied indices, and very little lime left, if any. But the dial looks great. The hands look great. The case still has sharp edges; it doesn’t look to be over polished. The parts (hands, crown, tach, dial, etc) are correct. And overall, on the wrist it looks and feels like a solid vintage watch. So I’d assess it as “a cool vintage piece.”

 

@Charger_Vital Some more photos taken outside in natural sunlight would show your watch in it's best light.

The caseback on yours is seldom seen, very few examples have that type. The logo appears to be etched on (like is seen on the Zenith A271 of the late 60s).

The bracelet and end links are not vintage parts so take that into account when valuing it.

 

good eye. Yes the bracelet is the modern Zenith manufactured ladder specifically made for the vintage a386s. They have modern ones too...

 

Thanks for all the feedback. Based on the comments I thought $12k was a fair listing. Thus, that's what I've done. We shall see what happens.

 

Love it!

 

How did the sale go?

 

This is sort of condition A386 a friend of mine is selling for 21k EUR.

 

i listed it for $12k on the Rolex forum. Got a few inquiries. Lowered the price to $11k. No interest. I was surprised considering that it’s a great piece and underpriced compared to the market. Admittedly the Rolex forum is probably not the best place to market it for sale, but I’ve been a member for so long and sold other watches there so I went back to what was comfortable.

I probably would have regretted it if it had sold for that unless it went to someone who truly loves the a386 and I could have given him a great deal on it. Though you can never be sure.

So for now I’m holding it and considering what I want to do… just a shame that it doesn’t get more wrist time.