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Advice on UG tri-compax for sale

blurr77
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Hi all,

New to this forum and first post on here. Have been looking for a UG Tri-compax for a while now, and finally found one on C24 within my budget. From a US Based dealer in NY.

Ref 22539, no box/papers, dial refinishes. ~8k.

For those UG experts on here - would you buy this ?

Appreciate your input, thank you!

IMG_7087.webp IMG_7086.webp IMG_7083.webp IMG_7084.webp
 
Dan S
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The overlap between UG experts and buyers of refinished dials is vanishingly small, I'm afraid.
 
blurr77
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Dan S Dan S
The overlap between UG experts and buyers of refinished dials is vanishingly small, I'm afraid.
Thanks Dan, yes new to this, so wanted to get a sense of what general view is on refinishing - absolute NO, or are there exceptions?
 
TexOmega
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blurr77 blurr77
Thanks Dan, yes new to this, so wanted to get a sense of what general view is on refinishing - absolute NO, or are there exceptions?
The exception would be if you're not a collector.

90% of the value is the dial.
 
bgrisso
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blurr77 blurr77
Thanks Dan, yes new to this, so wanted to get a sense of what general view is on refinishing - absolute NO, or are there exceptions?
Absolute no unless the asking price is below the value of the remaining parts (aside from dial)
 
blurr77
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Thank you. That said curious what you think on the quality of refinishing on this one?
 
Larry S
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blurr77 blurr77
Thank you. That said curious what you think on the quality of refinishing on this one?
it’s crap. Move on.
 
Larry S
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Keep shopping and be patient. Just be aware the the resurgence of the brand is leading to another wave of franken watches out there at stupid prices.
 
blurr77
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Larry S Larry S
Keep shopping and be patient. Just be aware the the resurgence of the brand is leading to another wave of franken watches out there at stupid prices.
Thanks Larry, I’m curious are there obvious signs to look for signs of refinishing? Do dealers typically tell you if asked?
 
lsj
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blurr77 blurr77
Thanks Larry, I’m curious are there obvious signs to look for signs of refinishing? Do dealers typically tell you if asked?
normally seller will say its "professionally restored", thats it.
forbthe signs of refinishing, there is a tread taking about UG redial and service dial, u may want to look for that.

for me, i will not buy this piece also (actually i saw this piece few day ago on c24). the reason is same with those replies above. the original dial is very improtant, its like human's face. Be patient, otherwise u are wating money.
 
Larry S
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blurr77 blurr77
Thanks Larry, I’m curious are there obvious signs to look for signs of refinishing? Do dealers typically tell you if asked?

blurr77 blurr77
Thanks Larry, I’m curious are there obvious signs to look for signs of refinishing? Do dealers typically tell you if asked?
Dealers are a very mixed bag. I’d say 20% are trustworthy and 80% are not. “Restored”, “Refinished” are usually used to describe a non original dial. Then there are UG issued service dials which are documented on this subforum they are not a bad thing but do impact the value somewhat. Same for dials that are later than the serial number. Again not as serious a fault but the value is again impacted. Closed 6 is post 1950, Open 6 is pre 1950. Solid moon discs replaced the faces in the 50’s. Older face discs did not hold up and were often changed in service. Rounded 3’s, odd spacing of the tachy register, poorly printed logo’s, lumed hands and non lumed dial and vise versa are signs of redialing or franken watches. Then there are mismatched hands to watch out for.

My advice is to see if you can get a copy of the Sala book and spend some time here. There is no better forum for UG in the world than this one. We are happy to respond to informed questions.

Lastly look at the Private Sales forum. OF is the safest place to buy a watch. Unethical BS is quickly called out here and folks who behave badly are not tolerated.

Good hunting. Slow and steady wins the race.
 
magana_manuel
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Larry S Larry S
Dealers are a very mixed bag. I’d say 20% are trustworthy and 80% are not. “Restored”, “Refinished” are usually used to describe a non original dial. Then there are UG issued service dials which are documented on this subforum they are not a bad thing but do impact the value somewhat. Same for dials that are later than the serial number. Again not as serious a fault but the value is again impacted. Closed 6 is post 1950, Open 6 is pre 1950. Solid moon discs replaced the faces in the 50’s. Older face discs did not hold up and were often changed in service. Rounded 3’s, odd spacing of the tachy register, poorly printed logo’s, lumed hands and non lumed dial and vise versa are signs of redialing or franken watches. Then there are mismatched hands to watch out for.

My advice is to see if you can get a copy of the Sala book and spend some time here. There is no better forum for UG in the world than this one. We are happy to respond to informed questions.

Lastly look at the Private Sales forum. OF is the safest place to buy a watch. Unethical BS is quickly called out here and folks who behave badly are not tolerated.

Good hunting. Slow and steady wins the race.
This was very comprehensive advice, I agree with all the points.
 
fizz
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Larry S Larry S
Dealers are a very mixed bag. I’d say 20% are trustworthy and 80% are not. “Restored”, “Refinished” are usually used to describe a non original dial. Then there are UG issued service dials which are documented on this subforum they are not a bad thing but do impact the value somewhat. Same for dials that are later than the serial number. Again not as serious a fault but the value is again impacted. Closed 6 is post 1950, Open 6 is pre 1950. Solid moon discs replaced the faces in the 50’s. Older face discs did not hold up and were often changed in service. Rounded 3’s, odd spacing of the tachy register, poorly printed logo’s, lumed hands and non lumed dial and vise versa are signs of redialing or franken watches. Then there are mismatched hands to watch out for.

My advice is to see if you can get a copy of the Sala book and spend some time here. There is no better forum for UG in the world than this one. We are happy to respond to informed questions.

Lastly look at the Private Sales forum. OF is the safest place to buy a watch. Unethical BS is quickly called out here and folks who behave badly are not tolerated.

Good hunting. Slow and steady wins the race.
Very sage advice coming from one of the experts I rely on and have learned a lot from.

Also, sincerely, read this thread in its entirety - literally, each and every message. And once you've absorbed all of it and feel you are starting to "get it", read it once more just for good measure. Doing so (multiple times now) has given me optical super powers to know, once I see a dial, whether its kosher or not. I can't articulate "why" as good as some of the learned folk here, I can just tell because your eyes develop that discerning gaze.

P.S. That thread needs to be a sticky!
 
blurr77
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Here's another one. Always wary of e-bay and cant tell if this is a redial (given the dials quite dirty) or even just a fake! But tempted cos i've been searching for a 22283. Thoughts on this?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2771785774...BSHKKC&hash=item40892171f8:g:lKgAAeSwnSZoR3ee


Serial number is quite clear - is it possible to look this up anywhere? And curious if its normal that there's no sign on the crown?
Have also asked for pictures where the moon is more visible

1.webp 2.webp 4.webp
 
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vujen
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very average example, plus in need of a service, from what I see
 
bgrisso
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Dial original, moderate condition. Case looks pretty good although upper pusher seems hyper extended? Can't eval chrono reset, did they have it running or it's stuck that way? Moonphase looks replaced. H/M hands not original IMO. Wouldn't consider it at the asking price, not sure at what point I would, because overall it's not super attractive. Maybe partially because terrible seller pics. Might look better, with decent photos, in natural light.
 
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