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Advice on Vintage Military Watch

lonegunm4n
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If you do go the auction route, make sure to include any documentation you may have. An example of this would be any photos of your loved one wearing it, letters where he mentions it, etc. My background is in collecting military firearms, and often times those with some sort of documentation or verifiable history sell for more money.

As an example, I have an original Colt pistol and issued rig from WW1 that belonged to a military member that served through both WW1 and WW2. When he retired from the military in the late 1940s, he kept the pistol and rig since it had been his for so long. Well, his family didn't have any interest in it and I purchased the entire set up (pistol plus holster and mag pouch) from them. They also gave me a copy of his service records, a letter from the gentleman's wife detailing what she knew about the pistol, and 4 old military photos of him, with him wearing the pistol and rig.
 
Tire-comedon
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watchyouwant watchyouwant
With a swapped case back it will not fetch what was shown before....
Agreed. However I doubt it was swapped, more probably its serial and issuance numbers were erased.
This will however affect the value in the same way.
Edited:
 
Omegafanman
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mistergough mistergough
Hi. I'm new here and looking to get some advice on a watch that was my grandfather's. He was a Lancaster Bomber pilot in WW2 and gave me the watch in the picture. I think it's called a CK2129. It works although I think it needs tweaking a little to keep good time. I'd like to keep it but I went into an Omega boutique to ask about servicing and I think it would cost a lot more than I could afford to get it done. So now I'm looking for a good auction site to sell the watch. It's quite small and I think if it was a better size for my wrist I'd be more inclined to find the money for servicing, but as it stand I think selling it is the best option.

So, does anyone on here have advice for good auctions sites? Many thanks.

IMG_0701.jpeg

Do you have any photos of your Grandfather or any other memorabilia from his operational days. It sounds a very interesting backstory. We are also coming up to the Dambusters anniversary. I did not know Bomber pilots were issued this style of watch / more for fighter pilots so it will be interesting to find out more. Have you got his log book?
back to the watch he could have acquired it as well of course / not official issue.

Are the strap and buckle original/ any photo of them?
 
Syrte
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Tire-comedon Tire-comedon
Unless you keep an issued watch (RAF property) and don’t want it to be traceable. Not uncommon with military stuff.
Very beautiful watch by the way.

That was exactly my thought. And also the reason why military casebacks got skimmed in the first place.

PS I would not recommend selling something like this on Ebay for someone who has no experience with watches or Ebay. Too many scam buyers. With all of the nightmare stories we’ve seen, I don’t think I would even myself dare sell on Ebay ever again.
 
Omegafanman
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I wonder if light / professional polishing or machining (or acid etching ) might reveal the internal case serial number …. The original number is normally deeper than the attempt to cover it up.
 
mistergough
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C Conorjones4
Did you ever sell the watch?
No. Not yet. I haven’t had a chance to do any more about it the last few months.
 
DON
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Really don’t know any reason for skimming a back except lack of somewhat knowledge?

the watch was made for and distributed by the MoD, so if they were going to go after people to get them back. I think they would have done it over the past two decades that all military watches have been sold on various auctions.

not just the UK, but any government that issued them.

I just don’t think it’s worth their time and money to take people to court. What would they even do with them all of they did?
 
padders
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DON DON
Really don’t know any reason for skimming a back except lack of somewhat knowledge?

the watch was made for and distributed by the MoD, so if they were going to go after people to get them back. I think they would have done it over the past two decades that all military watches have been sold on various auctions.

not just the UK, but any government that issued them.

I just don’t think it’s worth their time and money to take people to court. What would they even do with them all of they did?

It's more a historical thing. Some of these were kept by servicemen who may have been nervous about their traceability so had the number removed. Others were resold by Army & Navy type resellers who may have acquired them legitimately or otherwise and wanted to civilianise them for sale. It is certainly the case than many you see have had the markings removed. It is doubtful that anyone has bothered to do this in the past few decades as the unmolested ones have become more valuable than those messed about and as you say the chance of a vengeful quartermaster coming knocking has lessened to zero.
Edited:
 
hen
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Whats the meaning of "Weems"?
 
mistergough
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"The “Weems” Mk VIIA wristwatch was issued to pilots and navigators of the RAF during WW2 and features a moveable outer bezel which is set to the second hand to calculate longitude to aid navigation. The watch takes its name from Lt.Cdr P.V. Weems who was a well-known aviator, navigator and instructor at the Naval Officer School at Annapolis, Maryland, in the U.S.A."

From this page: https://finest-hour.co.uk/product/longines-weems-raf-watch/
 
hen
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mistergough mistergough
"The “Weems” Mk VIIA wristwatch was issued to pilots and navigators of the RAF during WW2 and features a moveable outer bezel which is set to the second hand to calculate longitude to aid navigation. The watch takes its name from Lt.Cdr P.V. Weems who was a well-known aviator, navigator and instructor at the Naval Officer School at Annapolis, Maryland, in the U.S.A."

From this page: https://finest-hour.co.uk/product/longines-weems-raf-watch/
DON DON
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P._V._H._Weems


Thanks both of you for the links. What a life Weems had and what he saw and experienced; From his birth in a "horse drawn" society via Two world wars to the space age. Now I just have to learn how to use that bezel.
 
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