Once upon a time there was a, shall we say, unusual Espada for sale in Italy.



Not a perfect Espada, by any stretch of the imagination, but deep down an Espada nevertheless... one of the 500 or so "2nd series" Espadas, and one of perhaps 800 produced (1st and 2nd series combined) between 1972 and 1975. The movement - the 3019 PHF - is essentially the El Primero (3019 PHC), with the addition of triple date and moon phase. This one had been modified - its hidden lugs uncovered - for some reason, perhaps to conceal severe damage to the case, or simply to "modernize" its style. So it sat in a shop in Italy, unloved by collectors, at an asking price substantially lower than an unmodified Espada would command.
Here's my Astronic, with appropriately hidden lugs, for comparison:



About six months ago, the unimaginable popped up before my eyes on eBay: an undamaged 2nd series Espada case (at location B on the map below), at a buy-it-now price that would get you a pretty nice Movado Datron... kind of pricey but... impulse took over and I grabbed it within a few minutes of its listing. A few minutes later, I was writing to the seller of the modified Espada (location A, below).



Somehow the physical proximity of these items heightened my sense of urgency... they were only about a two-hour drive apart... maybe the sellers even knew each other... better move quick, before someone else figures this out... and soon I had this:



Next I carted it all off to my watchmaker, who seemed up for a challenge, and for the next few months, while awaiting a replacement part, the Espada looked like this:



And then like this:



And now, finally, like this:





I'm pretty happy with the result. The watchmaker brushed up the case and bracelet a bit, to restore a nice satiny finish, but didn't do a bit of polishing, as the case back will attest:



Here's a side-by-side comparison with the Astronic:

 

I don't get why somebody added lugs / ground away so much of the original case.

Ah, it all ended well so nice save!

 

To my mind, that is a legitimate repair using original parts. None of the numbered parts were changed - it would be different if the case number was on the case itself.

Well done, as Dennis says, "Nice save".

 

Thank you gents. Well, the number on the case back is just the reference number, the same for all units, not a unique identifier, so I would say that too is swappable. I appreciate the validation, Stewart. I don't feel like Dr. Frankenstein... generic evil genius, maybe, but not Frankenstein.

I do not know why the case was mutilated in such a way. Theories proposed on another forum include the ones I mentioned: possibly to cover up irreparable damage done by accident or overpolishing around the lugs, or just a misguided post-'70s attempt at making the case more fashionable (the case shape is definitely very much of its time, and not for everyone).

 

Happy endings make me... Happy!

Thanks for sharing!

 

Me too!

 

Very nice MMMD!

 

That would have been a nice avatar message had "curmudgeonly absurdist" not existed.