I'm in a bit of a hurry today, so I'm not going to delve too deeply into the ROAMER brand, but its STINGRAY line of sport/dive watches and chronographs from the '60s and '70s were, in my view, truly excellent. Not only are most of them really attractive, but the build quality was also first-rate, and the monocoque cases that they used were arguably superior to most of the traditional two-piece cases, at least in terms of water resistance. I have owned a few or the various models, and this one is one of the most attractive. It is a STINGRAY Roto-Date 44, with the number referring to the jewel count. These models went into production in 1967. This example is in very good to excellent condition overall. I believe it to be fully original. I find the dial and internal bezel design to be beautiful. The blue sunburst dial is excellent, features fine red cross-hairs, and changes to near-back in some light. It is dazzling in natural sunlight. The original Tritium is mostly intact, but there is some small loss on three or four of the indexes. It has a very nice, consistent patina. The hands are in very good condition, and show only light signs of corrosion under magnification. Note the small lollipop hand. This is a bonus, as they were only used on on earlier variation of this model. Later the hand was switched to a less elegant, though admittedly more practical for diving, brightly colored one. The steel monocoque case measures 37x42.5mm. It is in very good condition, with only some small, light scratches evident under magnification. It was originally guaranteed waterproof to 200m. I really like the case back designs on these, with the iconic Stingray being the focal point. I did not have the case opened by a watchmaker, so I have no photos of the movement. However, I guarantee that it is correct, and minimally in very good condition. I never had the watch serviced, and would, as always, recommend one for regular wear. Both crowns are signed. The only notable flaw that I can find on this watch is that bezel is manipulated through the use of the main crown, and, as you can read in the promotional material reproduced below, it was apparently designed to lock when in the flush position, and be used when pulled out (like a normal crown). On this watch it is not locking, so the bezel can be turned even when the crown is flush with the case. This obviously presents no practical problem for collectors like us who use these watches in a normal fashion, but I sure wouldn't want to dive and have the bezel move due to contact with the crown! It is possible that the problem could be corrected by a watchmaker, but I am not certain, so can make no guarantees. I ask $550, and will ship EMS express from my home in Portugal. PayPal is fine. Feel free to ask any questions!
Well, this hurts! I'm at work, I would have written to you at lunchtime to make arrangements...what to say? Congrats to you and to the fast buyer
Knew it! Knew it! You’re slipping @Tony C. — it took a few hours more than 24! We need a special alert sent to our phones when you post a watch for sale. EDIT: I’m wrong AGAIN! Less than 24 hours!
To be fair, it's because I demanded that the buyer pay in person with silver coins, so he had to catch a flight and rent a car.