Did I miss out on a nice dial 105.012-66?

Beautiful dial. Lume looked sharp enough to be real. Almost too nice a color, with little deviation between the dial and hands. Still, if it's real, stunning.

Bezel is wrong but no biggie because the price is good. Still, blue is unusual and warning bells started going off about possible manipulation. If so, then what else was changed, right?

Seller said crown was replaced. Okay, no problem.

Seller said pushers might be original. They are dirty enough. But they are supposed to be wide and short. These looked tall to me. Okay, i can live with new pushers if the price is right. That dial!

But then i looked at the case remenbering Eugene's build with his mark ii racing dial and the 105.012 case he found. This doesn't look like the 105.012 but more like the 145.012 lugs, right?

So I let it go. It sold for around 7600.

Did I do the right thing? Is it the wrong case and a put together 105.012-66? I hope so, because that dial...

Well if you did just remember it’s only a watch, but yeah pretty sure you missed a once in a lifetime, at least it’s just a watch, darn that’s gonna take a long time to get over. Darn watches.

I also liked the dial on this one.

Based purely on those two pictures, the bezel fade and lume make me suspicious and both have attributes I associate with artificial ageing.

I thought this was a pile of rubbish.

A modern bleached bezel.

I thought it must be a re lume, but I will defer to those who know more than me. However I would not buy it as a natural.

Also check the background, it is a bit pinkish. Indicates post-processing to the red to lift the brown:


I do agree the surface colour on the dial might be pleasing.

The hands surely have been re lumed. Also did you see the damage just above the right subdial? I think its on the dial.



BUt here is the big problem:



Those are not 105.012 pushers. Most 105012's are press fit (Drive in) pushers with 2.7mm caps.

These are clearly screw in, and 3.5mm caps, from a later model. So have they been forced in, or is it an incorrect case band/

Lastly, that movement is very dirty and in need of restorative service.

If it is not a re lume, then the seller has gone out of his way to make it look like one, by matching the hands, and the contrasting bleached modern bezel.

Still $7,500 for this, just seems like money that cant be recovered - Unless that dial is actually an original.

Thoughtful and informed responses.

Some aspects I caught and some I did not. The forums educated members are impressive. Hopefully your responses will help others as they have helped me.

Two things: it's good to be suspicious when one fearure looks manipulated as there may be more.

Second, what about the case? Is it the correct reference or a 145.012 as I suspected?

Chances are it’s a 145.012 or later case.

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