Help I am addicted to eBay ...

Dem Bulova weeds are in the marketplace under watch parts. Some mighty fine watch breeding stock in that there box.
-j

After going through my watchboxes and parts boxes last night I realised I’ve joined you in this addition over the last few months.

I’ve sold a few bits recently and thought I’d more than offset what I’d bought over the summer, but clearly I haven’t been keeping close track of what I’ve been buying browsing my eBay/auction sites whilst trying to settle a newborn.

Never mind the duplicate watches I’ve bought recently, I somehow also now have duplicate spare bracelets - for watches I don’t own!

After a month of internal debating I bought the overpriced watch case and band in the first post of this thread. As noted there was a lot wrong with it. But I simply love the band. When one considers the price of the band from the price of the case, then it does not seem so bad.

Better is the item arrived three days early. I got it late last night when I checked the mailbox.

The case however is in poor condition, but it serves a purpose. When I got the new crown and crystal, there was an extra scratched and chipped crystal. That is what got me to purchase this watch case/band parts that have been in my watchlist the last month. This way I can test, practice and play with the tool without risk on the watch I really like. Of course I could not wait to try the band on the moldavian watch. So the first thing I did was swap it. It will be some time before I open the moldavian watch to clean it as there are about 6 watches in the queue before I get to it. (there are watches and there are watches.)

One thing not shown in the listing, although there may be hints of it, is the case was over polished. Looks like all the way down to the brass (Unless this is supposed to be gold plating, but then all those beautiful grooves are polished away (one can see a hint of them.) Depending on the lighting the bezel reflects differently. (Silver and gold are not the right terms, white metal and brass tone is probably more accurate.

I noticed that unlike other listings that state ended, this one states 'out of stock.' Perhaps it has been sold/returned before. It does serve a purpose, which is for practicing to use the tool 102 lift. The extra crystal (scratched and chipped) was a bonus. Who knows, a movement, hands, and dial may show up someday, I will have an extra crown as well so there is no real reason no to have purchased this. There is also the additional use if I ever decide to make a custom band.

The buckle may also have been over polished, why it has a dull gilt tone in the photographs.

The nice thing is the leather in the band is in excellent shape. Nice and supple, and exactly what I wanted. I could have purchased a cheaper band, but then there would always have been that what if... What if I never got this exact item? Would I be as happy about it as I am with this exact one?

-j

Will this never end. My lowball offer was accpted.
A case without a dial, just looks so nekkid. I had been looking at hands on oFrei as one of the triplets has the wrong hands. https://www.ofrei.com/page1116.html oFrie also has Ladies dynamic hands, which are a bit pricey, and one still needs the seconds hand. The red dial should look nice in the gold clad case. Will be a franken as the case is marked 566-0015. Not real fond of calendars.

Will also create a conundrum I have a 161-0014 similar to one recently discussed here. This has a 671 movement. But that might be a thread unto itself. May take a month for these parts to get here. I am sill waiting for the bergeon tool.
-j

Not a good support group here.

I just won another "High end." barn find of a watch By one whole cent! Woo Hoo! victory dance. The slot machine pays off.
Skinner rewarded. Get out the shock prods, cause, I got shocked.




Of course I need a diail for my delBana chronograph. But I could not resist getting a companion watch to keep the one I have (Which is lonley, apart and waiting for a balance staff a companion.

Now if I could just find someone to take those wild Bulovas off my hand ...
Too bad selling is not as easy as buying.

I underbid almost all of my auctions this week. Apart from a BIN on some more Val-72 parts.

Did however get a BIN offer on my Bulova farm. Problem is the purchacer has yet to pay. In some ways I do not blame them eBay calculated about 30 bucks additional for shipping and another 8 or so for sales tax.

I have had other distractions this week. (sorting watches, going to the dentist, working in the garden.) So I have not thought much on this. The person I bought the Val-72 parts from was snarky. One would think that getting something for half the listed price would be a good thing?

Hopefully the buyer comes through. I just want to ship these out, so I do not have to think about them any more.

I do not really feel any passion good or bad about this. It is what it is. Still I wanted to say something to the wind.

I have other things I may want to sell. I sure could use the space they take up for other things. (although the books do make a good shelf, and I look at them from time to time.)

Well after 6 to nine months of watching it is soon on its way. Seller finally accepted my lowball offer. They have been lowering the price each renewal for the last few months. Usually I forget to make an offer.

Now I have to find the dial again which is in a little baggie. Like a stash, although I never did anything with that sort of stuff. Too addicted to watches, pipe organs and vintage computers. Cameras and weird film formats are an afterthought.

I may miss seeing this in my watchlist. I think it was one of the first I added.

The tricky part will be dealing with the lacunae of the dial feet positions. Enicar did use some A Schild movements. The dial I have does not fit any of them. I have a few movements on the watch list -- not sure any are the right ones.

Every now and then I watch complete Enicars. Sometimes I underbid. Others simply end and fade away as they are not quite the right one. It really is more about the anticipation.

Curious thing about Victor Frankenstein's monster. In the book he may have had a rotten brain, poor judgement, and questionable morals; the creature did have a good heart, and wanted to be accepted for who he was and what he could be. Should I ever get this together it will be a true Frankenstein, not a simple franken.

Won it by a dollar! Usually it is the other way round. Bid in the last seconds. I have been watching this for a week no one else bid until the end. I have a movement. Hope it fits. Pushers holes seem to be in the right place and the size seems close.

Wonder how much I paid for the movement all those years (decades) ago? Probably would have been better to have aquirred something complete. These things never really seem to be much of a bargan.

Now the long wait for delivery.

Sady I had to request a return on this. It is too small for the movement. I thought the movement was a Venus 203. Further research indicates my movement has center seconds and is most likely a Venus 206. I hate returning things. It is a really nice case. On the other hand I have a lot of really nice cases which do not fit.

Another example of why it is better to buy complete watches.

I do not know why.

Got a refund for a part what does not fit the watch (and is the wrong part.) So of course I get suckered in with an impulse.

The val-22 came with a bunch of spare landeron parts (mostly winding/setting) I have a bunch of plate from other impulses. The last thing I need is more Landeron plates. However I could use a hammer. And this has a hammer. Screws too. Might even have other useful parts. Balances and balance bridges are also good. Dial even looks decent (although I prefer big eyes dials.)

I could play with the watches I have while waiting for parts to arrive. Or program something to try on the laser cutters.

I think it is always about the anticipation of missing parts. I keep telling myself no more cheap landeron movements without cases, Somehow that never works. Cheap landerons are too enticing. And the supply is not going to last forever. This one was not even lasted a day.

Will It ever end. I keep repeating myself.

Another Louvic. This from shopgoodwill.

Another betlach Snoopy.



These things are fun. The hour paw looks like it needs some work.

Still waiting for the stuff from Switzerland. It often seems to be about the waiting ...

Arrived over the weekend, also the rest of the lot. Some interesting watches here. The 'ZOCH' watch is quite nice. Both movements seem to be beryllium copper plated.
I had a partial Louvic movement. Interesting the movement is not marked the same as the dial. Of course I was wanting matching parts.

I have a soft spot for black dials.



The ZOCH watch also has an AS movement. Automatic on this one. I think this style watch is really underrated. If my mentor was right they might last 500 years or more. And one can wear them to mow the lawn.

And the bonus rectangular watch is interesting as well.

The yellow snoopy arrived quickly and well packaged.



Now why can I not get a simple Val-22 center wheel???

Last week I accidentally impulsed some dials from Turkey. No one else bid, and the auction was ending.

All week the system said waiting for shipment. To my surprise The tracking showed up this morning along with the dials.



Really well packed too. I have a second Delbana movement, which I got for parts, to fix the Delbana that had a case. Of course this is eBay and the dial is scratched. Which I did notice before bidding. Depending on the angle the scratch is more or less visible. Better than the one I got with the case, rings and plates job lot which only has bana. There is another Delbana dial listed this upcoming week.




They even came in a Zenith El Primero pill box, which is kinda neat. May even be the best thing in this lot. Too bad they did not slip in an El Primero too.

The other two dials are decent. They do seem to have marks from attempts to pry them. I never see cases for Landeron 48 or the larger 51. Guess these must have been high value metals like gold. There is currently someone listing a lot of 20 movements (I only have 14 plates, of which 5 are complete.)

If there is a mail delivery from USPS I might get more of the Black Friday binge. No sign of the Val-22 center wheel, which is what I really want. I keep getting the other lacunae waiting for it.

This rabbit warren has a lot of holes in it.

A tale of two watch part lot orders.

This is the one I won ...


Lotsa landeron parts. As I have 14 or so plates I can always use tick tock parts. This also shows a 110 bridge, which could get another set of plates completed. Balance bridge and balance are also good things to have. Will be interesting if the escape wheels have good pivots? The last one did not. The price was a bit on the high side so I was the only bidder. One could get a complete movement for less. However I have the 14 or so plates only which five or 6 are complete. Screws are always a bonus. Third wheels as well. Interesting that I have plenty of chrono runners. The little spring are nice things to have. Do not see any minute jumpers. Still one can not have everything.

Curious how lot sales though can go lower than a single individual part.

I was also watching this lot of parts. I did not win these. Probably just as well. There were only two springs I need, so I bid the price of those. Whomever did win probably did get a decent deal. Although the feedback of the seller was iffy. They are NOT landeron 71 or 72 parts. At best Val 23 parts. I have no idea what the left bridge plate it. Many complaints rusty parts were received. So in some ways I was sort of glad I got outbid after reading the sellers feedback while waiting for the auction to end.



Interesting enough. Individually the parts in each auction probably add up to the same total value if purchased by the piece. It is also possible that per piece I got the better deal.

Eventually if I ever do get my val-72 ticking I will need a hammer spring and screw. I do also have the val-23 'parts' movement which is ticking. (no dial though) that I can steal parts from. I did get a Clebar case sold as landeron. So I really would love to find an affordable Val-23 Clebar dial. Otherwise I will have to revive my dial painting project and create my own custom fantasy dial.

And I did get a tracking number for the mis shipped Val-22 center wheel. Supposed to arrive today by 9PM. It also left the east coast today at 5:30AM. So I doubt the tracking is correct.

Never buy watches that need parts/cases. It never ends ...

More Enicar inners. Was easier to simply by a more complete AR-1010 last week as the cheap movements were missing too many parts. I also picked up some really cheap Val-23 hands. I do have the spare Val-23 movement in a Clebar case. Of course the chances of finding an enicar V23 dial are low. I think they tend to be Val-72. On the other hand the way the Val-72 elRusto project is going, I may wind up with a second set of parts.

I did the hands as they were really really cheap. From a seller with zero feedback. Now the seller has some feedback. Introductory prices do not last. Part of the reason I did buy the hands was in a way to thumb my nose at the seller which has 100% feedback all positive, what blocked me. Guess if the volume is high enough they can afford to be rude. Feel free to report "Volunteertime" to eBay for gaming their rating. I would give the rude seller a second chance. Especially as eBay keeps recommending them they do have the largest selection of Omega spares in the US. Probably just as well they blocked me. Saved many $$$ that way. And makes me think twice as to how much I really do need the part.

Good that I do not make new years resolutions.


Somewhere I should have a craked Geneve Dyle for this.


Got close several times over the last year and a half to getting a case for this price. Usually they tend to show up in Argentinian auctions. Often looking over polished. Shipping seems to be about the same from the UK. I bid this low accounting for that. Hit this right on the sweet spot I have been waiting for.

Even with the crack, that is a really nice looking dial. (Photo is with it inside the bag.)

Do have a Seamaster Cosmic 2000 missing the outer case. Possible that movement might fit.

Hands will be a challenge.

I still need to make the strap (with the laser cutter) for the ladies watch I got. The main reason for wanting this is to have an excuse to see if I can program and make a strap.