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Pascal S
·I've been in this game long enough to know better. What's more, my usual problem is often indecisiveness, so I often missed out on deals because I was asking myself too many questions beforehand and others jumped at the opportunity. And while agonizing over a purchase peripherally played a part in that tale, the outcome is that I for once made a purchase that is questionable at best.
Let's rewind a few months back. I have always loved the sort of Art Deco indices found on the dial of some calibre 3000 Lemania watches, and I had been on the lookout for a good one. A seller in the Netherlands had a nice 280 KO for sale that ticked most boxes, except that the dial had oxidized and turned yellow. The effect is actually not too bad, but unlike some other collectors I'm not into "tropical" dials. Besides, I thought that the price was a bit steep, so my search went on. Then I found a near identical watch sold by a professional seller in Sweden. The dial was clean, and it came in its original box. What's more, it was cheaper than the other one. No brainer, right? Well, not really. I hesitated, and days turned into weeks and then months. It was still there, staring at me, and I still didn't pull the trigger. Until one day, when I said to myself that enough was enough and I needed to act. Well, it turns out that the watch had been sold the day before!
I was very disappointed and I felt stupid for waiting this long. I told myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake again, but I didn't realize that I would let the pendulum go completely the opposite direction. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a listing for a Lemania watch with these indices I love so much. What's more, it was a full stainless steel model, which I prefer to a gold-capped one. The listing had a few more minutes to run, the price seemed okay, and my wife was waiting for me downstairs to have dinner. So I placed a bid and signed off. At least, I would have given this one a shot.
I immediately started having second thoughts about this watch. Some details should have raised red flags, but didn't because I was just in love with how beautiful the watch looked in the pictures. So, immediately after dinner I went back to my computer and found out that I had won the auction. And buyer's remorse was setting in fact. Some of the indices looked slightly misaligned, and there was no lume at their base. The hands looked brand new. What's more, the script on the dial included "21 rubis", which would be right for a calibre 3010, but this particular watch had a date window. I was not aware of a calibre 3015 variant with 21 jewels, and a quick internet search gave me no indication that such a rarity existed. What the hell have I just done?
The watch showed up a few days later, and upon opening the caseback I was greeted by a plain vanilla 17 jewels calibre 3015 in a ref. 921-62 case. So my theory is that this watch has received a redial, made by someone who for some mysterious reason took a calibre 3010 as a model. With that in mind, I felt had, even though I can only blame myself for ignoring the signs and acting compulsively. That said, I can't deny that this is still a gorgeous watch, but its overall authenticity is seriously open to question.
I hope I can go past this feeling because it remains a watch I enjoy wearing, and given its questionable pedigree I would not be comfortable putting it back on the market. So, tell me guys what you think. Am I paranoid, or did I make a mistake as I suspect?
Let's rewind a few months back. I have always loved the sort of Art Deco indices found on the dial of some calibre 3000 Lemania watches, and I had been on the lookout for a good one. A seller in the Netherlands had a nice 280 KO for sale that ticked most boxes, except that the dial had oxidized and turned yellow. The effect is actually not too bad, but unlike some other collectors I'm not into "tropical" dials. Besides, I thought that the price was a bit steep, so my search went on. Then I found a near identical watch sold by a professional seller in Sweden. The dial was clean, and it came in its original box. What's more, it was cheaper than the other one. No brainer, right? Well, not really. I hesitated, and days turned into weeks and then months. It was still there, staring at me, and I still didn't pull the trigger. Until one day, when I said to myself that enough was enough and I needed to act. Well, it turns out that the watch had been sold the day before!
I was very disappointed and I felt stupid for waiting this long. I told myself that I wouldn't make the same mistake again, but I didn't realize that I would let the pendulum go completely the opposite direction. A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon a listing for a Lemania watch with these indices I love so much. What's more, it was a full stainless steel model, which I prefer to a gold-capped one. The listing had a few more minutes to run, the price seemed okay, and my wife was waiting for me downstairs to have dinner. So I placed a bid and signed off. At least, I would have given this one a shot.
I immediately started having second thoughts about this watch. Some details should have raised red flags, but didn't because I was just in love with how beautiful the watch looked in the pictures. So, immediately after dinner I went back to my computer and found out that I had won the auction. And buyer's remorse was setting in fact. Some of the indices looked slightly misaligned, and there was no lume at their base. The hands looked brand new. What's more, the script on the dial included "21 rubis", which would be right for a calibre 3010, but this particular watch had a date window. I was not aware of a calibre 3015 variant with 21 jewels, and a quick internet search gave me no indication that such a rarity existed. What the hell have I just done?
The watch showed up a few days later, and upon opening the caseback I was greeted by a plain vanilla 17 jewels calibre 3015 in a ref. 921-62 case. So my theory is that this watch has received a redial, made by someone who for some mysterious reason took a calibre 3010 as a model. With that in mind, I felt had, even though I can only blame myself for ignoring the signs and acting compulsively. That said, I can't deny that this is still a gorgeous watch, but its overall authenticity is seriously open to question.
I hope I can go past this feeling because it remains a watch I enjoy wearing, and given its questionable pedigree I would not be comfortable putting it back on the market. So, tell me guys what you think. Am I paranoid, or did I make a mistake as I suspect?
