It looks like this watchPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network is going to go for a fair bit of money when the auction ends, and I'm a little surprised. The seller is up-front that the movement has been recased, but I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. The description seems a little too perfectly worded. "Authentic [...] dial" but no claim that it hasn't been refinished or repainted. The movement is an "authentic Valjoux 23" and, indeed it does look like an actual Valjoux 23, though not in great shape. But it's definitely not the Patek version, as those were rather heavily modified by PP. The "authentic Patek Philippe bridge" on the movement looks like a joke. I can't imagine PP releasing something that crude. In fact, that claim alone makes me doubt everything else in the description. To me, it's kind of a shame, as I think the watch looks lovely. If they'd slapped a generic "Chronographe Suisse" on the dial instead of "Patek Philippe," I'd definitely consider it. OTOH, the seller has tons of feedback and a 100% positive rating, so what do I know?
Frankenwatch?? DIAL - AUTHENTIC PATEK PHILIPPE. POINTERS AUTHENTIC PATEK PHILIPPE. MOVEMENT - AUTHENTIC VALJOUX 23 WITH AUTHENTIC PATEK PHILIPPE BRIDGE. CASE - REPLACEMENT CASE.
And here I was thinking eBay only paid attention if the buyer complained. It's nice to know that they do take these things seriously, even if only occasionally. BTW, it is "gone" with extreme prejudice, as they say. I was watching it out of curiosity to see how high it would go. There's no trace of the item or auction anywhere in my account.
Every eBay listing has a "Report this item" link right above the item number. They actually do rely on users to police this kind of stuff.