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Massive Heavy Gubelin Masterpiece

T
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I sold the 18k square black dial for $3650.i own 9 Gubelin moonphase.
I own few other moonphase chronographs and some triple date moons as well !
I’ve collected for 45 years and I now absolutely nothing about brands and movements ?
Thanks for SOME of your experts opinions !
IMG_4350.jpeg IMG_4353.jpeg IMG_4352.jpeg

Regards
pdxleaf pdxleaf
I hope you're not this rude when you're invited to a party or GTG.

Gubelin used different movements, which will influence the price. Of course current condition and numbers of similar watches impact the price.

This watch with a felsa 698 is currently for sale for under 5k.

1000011596.jpg



This 18k watch with 321 movement sold a couple years ago for about 9k. I much prefer this second watch.

1000011594.jpg 1000011595.jpg


Your square watch with diamonds is not a desirable watch for many collectors, in spite of the initial extra cost for the jewels. Well under 4k in my opinion.

If you disagree, auction it off and see what you are offered. Or ask your price and see what is countered. Everyone wants you to get what is a fair price. For some of these pieces it's difficult to determine value, as you obviously know.
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Pastorbottle
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The trouble with asking for opinions is that you will get some..... The trouble is opinions is that they're like arseholes everyone has one, and some of the holders are one.
Opinions by their very nature will vary from very good advice to absolute rubbish.

I myself no nothing of the brand, and I'm sure many other members of the OF and the wider watch enthusiast community are in the same boat, as such the the brand wont attract the market attention that a more recognisable brand would, and that fact will effect the market values.
I personally wouldn't hazard a guess of to market value, other than it will be what someone is prepared to pay for it at any given time.
The more people that want it the more value it will have.
 
pdxleaf
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T Timetosell
I sold the 18k square black dial for $3650.i own 9 Gubelin moonphase.
I own few other moonphase chronographs and some triple date moons as well !
I’ve collected for 45 years and I now absolutely nothing about brands and movements ?
Thanks for SOME of your experts opinions !
IMG_4350.jpeg IMG_4353.jpeg IMG_4352.jpeg

Regards

That's a beautiful and enviable collection. 🥰
 
T
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Pastorbottle Pastorbottle
The trouble with asking for opinions is that you will get some..... The trouble is opinions is that they're like arseholes everyone has one, and some of the holders are one.
Opinions by their very nature will vary from very good advice to absolute rubbish.

I myself no nothing of the brand, and I'm sure many other members of the OF and the wider watch enthusiast community are in the same boat, as such the the brand wont attract the market attention that a more recognisable brand would, and that fact will effect the market values.
I personally wouldn't hazard a guess of to market value, other than it will be what someone is prepared to pay for it at any given time.
The more people that want it the more value it will have.
I’m old and tank watches were highly prized when I was growing up, so a heavy 18k white gold cased watch with original black diamond dial was very desirable. Hardly anyone had a Patek Philippe or even knew what one was ! The first time I ever even saw a Universal Geneve was in the 1970s and it was a in the hands of a watch maker. I have Patek Philippe in my collection and my father’s since 1960s. I’ve cherish all my watches and Gubelin watches are awesome and I’ve always enjoyed them as much as any watch I own including my Pateks !
Many decades have passed now we have internet and watch forums such as OF. In some ways it has taken the fun out of watch collecting IMHO. Why do certain members run down a watch I’ve cherished for decades ? The collector I sold it to from Austria will cherish as I did and called it one of HIS GRAIL watches! Too many collector only care about monetary value what they think pompous rich people think about status watches ! If a watch is beautiful to you and a grail watch for you just wear and enjoy it. What does it really matter what other people think and their narrow view of what’s a beautiful watch. Some of my CHEAPER Universal Geneve are my favorite watches to wear daily! Sorry if I came off as rude to anyone on this forum !
Peace
Time To Sell
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T
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
That's a beautiful and enviable collection. 🥰
I didn’t show all of my collection !
Thanks for the compliment and yes definitely some beautiful and desirable vintage watches. My entire collection would not equal the value of one watch a very wealthy person wears, so he can have the status symbol for the elites. That’s fine for them but I’ll never be that shallow even if I ever became that wealthy! I actually find newer watches not that attractive or appealing! Patina and aged esthetics are where it’s at for me, new watches are kind of boring !
 
pdxleaf
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T Timetosell
I’m old and tank watches were highly prized when I was growing up, so a heavy 18k white gold cased watch with original black diamond dial was very desirable. Hardly anyone had a Patek Philippe or even knew what one was ! The first time I ever even saw a Universal Geneve was in the 1970s and it was a in the hands of a watch maker. I have Patek Philippe in my collection and my father’s since 1960s. I’ve cherish all my watches and Gubelin watches are awesome and I’ve always enjoyed them as much as any watch I own including my Pateks !
Many decades have passed now we have internet and watch forums such as OF. In some ways it has taken the fun out of watch collecting IMHO. Why do certain members run down a watch I’ve cherished for decades ? The collector I sold it to from Austria will cherish as I did and called it one of HIS GRAIL watches! Too many collector only care about monetary value what they think pompous rich people think about status watches ! If a watch is beautiful to you and a grail watch for you just wear and enjoy it. What does it really matter what other people think and their narrow view of what’s a beautiful watch. Some of my CHEAPER Universal Geneve are my favorite watches to wear daily! Sorry if I came off as rude to anyone on this forum !
Peace
Time To Sell

Nobody ran down your watch and certainly nobody dismissed Gubelin as an inferior brand. It's not exactly a secret.

Good luck with your future sales.
 
T
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
Nobody ran down your watch and certainly nobody dismissed Gubelin as an inferior brand. It's not exactly a secret.

Good luck with your future sales.
One response said it wasn’t worth much more than scrape gold ? Pretty cold and not appreciative of the beautiful heavy case. Case alone weight an ounce. Heavier than the Patek 2540. I saw a 18k white gold AP time only at the pawn shop for 17k.
Retailed for 34k. Really wasn’t that impressive !
The retail price 10 times what I sold the Gubelin ?
I liked the AP but if you said which one is more rare and unique the Gubelin wins IMHO. I guess I’m just old and had the Gubelin for 25 years and at the time it was the prize of my collection with my Pateks !
I’m over the whole watch thing, I’m an artist and creating art is much more important to me than any of my watches except my fathers Patek. Fauve style like Matisse !
 
IMG_4358.jpeg IMG_4359.jpeg
pdxleaf
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T Timetosell
One response said it wasn’t worth much more than scrape gold ? Pretty cold and not appreciative of the beautiful heavy case. Case alone weight an ounce. Heavier than the Patek 2540. I saw a 18k white gold AP time only at the pawn shop for 17k.
Retailed for 34k. Really wasn’t that impressive !
The retail price 10 times what I sold the Gubelin ?
I liked the AP but if you said which one is more rare and unique the Gubelin wins IMHO. I guess I’m just old and had the Gubelin for 25 years and at the time it was the prize of my collection with my Pateks !
I’m over the whole watch thing, I’m an artist and creating art is much more important to me than any of my watches except my fathers Patek. Fauve style like Matisse !


That's how it is sometimes. I have a Glycine Airman that is probably 1 of 5 known to exist but it isn't worth more than maybe 3000.

Plus styles and tastes change. With gold worth about $2400 an ounce, that's a lot of value to overcome. The horological value doesn't always translate to the monetary value. Like you said, the two are different. When we say a watch might be earn less money it doesn't mean we dislike the watch.

Love your art. I have done sculpture myself.

My daughter, wife and former roommate. Terracotta, bronze and wood.

1000011599.jpg 1000011597.jpg 1000011598.jpg
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T
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pdxleaf pdxleaf
That's how it is sometimes. I have a Glycine Airman that is probably 1 of 5 known to exist but it isn't worth more than maybe 3000.

Plus styles and tastes change. With gold worth about $2400 an ounce, that's a lot of value to overcome. The horological value doesn't always translate to the monetary value. Like you said, the two are different. When we say a watch might be earn less money it doesn't mean we dislike the watch.

Love your sculpture. I have done sculpture myself.

My daughter, wife and former roommate. Terracotta, bronze and wood.
Your sculptures are amazing, but I did the painting only ! The picture was taken in sculpture garden MFAH. I can only paint ! Here are pictures of my painting and a sculpture I own that I cherish !

1000011599.jpg 1000011597.jpg 1000011598.jpg
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gatorcpa
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T Timetosell
One response said it wasn’t worth much more than scrape gold ? Pretty cold and not appreciative of the beautiful heavy case.
gatorcpa gatorcpa
To me, the major value here is in the gold (if 18K) and the stones.
I said that, and I stand by it. When one sells a watch, they sell into a market. For some watches that are heavily (and sometimes irrationally) desired by collectors, provenance or aesthetics will drive the price. For others, it is simply a matter of the sum of the parts, including their intrinsic value for other uses.

My Gübelin is a good example. I paid a small fraction of the going price at the time for a JLC Memovox with a parking meter inner dial simply because it was not branded “Jaeger-LeCoultre”. If the same exact watch had the name “Cartier” on the dial and “European Watch Company” on the movement, it would easily have sold for 5 times what I paid. Yet, for all other intents and purposes, it is the same.

This is what happens sometimes in thin markets. I commend you for getting maximum value and support your efforts in raising awareness of the Gübelin brand.
gatorcpa
 
T
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Tony C. Tony C.
Lest anyone have the misimpression, based on my previous post, that I lack respect for Gübelin, here's a link to a related article that I wrote years ago...

https://www.watchprosite.com/horolo...-marriage--is-it-possible-/17.865583.5892538/
Very well written Tony C ! Your knowledge is appreciated and you by far have the most understanding of GubeIin watches and that they did very nice movement finishing beyond just purchasing a movement from another company and just fitting it in their own case ! I actually have a Gubelin with an anniversary movement ! You explained Gubelin about as well as it could have been stated and I appreciate your efforts ! You can see the nice finishing and micro gooseneck regulator in my pictures ! Some of the early comments were somewhat ignorant omega forum members who made it sound like Gubelin movements were cheap and average quality ? WRONG
 
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Tony C.
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Thank you for your kind comments. And congratulations on owning an automatic version of those low-production, high-quality movements.

I agree that the better vintage Gübelin are well-worth collecting. They will always be a "niche" market, as major brands enjoy insurmountable marketing advantages, but for discerning collectors, they can be a pleasure to own.
 
pdxleaf
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Tony C. Tony C.
I agree that the better vintage Gübelin are well-worth collecting. They will always be a "niche" market, as major brands enjoy insurmountable marketing advantages, but for discerning collectors, they can be a pleasure to own.

The three 'G's' make a nice theme: Gubelin, Gallet and UG.
 
JimInOz
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Agree that it's a Felsa (Bidynator).
While Gubelin are now known primarily for jewellery, their watchmaking history goes back as far as many other well known Swiss brands.
Their golden years seem to be post WW2 and up until the 1970s.
 
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