Well, Hodinkee's Bring A Loupe series finally bit me. I saw the article last Friday, scrolled down to the Polerouter, and as impulse buys tend to go, had it locked down about an hour later. I've always been fascinated by the micro-rotors in these, and the movements are actually impeccably finished as well. At 39mm, it wears perfectly on my 7.25" wrist and it contours to the wrist even better than my Submariner (which fits all wrists very well, generally) thanks to the slim profile afforded by the micro-rotor under the hood. It has barely left my wrist since arriving last Tuesday, and something tells me this will be a favorite for years to come. I'll have to revive this thread after buying the right tools to remove the caseback, as I can't wait to see the movement for myself. Still incredible to me that these can be found in such an affordable price range, and IMO, I think they're some of the best buys in vintage divers. Final point - when I posted an Instagram the day that I bought it, another Polerouter owner in Sweden DM'd me and said he was looking to sell his Polerouter Sub (symmetrical case with the art deco numerals). After agreeing to a very reasonable price, I agreed to take that one in as well. I clearly have zero self control, but like I said, they're great buys! Cheers - CF
It's always good to pick up as many good examples as the budget allows. You can always think (think being the operative word) or selling them later.
Thanks much, @Jonatan and @calalum. And agree, if you have conviction about a certain brand being under-appreciated by the general market, there's no shame in hoarding clean examples.
If you get any more offers and don't want to purchase them, send them my way! Would love to add one to my collection.
Got the second one today, and it's in fantastic shape with the original bracelet and everything. Lighting was a bit harsh this afternoon, but I'll try to get some better ones this weekend that show the incredible patina on both. Truly crazy to me how underrated these are right now. Also, it's crazy how little information exists about the 60's Polerouter Subs. There's a smattering of info about the super compressor Polerouters, but it pretty much stops there.