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Opinions appreciated on this 1680 Sub

Buck2466
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Would love to hear from some experts on this 1680 being offered to me! Please let me know your thoughts.

I was offered this from a friend who owns a coin business and called me to let me know he just got it in from a good customer of his. I stopped by this morning to check it out, get some info, and take some pictures.

My friend claims it is a one owner watch, completely original, and never was serviced. It only comes with the original box, no papers.

The serial is 2.2 mil and looks to have a mark 2 dial that is chocolate with nice patina on the lume and is in the serial range for a chocolate dial . It comes on the original bracelet that I didn't include in the pics when we took it off to check the serial. Slipped my mind! There are a few Mark's on the crystal that were captured in the pics. Those are definitely on the crystal and not the dial.

Here are the pics and Thank You in advance for your thoughts!

20181117_101658.jpg 20181117_101642.jpg 20181117_101656.jpg 20181117_101634.jpg 20181117_101622.jpg


 
Buck2466
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bags1971 bags1971
im no expert but i like it and should imagine its not cheap
I like it too and yes, not going to be cheap. I have my friend looking for a 1675 also.
 
ATWG
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Hello - insert is replacement as it should be a fat font and doesn't match the overall condition of the case/lugs/crystal. The lugs have been rounded off a bit as well. Lastly, it will need service as I can see some oxidation on the crown tube. I'd want to see movement and caseback pics prior to pulling the trigger.

All that being said, I wouldn't kick it out of bed, it's a nice watch depending on price, of course.
 
Buck2466
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ATWG ATWG
Hello - insert is replacement as it should be a fat font and doesn't match the overall condition of the case/lugs/crystal. The lugs have been rounded off a bit as well. Lastly, it will need service as I can see some oxidation on the crown tube. I'd want to see movement and caseback pics prior to pulling the trigger.

All that being said, I wouldn't kick it out of bed, it's a nice watch depending on price, of course.
Thank you for the reply! So, it was probably serviced at some point, with an insert change? Yes, if purchased, it would be off for a service, and not from Rolex. I will see about getting some pics of the caseback and movement this week, since it's literally a few minutes from me. Thanks again!
 
Faz
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My take.

Insert is a later replacement. Some hands go a little darker over time but these (corroded ones) seem to have come from another watch. Case is overpolished (My taste). Difficult to get serviced if you don't know it's service history.

"My friend claims it is a one owner watch, completely original, and never was serviced. It only comes with the original box, no papers."...certainly not...

These have become expensive regardless of condition so I would save and wait for a better example.

Cheers,
Edited:
 
Buck2466
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Faz Faz
My take.

Insert is a later replacement. Some hands go a little darker over time but these (corroded ones) seem to have come from another watch. Case is overpolished (My taste). Difficult to get serviced if you don't know it's service history.

"My friend claims it is a one owner watch, completely original, and never was serviced. It only comes with the original box, no papers."...certainly not...

These have become expensive regardless of condition so I would save and wait for a better example.

Cheers,
Thanks Faz! I took my friend's remarks with a grain of salt as watches are not his main business. These do not show up in my area, so when he called me and told me what he had, I had to at least go take a look.
 
ATWG
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I wouldn’t dismiss it due to the rarity of the dial....worth kicking the tires specially since it’s local to you.
 
Spacefruit
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Well I would buy it.
Its all very well saying wait for a better one, but that dial looks very attractive.
The problems it has can be bartered into a much lower price than a better one, and this one can be used and that dial enjoyed every day.
The bezel can be sorted, and the watch enjoyed.
Am I wrong?
 
Faz
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ATWG ATWG
I wouldn’t dismiss it due to the rarity of the dial....worth kicking the tires specially since it’s local to you.
I agree... my opinion was a pure assessment on its general condition. Of course, the rarity of the piece is a factor. But always think down the line. A rare watch with issues is a watch with issues. So the right balance must be struck between price and condition.
 
Faz
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Spacefruit Spacefruit
Well I would buy it.
Its all very well saying wait for a better one, but that dial looks very attractive.
The problems it has can be bartered into a much lower price than a better one, and this one can be used and that dial enjoyed every day.
The bezel can be sorted, and the watch enjoyed.
Am I wrong?
No but the claim that it's a one owner all original watch raises some flags. What lies beneath?

My criteria for pieces like this one is, can the issues/flaws, be counterbalanced with a matching price? That case is a concern IMO especially the top left lug, but the dial is quite nice. The hands? Finding a matching set is going to be a pain...the insert is not a huge issue. Service? Difficult. In the end, it's all a question of $€£
 
ATWG
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I would buy it at the right price. Of course insert can be sourced at additional cost ($2k+), which will all have to go into your overall value assesment
 
Buck2466
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ATWG ATWG
I wouldn’t dismiss it due to the rarity of the dial....worth kicking the tires specially since it’s local to you.
Oh, I will kick the tires😀. I will have to see what it will take to get it. I knew enough going in that when I saw the dial, it had possibilities.
 
Faz
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In the end, a MF 1680 is well worth a full investigation!
 
Buck2466
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Spacefruit Spacefruit
Well I would buy it.
Its all very well saying wait for a better one, but that dial looks very attractive.
The problems it has can be bartered into a much lower price than a better one, and this one can be used and that dial enjoyed every day.
The bezel can be sorted, and the watch enjoyed.
Am I wrong?
Yes, I will have some bargaining power with it's flaws, but hopefully my friend didn't pay too much. It all depends on how much he has to get. He told me he bought from a woman and it was her late father's. She may have told him it had never been serviced. I will dig a little deeper this week. I definitely wouldn't have a problem wearing it with it's condition.
 
Dan S
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My two cents, please take them with a grain of salt.

I like the dial a lot, but it has the look of a mix-and-match watch for sure, with replaced insert, crystal, and probably swapped hands. It's just not my favorite way to buy a watch, but yes, these examples are very desirable these days, so it might be worth it if you can get it at a good price and don't mind a project.
 
Faz
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...or a buy and sell for a profit then invest on a better example?!
 
wsfarrell
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I think the hands are original. I've seen lots of corroded hands on nice 1680's, and lots of color-matched replacement hands (suggesting the originals were really bad). It's hard to imagine on this watch that originals were so bad they were replaced with these.

That said, the crown guards would keep me away from this watch. LAWW (among others) can do great things with bevels, but once the crown guards have been polished to this point, there's no way of improving them.
 
ScubaPro
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Pictures mean nothing. It has to be examined in person by an expert. That said, it looks like a wrong un to me.
 
mancio
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I think the claim never serviced is not realistic...
Should the edges on the case be more sharp?
Like others have pointed, Insert and hands have been replaced, perhaps in a recent service?

But i'm not top expert in subs, so my observations can be wrong 😟
In any case, that dial is wonderful.
Edited:
 
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