Haven't been hunting these long but really like the look of the early EPs in general. Came across this one. Don't see these very often. Dial has some "patina" but not sure it bothers me. It is missing the original handset and crown--but owner has the originals stored, except for the original chrono paddle sweep and blue sub dial, unfortunately. Case is a bit marked up from wear and it looks like it might have had a bit of work on the lug ends side: the lines are a bit wavy and not quite as straight across in an arc as a fully untouched case.

I guess as I'm writing this I'm talking myself out of it. If the case was untouched and all the original parts were saved, maybe... but as is?

Curious what you all think?

 

i love the a3817 and don't find this to be an attractive watch. the dial does have patina but it looks more discolored to me. relumed hands (badly) and mismatch vs the markers. case shape looks off to me as you state

i don't need vintage to be perfect but this to me is too poor an example to consider

 

Agreed, thx. The more I look at it the less appealing it is...

 

It all depends on the price. How much is this one and what are you willing to pay to get a better example? These have shot up quite a bit in the past few years.

 

Well, true. If I could pick it up for $5k we wouldn't be talking about it. I think $10k is what I could get it for.

 

In that case, I would be holding out for a better example. I am fine with the dial but the hands would bother me and you will be hard pressed to get decent replacements.

 

you have the original parts. do you know why they were replaced? especially hands, if originals are in good shape, you may have a good one there.

Are better pics of the saved original parts available, which you can evaluate or better, post here?

 

The pics of the original parts are posted above. As you can see, the "original" chrono hand is not original. Also, it's not clear if the blue hand on the watch is the original darkened by time (patina) or not. If not, then the "original" is not present.

 

That service red chrono paddle hand is doing that watch no favours. Priced fairly for what you're getting

 

Here are some better pics of the hands that were on the watch before the service.... I dunno. I'm on the fence. The case and dial are pretty nice, and the original hands could be put back on. I would want to find an original paddle chrono to add at the very least... the blue running second I would probably leave unless by some miracle a vintage one came along.

 

Tim-

What are they asking you for it, and where is this coming out of.

I will provide you my breakdown of the watch shortly. Bottom line, this not a great example, but case is not bad. These are getting harder to find (particularly in really good condition). It really does come down to price on this one. I would not pay $10k for it, but there is some number that may make sense.... M

 

Thanks, M, appreciate your thoughts. Asking about 10k at the moment. Not sure how much they might go down from there.

I am torn. No, it’s not perfect—case is pretty good, dial is on the edge of over patinated, market lume nothing special but not horrible, hands definitely not optimal (I would want to find vintage ones that matched better eventuall). But: I do like the watch and these really don’t come up often, so... what to do.

 

Just so you know, there is going to be an A3817 for sale in the Phillips Geneva auction in May. It will be more expensive, but it is a much better example. M

 

Good to know—it’s the “more expensive” part I’m worried about.

 

The ultimate question you need to ask yourself is would you rather pay $7k to $10k for a mediocre example or ~$15+k for a nice one. That is a personal decision. M

 

Regarding this watch, I will break down my thoughts as follows:

1. Based on the photos of the case available, I am good with the case. I would prefer to see photos of more angles and the caseback. These cases do not polish well, and, ideally, you want to find one that is unpolished or gently polished. I am fine with this case.
2. I am not a fan of the condition of this dial or the lume. While I have certainly seen worse, it would constantly bother me, personally.
3. There are no photos of the crown on the watch. I would want to see if this is a service crown.
4. Was the crown in the photo originally on the watch? Or, again, is that what's on the watch now? That crown, if functional, is an original period crown.
5. The hands on this watch kill me. The service hands do not match the dial, and the blue subregister hand is not correct.
6. No photos of the movement. Obviously, would want to know the service history.
7. While also stating the obvious, this watch does not have the ladder bracelet -- the end links for which are becoming really hard to find. This also affects value.

Sum this watch up, and you have a decent to good case (and possibly an original crown), and everything else that is either subpar or needs to be replaced (sourcing for which will not be easy). So, for me, I would vote to pass on this watch (unless the price was really right) and wait for a better example -- even if you pay more for it. M

 

I'm not quite as negative about the dial, and I feel like it would be a lot more appealing with the original hands, which have matching lume. Currently the mismatched contrast really emphasizes the aging of the dial. Obviously, you'll need to do something to make the sweep hand match better. I think there is a right price for this watch.

 

Thanks, guys-- I agree overall. I think with the right hands (including vintage sweep) and the original crown put back on, this would be a "pretty nice" watch. But it all comes down to price and I don't think it will get low enough to make it feel right. I would be surprised if they went down to $9500 and I think it would need to be in the $7k to $8k area to feel good.

 

I agree, including your price range. M