Had a bit of luck in a French auction last week and having sworn to myself to never again deal with the very slow and very expensive French shipping companies these Paris auction houses seem to employ I decided to take a day off, jump on a train and collect it in person. It worked out a little more costly but was certainly much more fun than paying €150 for 'special shipping' and to then endure the usual two week wait for a package that only has to travel 500km.

Here's the picture from a few weeks ago that started the journey, grainy and low res, the watch I was interested in is bottom right. It's a Mulco Prima chronograph calendar moonnphase. Not something I was hunting but an interesting watch and ripe target of opportunity never the less. These have a good sized 38mm case and a Venus 187 movement.



The auction house eventually provided me with a slightly better picture and a very concise condition report, "It is very good". Not much, that's for sure, but certainly enough to warrant a bid by my way of thinking



Just after 7am for the first of three trains to Paris....



....which of course had a ten minute delay for a nine minute journey .....



A quick dash and I made my connection to Amsterdam Central and there the Thalys was waiting



11.30 and I've arrived at Gare du Nord and from here its a couple of km walk to the auction house on Boulevard Montmartre





After quickly picking up the watch and noticing it was already after 12pm I decided it was clearly time for lunch and a local bistro provided a hard earned half dozen gastropods washed down with a glass of well chilled Pouilly-Fumé.





The train ride back home was taken with a case clean, a Polywatch session and a strap change,









Then back home for the real highlight of the day....England finally winning a World Cup penalty shoot out!

 

Haha. Well done!

 

Very nice chronograph! I have only seen a few of those Mulco Prima pieces, but I have been impressed by them. Fun little adventure to pick it up as well. By the way, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think the moonphase Venus is either a 13''' cal 187 (with a cal 150 base movement) or a 14''' cal 184 (with a cal 175 base movement).

 

Love those watches with the moonphase complication. Don’t know about those snails though.

 

You're absolutely right, this one is a 187 and I have edited my typo.

 

Escargots are absolutely delicious

 

Outstanding - sounds like a great day and well worth the time and travel!

 

@cristos71 Super watch and you are right...England winning on pens really was a highlight of the day
Ps
Leave some moon phases for us mere mortals

 

That's time well spent. Congrats!

 

Great write up and thanks for sharing. Striking watch in great condition and liking those pointer subdial hands.

And the ( Common garden snails as there known as in Australia ) Escargots look well seasoned and tasty

 

Damn I'm moving to Europe!
Somebody tell my wife.

 

Great pics ... great watch ... wish I could cruise to Paris like that without jet fuel.

 

Congrats on the new purchase, very nice piece. I like the one that you wore for the journey to pick it up too

 

Well I’m not beating this post anytime soon.

Great watch great post.

I won’t call you names if you give me a deal on that omega moonphase. otherwise your a xxxx xxxxx xxxx xxxxxxxx!

 

What a great day!! Sounds like you really enjoyed it and got yourself a beautiful watch there. Heres to the next adventure

 

tres splendide!

 

A nice read!

 

Sounds like my dream day! Being from central US where we don't do a whole lot of trains, I quite enjoyed my trip on the Thalys train from Paris to Amerstedam last summer, I just wished I would gotten such a gorgeous watch during my trip!

 

Very nice story ! The trip was worth it even for the escargots and the Pouilly Fumé!
and great watch of course !

 

nice-write up and lovely watch! Thanks for sharing