I went yesterday to Romain Rea and left empty handed. Yes, the prices were very high. So today, I visited The Beautiful Watch store in Rue de Seine and met the owner Frederic Petat.
It was a pleasant meeting and had a good discussion on collector grade watches. He showed me a collector grade Rolex Submariner 5512 with gloss gilt exclamation dial, gilt chapter ring, pcg, faded mk l bezel and riveted bracelet that stretches.. I was completely blown away by the overall condition and beauty of the watch. I also got blown away when he told me the price!
After the initial shock, we started negotiating and managed to agree at a price. Still high but well within reason considering the condition and rarity of the watch. Besides I really want it. I will wire the money to him on Monday and might fly again to Paris to pick up the watch.
I also bought from Frederic a 1950s Lemania 105 UTI Chronograph with a beautifully aged dial. The watch is also in superb condition. I will post pictures when I get back home to the Philippines on Sunday. Used to be easy with Tapatalk. Btw I'm posting the link to the website of the store that shows the 5512.
http://www.chrono24.com/rolex/submariner-gilt--id5734424.htmClick to expand...