One of the end links looks worn but to be fair I wouldn’t let end links put me off a watch.
Considering the value of the watch itself the end pieces seem like a consumable that can be later changed if you don’t like them.
One of the end links looks worn but to be fair I wouldn’t let end links put me off a watch.
Considering the value of the watch itself the end pieces seem like a consumable that can be later changed if you don’t like them.
If you havent read the full preview of the Phillips Auction you need to head over to Speedmaster 101 and check out the latest blog entry:
https://speedmaster101.com/speedmaster-blog/
Good review of the interesting watches and I personally love the no holds barred discussion of the watches. Comments like:
"Is this a real bezel? I have no idea, none at all. Nor do you." (Quoted from text in link above)
are just priceless IMO. Puts it all in perspective, and a bit better than most. While 3/4 of the watches discussed are out of my comfort level I still really appreciate the insight and will watch the auction with much interest and continue trying to learn more before I dare enter this level of collecting.
Thanks for taking the time to write a good auction preview, as always the knowledge sharing is invaluable and appreciated.
Questions, questions...... The lume plots are done in a way, that was typical for the time. See the "puffy" lume on Rolex subs from that era. But there are now a few re- lumers, who can mimic that as well. You can still get the old Bergeon water based Tritium which can replace the typical Radium aged lume look. I'm perplexed by a few little things: The lume plots between 8 -12 are all missing the same last little lume bit at the end of the plots towards the minute track. A few others as well. The hands are a mix match in my opinion; lume cut outs are square and rounded together. The hands are re- lumed to match ...... What? The re- lumed dial ? The original dial ? Impossible to say from pictures. Matching lume on dial plots and hands are not a good sign for me. They age differently. Dial plots are exposed on one surface; hands are exposed on 2 sides. Something else: that brown dial shows fairly even deterioration. A few sections still show the original darker black colour. As it should be. What happened to the sub dial edges? Uniform " scratches" in silver/white? Should be black? And how come, they are only there and the rest of the dial looks next to perfect ? And then there is this Bezel ..... But that is all just some gut feeling . Without handling it with patience, it all comes down to inconsistencies. Maybe all good. Maybe not, like the back.
If you havent read the full preview of the Phillips Auction you need to head over to Speedmaster 101 and check out the latest blog entry:
https://speedmaster101.com/speedmaster-blog/
Good review of the interesting watches and I personally love the no holds barred discussion of the watches. Comments like:
"Is this a real bezel? I have no idea, none at all. Nor do you." (Quoted from text in link above)
are just priceless IMO. Puts it all in perspective, and a bit better than most. While 3/4 of the watches discussed are out of my comfort level I still really appreciate the insight and will watch the auction with much interest and continue trying to learn more before I dare enter this level of collecting.
Thanks for taking the time to write a good auction preview, as always the knowledge sharing is invaluable and appreciated.
As to the end links:
I feel they are in a very different condition to the rest of the bracelet, indeed watch. They are perfectly flat across the width of the back, and that is an unusual condition.
Questions, questions...... The lume plots are done in a way, that was typical for the time. See the "puffy" lume on Rolex subs from that era. But there are now a few re- lumers, who can mimic that as well. You can still get the old Bergeon water based Tritium which can replace the typical Radium aged lume look. I'm perplexed by a few little things: The lume plots between 8 -12 are all missing the same last little lume bit at the end of the plots towards the minute track. A few others as well. The hands are a mix match in my opinion; lume cut outs are square and rounded together. The hands are re- lumed to match ...... What? The re- lumed dial ? The original dial ? Impossible to say from pictures. Matching lume on dial plots and hands are not a good sign for me. They age differently. Dial plots are exposed on one surface; hands are exposed on 2 sides. Something else: that brown dial shows fairly even deterioration. A few sections still show the original darker black colour. As it should be. What happened to the sub dial edges? Uniform " scratches" in silver/white? Should be black? And how come, they are only there and the rest of the dial looks next to perfect ? And then there is this Bezel ..... But that is all just some gut feeling . Without handling it with patience, it all comes down to inconsistencies. Maybe all good. Maybe not, like the back.
I’ve discussed this with other collectors of Speedmasters from this era, and they seem to think this is how they came originally, although I have seen the tabs both bent in, and out relative to the rest of the back of the end-piece. Your thoughts?
