Hi, an interesting detail of a Transitional Speedy calibre 861 reference 145022-68 A dent?! No, the mark on the lug was put by Portuguese customs for import during the Salazar Regime “Estado Novo” (1932-1974) Please share a photo of your Portuguese watch!
That's strange. You would think they would stamp it somewhere less obvious. How did you learn that? Love the bezel!
had many watches over the last 28 years with that custom stamp. the last one was the Ranchero, I sold via Bonhams last December. kind regards. achim
Well that sucks. If I had a brand new watch and some idiot did that I would be quite mad. Did they do the same thing with other imports?
Yes – all watches, and there were many good ones imported into Portugal during the Golden Age of watchmaking. As far as it 'sucking', that's an overstatement. The marks are very small, and actually add interesting history/provenance.
Not really an overstatement. Its an opinion amd it does suck imo. I fail to see how a customs stamp into a country applied to all watches in the era makes those watches any more interesting than the same watch sans stamp. Given a choice i would alway chose the one without it. Its too general a category to mean anything to me.
Yes, it's an opinion, but yours is both strong, and one that I haven't previously heard. I'm sure that there are other collectors who would steer clear of watches with such stamps, but I doubt that most would turn down an otherwise desirable watch for that reason alone. The stamp may not have value to you, but given that it verifies the country of (original sale) origin does make it both interesting and useful, especially given that such information is not always available through manufacturers.
I'm with Tony on this one. I love these little pieces of watch arcana - the Portuguese customs stamp, Fab Suisse dials, foreign cases, chicken scratch hand engraving on movements imported in the US, etc.
My take is that the mark is cool and interesting in retrospect but would suck in the present. Can you imagine living in a time when some megalomaniac ordered marks be put on all US imports with, say....a little T? Oh wait.........I think that would, inarguably, suck.....
What actually is the mark of? A pattern, symbol etc? Reminds me of the Eagles/Dogs head for 18ct/platinum that's stamped on French jewellery, but unlike most countries, the French stamp it on the outside of the shank of a ring, albeit usually on the bottom of the shank so it's not seen when worn. I agree that from a vintage collectors point of view, it's a nice nuance. However, I also completely agree with @Nobel Prize that if I were buying a new watch, I'd be slightly miffed to see what looks like damage, being struck on such an obvious part of the watch.