I think not. Or very little. All the oils are bone dry. Might want to remove the old battery to prevent leakage
I think we will sell it at an auction, if we do decide to sell. We'll know a bit more during the next few weeks. Thank you for all your expertese! I will keep you guys posted and maybe you can come and bid up the price a bit
You better believe they will! What a great find. A literal jackpot lottery you just hit - and you didn’t have to waste any money on tickets. Best of luck and congrats. Goodbye mortgage
There are no words, so ... Fantastic stuff @Strope ... hope it all works out for you and your family and this mini-lottery does you all good Please keep us posted...
Is this not the second "drawer" find in the past 2 days? Everyone: reach out to your families and get them to open all the drawers!!!
Hang on mate! I joined this forum with a vintage Speedmaster, that is far less valuable than your watch, and I was advised to only allow a real expert to open my watch. I really hope you can just take your time, and get the correct guidance from our experts with this one. Has anyone referred you to Speedmaster101 http://speedmaster101.com/assessment-guide-2/ Lovely to hear a story of such good fortune!
Hi @Strope Congratulations on your finding! Cannot comment much on the watch, as I'm totally new here and my experience is close to none. I've started similar thread here recently, but with approx 5-10 times lower value. Still quite similar in terms of literally pulling stuff from a drawer that turned out (stuff, not drawer) to be much more valuable than you could even think. Therefore I also find advices you got here very wise and helpful. I'm just curious - question for you, experienced people - won't such a timepiece gain value over time? Now it can be traded for a Porsche. Maybe it's worth to put it in a deposit box and get Bugatti or RR or both after few years? Best regards! Iz
Nobody knows if the value will increase over time. And certainly one can't predict if it will be a better investment than real estate or an index fund.
Wow, just wow. Hang on to that piece OP, that’s a very special piece you have there. Do a lot of research before proceeding with the next step. A lot of research. It will be worth it.
we all know the watch itself and the potential value. the real interesting story is the fact it was hiding in a drawer probly for years in that condition. could be nonfunctional when it was placed by his dad. then forgotten. old cars are discovered in a barn, and this one in a drawer. fantastic story. so check all drawers in all barns for car owners who might have forgot their watches while working in a barn.
I think this is great advice. You can definitely negotiate fees down on a piece like this because it will attract a lot of buzz to the auction house which hopefully will drive up all the watches. Make a list of auction houses, tell them politely that you are going to reach out to a bunch before making a decision, and watch them come down on fees. Amazing find. These things can be stressful so I hope for you that it brings you and your family only good things.
Sell it on eBay!!! No - don’t do that. Congratulations on your find - excited to find out the end result of this story!!
what is the number, scratched into the side of the back? and i`d start with Phillips Auctions in Geneva. sell as is with that band. part of the history. you will be able to have it listed there with very low fees for you. your next auction there would be the November auction. they will either come to you or they organize a worldwide security courier to pick it up from you and insure from that moment on for a set price; in this case i would insist on US$ 200,000. Aurel Bacs is still the worlds best Auctioneer for vintage watches. if they want it open to secure their bet and check the movement number with the factory, they will advice you, who shall open the watch and it is on their risk. if you want to keep it in the family, get a safe deposit box. kind regards from Australia. Achim