Just ”won” an auction on a local auction site. Have had some correspondence with the seller and took the plunge. I hope it will arrive in good order and that it lives up to expectations. It has just the right amount of dirt in all the right places and the seller answered key questions in an appropriate manner. Pics in the auction were just bad enough to scare off most bidders - domestic and foreign. Looks to be very similar to this one: http://brisbanevintagewatches.com/subpage_product_view.php?id=255 Sellers pics from the auction: Not shouting hooray yet but it looks promising. My watchmaker allready on alert and standing ready with spare parts if needed.
Picked it up f2f from seller. Nice guy. Watch came from his father. In really good shape. Original exterior except from crown and crystal. Strange wear on edges between lugs at 6 and 12. Not thru the gold cap but clearly worn in an angle. There is a a dark oxidation at those points - can be seen in the second and third pic. He had no idea - do any of you? The dial is as nice as one could wish for... Case could benefit from some cleaning It will get a service, a lower profile crystal and a more appropriate crown. And my usual choice of alligator strap.
Look's great, with a very nice dial. There is something about buying a nice dirty watch like that, some of my nicest have been bought it in such condition and the first clean is always such a satisfying transformation.
The lume dots look really like new! Must have been in special storage most of the time if they are original. What did you pay for, if you don't mind telling?
Congrats JE! You beat me again. I wonder when I will ever beat you in an auction.... If I do, I'm sure it'll hurt as hell!
Actually - they are not (looking like new). All signs of aging lume are there, when studying them under loup, though minor. The dial is in a very nice shape and from my experience I would say it is not relumed. Cost was just above 700 USD (but in Swedish kronor of course).
Ahh...I love this... Beating you for the good stuff is half the fun . I still have a long way to get to your level of nice watches - but for every "win" I will get closer. Best Regards JE
Well, it took over two years to finish this project. Struggled for a long time with laser welding the original gold cap case to adress the angeled wear between the lugs - but in the end it did not work out. The movement and dial were in such nice condition but the case bothered me that much - I had to find a case donor. Finding a donor with a shot dial and movement but with an OK case took me a long time. This case has patina and have seen some rougher times but it is uniformly worn - which is OK by me. Now I am satisfied. Case closed. Early fifties ref 2577 with cal 354.
Thanks! Realized it looks a little too cold in the above pictures. This is more like it is really looking. And for those who like to study fonts etc.
