That didn't go cheap. 4,000 pounds.

 

I have deliberately kept quiet on this one and would ask why it was ever posted in the "Recommended Zenith" thread.

Last Saturday, I went to see this watch and whilst it is not the worst A386 I have seen, it has very few endearing qualities. OK, two. The dial is good and it checks out as a first series watch.

If you look closely at the photos, you will see that half of one of the screw heads on the rotating weight is broken off - this will be a really time consuming task to remove, before you even start to dismantle the movement. The chrono will not run for a full minute, so it is impossible to tell if the re-set works. The hands need replacing as does the tachy ring (as noted above) There are also other issues with the movement.

My guess is that the minimum the buyer will have to spend on it to make it half way decent is £1,500 without replacing the tachy ring and hands - if you can get them.

I would have been prepared to offer the seller £3,000 but I knew it would end up at £4 - 4.5 K

It is a big gamble for someone and I hope it pays off for them but watch out for 539D175.

 

I won the watch. The info about what needs to be fixed on the watch is very helpful actually, thank you. I'll be sure to forward it to the watchmaker (most likely ABC Watchwerks), who will be dismantling and cleaning the piece for me at some point in the future. If you have any more info, definitely let me know.

I wanted a Mark I for my personal collection. If all I have to spend is 1500 GBP, then I'll be very pleased indeed. I didn't buy it to resell it. I bought it because it is a rare piece of history, and those are the kinds of pieces I like having in my collection. I bid based on projecting what it would cost to overhaul it completely and replace parts.

I'm not sure why you would say "watch out for 539D175"?

If you bought this piece for the £3000 you were thinking of offering the seller and then fixed it up, as I'm guessing it would have been worth your while to do so at £3000, how would you feel if someone else referenced and besmirched your watch that way in a public forum? Probably pretty rotten I'd guess...

Imagine you were able to buy it at the price you wanted of £3000, and someone who wanted to buy it at £2000 decided to then besmirch the watch on a forum after the fact. How would that look to you?

 

I don't think Stewart is trying to besmirch your purchase at all, or potential purchase. As he said he would of been prepared to buy the watch, which stands for something, right? If the watch was truly what you wanted for your collection, then why worry what anyone else thinks? You should just be happy and enjoy the watch. There will always be a plus and minus about a purchase, this is a very subjective field.

We will look forward to see it after its well deserved spa treatment!

 

Congrats and good luck getting it in order. There will be no curse upon the case number if you can set it right... nay, it will be covered in glory.
Those 0-feedback "bidders" are so irritating; I'm glad he didn't gouge you for more than £5.

 

+ 1 and it would be great to see it here after the spa treatment.

My guess is, it'll look great. Enjoy!!

 

Thanks guys. I guess idea that at some point down the road, if I have a run of bad luck and go broke, and have to sell some or all of my collection, that someone could see this thread and think there is something permanently wrong with this piece worried me. That is why I responded to the post. I agree, if all is expertly fixed then all is well with the piece.

I will definitely post pics after it has its spa treatment!

In the meantime, if anyone has any parts I need for the piece, I'm looking for a period correct crown (or close to it in the interim), tachy insert, and possibly hands. With the hands I may just try to look into patching the original hand that is missing lume and then fix the back, so I don't want lume mismatch between the hands and dial.

If anyone thinks of any useful info or advice on restoring this piece in ways that will not be intrusive or destructive to its originality, please message me! I'd really appreciate it!

 

Why do the hands need replacing? They appear to be original. A bit of TLC and relume would be preferable to replacing them wouldn't it?

 

You are right. It just depends on how original you want to keep it. My personal preference is for original lume rather than re-luming, so I try to source replacement vintage hands for my watches where this is necessary. It is, relatively speaking, easier to pick up the hour & minute hands, but the sweep second hand is rarer than hens teeth.

 

Thanks Stewart. I agree that it would've been nice if the original hands had been in good condition. And I guess the debate on vintage but non-original parts vs sympathetically restored original parts would go on forever, so thank you for sharing your perspective on what you try to achieve with your own watches.

 

nice Turtle for sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/271575799322Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Exelent condition. With steel bracelet too

What will this cost?

I have the exact same day but without this bracelet

 

it's definately not going to stay low now!

 

True, but surely the vetting here is worth something in peace of mind.

I have found it so on a couple of occasions.

 

Yes, I have no doubt the vetting here is immeasuable! I was just being facetious..

 

Some of us need it more than others, I am still an Omega tyro.


As an aside, I strongly suspect certain others on this very forum (you know who you are!) are a not insignificant factor many of the higher market prices we've seen lately.

 

Just for interest, this sold yesterday for £3K plus commision

http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/a...ogue-id-2901255/lot-23405091?searchitem=true#



Unfortunately I got there a day late...

 

747 GBP! Was that a reasonable price considering the condition and the original bracelet?

 

Yes, I think so.