As you know I posted this watch as id been offered a deal on it It's all ways been a sort of gentlemen's agreement we have I pay for a watch and take it for a few days and if I don't like it or somethings wrong I could all ways take it back Not living too far from the shop I've been back several times this week and the shutter has been down This morning I drove past still the shutter down but saw another guy who I often see in the shop and I stopped to talk As the owner is in his 80's (posted about him before) I was told in the evening on Wednesday he was taken ill (he is fighting cancer and is having Chemotherapy) and is now in hospital and I was told 99% he wont be back in the shop his relatives have taken over the process of emptying it So I guess i'm keeping it and i'm going to keep it as it is as a reminder of him wonky star and all I know I way over paid for it but makes you realise money isn't everything
There can't be many 80+ year old jewellers still working. Your not from the North West by any chance are you?
The wonky star is easily straightened should you prefer, it is only held to the dial by a single foot and burnished over on the under side to hold secure.
Yeah that's a keeper then for sure. I can't help wondering what they are going to do with all the stock....Maybe you should leave a note before the dealers descend. My local bric a brac dealer (who ALWAYS tells me how I just missed this or that) was actually in the shop last week. (it's often closed when i go by) and had just returned from clearing out a watchmakers in Hanau. He had Crates and crates of stuff. ...He offered me a chair at the tiny table amid his junk and started pulling out cigar box after cigar box and crate after crate . As we chatted he told me that the owners son didn't want to take on the business but knew enough about watches to pull out all of the top tier stuff..He said there was a removal size carton just full of Omegas. My guy spotted something at the top of another "Not for sale" crate and offered him 3500 euros there and then on the spot for a 40's triple date Lecoultre..which the son didn't accept. So what I went through was basically all sorts of interesting lower division Swiss mechanical stuff. It was so cool to look at so many Swiss brands from the 30's to the 70's. I must have looked at 2-300 hundred over an hour. He let me pop the back off any one that took my fancy and check out the movement. Haven't had so much fun in ages. Picked up these very nice two working examples for about 70 USD. I don't know much about the Nomad brand. The movement is certainly very nicely made. He did have a rather nice oversized military Helvetia but at 100 Euros it was a bit too much for my blood..i was rather more into the condition of these two.. Besides, I'm not sooo much into military watches.
Sad to hear his condition has deteriorated, such a character, always with a story to tell. I was only browsing his window myself on Saturday gone, last of the old school, will be sadly missed. EDIT: I had a Constellation with wonky star was put right by Cyril Jennings in Leyland for £15.
Are we all in the North West? @Noddyman @bags1971 There aren't that many vintage shops outside of london..