of peoples socks and drawers for the autumn auction season?

After the last three big sales I reckon there is going to be a lot of cobbling together of cases and movements.

My knowledge on these is limited because I have handled so few and there are many people with more knowledge I shall rely upon for guidance.

One thing for sure, $400k (paid for a 2915) is a big hunk of cheese for all the mice holding 2915’s.

Let’s hear what you think about the next few months regarding 2915’s.

Any owners tempted to sell?

Who can verify them if they are offered?

 

Honestly I've been considering selling my 2915-1. But with replacement bezel dial and hands it's more of a project watch.

 

How many 2915s would you estimate to still exist? From around 3000 produced is it as easy to assume roughly 1000 per reference?

For ease if 1000 ish 2915-1 were produced, I would guess the survival rate maybe around 50%?. Of that maybe 60% are running to good, 20% good to very good, and 10-20% very good to collector.

So if that's anywhere near correct, my maths suggest there are only around 50-100 or so very good to collector 2915-1 in existence.

 

I was speaking to a watchmaker a few months back and he mentioned he had several 2915s in his shop being worked on. He said one looked original but the others were cobbled together. Definitely a minefield out there and I would suspect more of these project watches in the future

 

I hope you're all looking in the mirror when you gripe about the issues with pre-moon Speedmasters. You all drove the price up, and now because of that there will be frankens, scams, and other issues (the least of which is the insane prices).

 

correct , but it's like everything else where enough money is involved. you have to doublecheck everything and to know what to look for, but as 2915 is not beginners level i think the experienced collector who go for one have done their homework

 

10-20% of 1000 is 100-200

 

Correct, but i assumed 50% of 1000 survived

 

Just woke up, I’ll go get some coffee

 

300 have been barn finds over the last 10 years

 

For every honest 2915, there’ll be five to ten cobbled together 2915s. At least.

 

True, but at the certain yacht clubs there are buyers who just ask "their guy" to pick one for them. (Oh to be "that guy").

 

I’ll be interested to see if the trend on price continues. Has it plateaued? The problem is, as Spacefruit eludes to, is who can verify them? What would be the premium if a one owner 2915 with cast iron provenance turned up?

 

Can it? To answer that, I would point to the Daytona market that continues to confound collectors and speculators alike. I would say yes, it can. Will it? Wish I knew...

 

Aren’t there tons more Daytonas out there then early speedmasters? If the numbers that people are throwing out in this thread are true about the amount off early 2915s and the majority of them come to market they can’t continually break records if there’s no more available right?

 

On the contrary, the fewer available, the higher prices are likely to go.

 

Ever felt priced out? I know I do!!

 

At least there are archives to go with the 2915s...Daytona buyers have to trust the seller.

 

Who would go there with a $100k+ Daytona with what we now know about case and dial remanufacture. The time is coming where a certificate from an accredited lab using a electron microscope will be required. I am assuming that could be done?
We are approaching the mess that the art world got itself into, it is in everyone's interest to perpetuate the myth of originality, a rare watch is far easier to replicate than a old undiscovered masterpiece.
I once (40 years ago) worked with a crooked antique dealer / jewller from London, he actually made antiques that would pass inspection. They used wood and metal ( to make screws and nails) from the same era. He drove a Roler , so it worked !

 

Not sure If archives are any help, can you actually get extract for 2915?