Sotheby’s Lot 38 105.002-62, Aug 23 update; AKA the stories photos tell us

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

To make a point on best practices, when we shoot art and deliver the images to the client, a color chart is included in the images. That way the client/printer can make any adjustments they need on their end to calibrate based on a known value (all color charts/Pantone are a reference standard). I would think considering how critical color is in the watch world that auction houses should adopt the same principles with objects that they do with art and include a color chart so that the bidder can have a point of reference.

AAAKK · Aug 3, 2019

Think about this. If brown dials and bluish hued bezel inserts were looked down upon by collectors and negatively affected values, do those pics ever make it to the catalog? Not a chance. So any argument from them that it was some kind of oversight on their part would be nonsense.

Taybharr · Aug 3, 2019

JwRosenthal
Looking back on the comparison images we are also looking at a difference in color temperature. Yours are all shot under tungsten light (warm) or your phone/camera is applying a warmer color white balance, and theirs is definitly cold/blue. Differences in color temp makes a huge difference in appearance but regardless, any photographer worth their salt would have balanced using a grey-card and the end result would be absolutely color neutral and not that cosmic blue shit in those pictures

My suspicion is not just a certain temperature setting but also some play with the hue and saturation color sliders in Lightroom or Photoshop. It would definitely be interesting to have the RAW files as you mentioned to see if you could reproduce what they did

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

Taybharr
My suspicion is not just a certain temperature setting but also some play with the hue and saturation color sliders in Lightroom or Photoshop. It would definitely be interesting to have the RAW files as you mentioned to see if you could reproduce what they did

Oh yeah- someone has some fun with the sharpness/saturation settings, or just cranked the “clarity” slider up. This is a BIG no-no in art reproduction.

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

What I am talking about is not a secret for the experienced- this is SOP for anyone doing art or product photography. We have a 33 year old that’s new to my office who used to do all the product photography for Kate Spade, even he used the same practices to make sure the colors of their handbags were true to the viewer or for print catalog deliverables.
This is making me so angry I can’t even contain it.

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

Get @ICONO who has far more years in the business than I do to weigh in and we can have a master’s thesis on photo manipulation versus best practices.

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

airansun
Sotheby’s made an announcement just before the live auction for lot 34, that the bezel was not blue, despite this catalog photo:

So, they knew by the time of the auction that there was a problem with all the auction catalog photos.
.

If I were the director of Sotheby’s I would fire the entire art department based on this situation- how many eyes looked at these images before they went live??

airansun · Aug 3, 2019

Two brief updates:

One: I think I really like the watch on the BOR bracelet. I’m surprised I haven’t heard any comments about this - I don’t think I ever see any straight lugged Speedmasters on BOR bracelets, so I must be being messed up about this. I would love suggestions on the proper end link number(s) for this set up - or even better, a set available for purchase.

Two: the movement has stopped a couple of times at the minute counter flip, so even though it looks unabused, it certainly needs service.

It does continue to grow on me.

I still can’t believe it’s the same watch.

Syrte · Aug 3, 2019

airansun
The older I get, the less inclined I am to kick up a fuss. If I didn’t like the watch, I might have kicked up a fuss.
.

Funny because the older I get, the more inclined I am to kick up a fuss. Life has taught me a lot of abuse in all spheres of human activity happens because people think they can get away with it. Of course you don’t want to waste energy on something that’s not worth it - however it’s healthy for everyone when we all work to to set limits.

If you like the watch and would not rather do something else with the cash, then of course it’s a different matter.

gemini4 · Aug 3, 2019

Nothing wrong with a BOR if that pleases you.

The only issue I have is the 570 end link is 18mm and overlaps the back of your caseback. It’s going to scratch up the 19mm lugs and the caseback.

Here is a 105.002-62, slightly younger with baton hands. The 7912/6 4-63 bracelet is probably original.

airansun · Aug 3, 2019

Syrte
Funny because the older I get, the more inclined I am to kick up a fuss. Life has taught me a lot of abuse in all spheres of human activity happens because people think they can get away with it.

I spent a lot of my life raging against injustices major and minor, mostly by my automatic inclination. I lost sight of the damage such anger was causing me, until the abdominal pains started every time I got upset enough. That was about a decade ago.

I do still get upset from time to time, but I try not to waste it - because I can no longer pretend my anger doesn’t damage me.

But I do agree about trying to hold people accountable for their actions. I don’t feel harmed, so I don’t feel the need to reach out to Sotheby’s. But, I have chosen to post here because what happened should be public knowledge - a lesser form of accountability.

JwRosenthal · Aug 3, 2019

Syrte
Funny because the older I get, the more inclined I am to kick up a fuss. Life has taught me a lot of abuse in all spheres of human activity happens because people think they can get away with it. Of course you don’t want to waste energy on something that’s not worth it - however it’s healthy for everyone when we all work to to set limits.

If you like the watch and would not rather do something else with the cash, then of course it’s a different matter.

Me too. I would let things slide when I was younger becuase I didn’t want to get involved or make a scene or offend anyone- but I would internalize it and allow myself to be walked on or abused. As I’ve gotten older I have become less tolerant of bad behavior and more vocal with my outage.
This situation is not about the watch-it’s a great looking watch regardless of it not being as depicted. It’s the principle of bad practices and the hubris of a reputable auction house to allow this to not only happen, but make last minute excuses for it rather than cancel the auction and correct their mistake.

Archer · Aug 3, 2019

airansun
Two: the movement has stopped a couple of times at the minute counter flip, so even though it looks unabused, it certainly needs service.

Based on the condition of the case back gasket alone, I would be letting that watch wind down and sit until you get it serviced. It's clearly not been touched in a very long time.

airansun · Aug 3, 2019

Archer
Based on the condition of the case back gasket alone, I would be letting that watch wind down and sit until you get it serviced. It's clearly not been touched in a very long time.

Will do. Thanks @Archer !

I make this mistake more than I care to admit.
The first thing I want to do with a new-to-me watch is wear it. 😎
The last thing I want to do is immediately surrender it to my watchmaker for an indeterminate period of time. 😬

I hate it when what’s good for me isn’t what I want. And that doesn’t happen often! 😗

S.H. · Aug 3, 2019

FYI I have a pair of 917s (I'll have to double check to be sure), 19mm, for rounded 5 links BOR. I think it fits the straight lugs, but it does not fit the BOR I have.

EDIT: not for sale, but I think you may find some on ebay.

EDIT2 : those are 517s not 917s 🤦

airansun · Aug 3, 2019

S.H.
FYI I have a pair of 917s (I'll have to double check to be sure), 19mm, for rounded 5 links BOR. I think it fits the straight lugs, but it does not fit the BOR I have.

Wonderful. I actually have both styles of five row BOR bracelets. I think I’m going to put these bracelets on a few of my straight lugged Speedmasters. They’re quite comfortable, even more so than the 1125s I usually use for them.

S.H. · Aug 3, 2019

Very comfy indeed. And on a BOR, a straight lugs looks like an Autavia somehow!

oddboy · Aug 3, 2019

airansun
Two brief updates:

One: I think I really like the watch on the BOR bracelet. I’m surprised I haven’t heard any comments about this - I don’t think I ever see any straight lugged Speedmasters on BOR bracelets, so I must be being messed up about this. I would love suggestions on the proper end link number(s) for this set up - or even better, a set available for purchase.

Two: the movement has stopped a couple of times at the minute counter flip, so even though it looks unabused, it certainly needs service.

It does continue to grow on me.

I still can’t believe it’s the same watch.

Try it on one of the Made in Mexico bracelets

MTROIS · Aug 3, 2019

@airansun , congrats this is a beautiful watch.
Your post and others' comments now put in perspective my girlfriend's comment who had managed to stop by to pick up a catalogue for me: in person, most of these watches really look beat up and nothing like I see in the catalogue! 😲

Thank you for allowing us all to keep learning! 👍

queriver · Aug 3, 2019

airansun
One: I think I really like the watch on the BOR bracelet. I’m surprised I haven’t heard any comments about this -

Agree, like it. Will this BoR be the start of a shift in mindset back to Speedmaster’s motor racing origin, now we’re past Apollo 11 50th hype?

Sotheby’s Lot 38 105.002-62, Aug 23 update; AKA the stories photos tell us

JwRosenthal

AAAKK

Taybharr

JwRosenthal

JwRosenthal

JwRosenthal

JwRosenthal

airansun

Syrte

gemini4

airansun

JwRosenthal

Archer

airansun

S.H.

airansun

S.H.

oddboy

MTROIS

queriver

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