Hello there,

I am coming to you to have some inputs about something a little unusual.

I am proposed 2 watches with the current Syrian "president" and his father.

The two watches are presidential gifts offered to some appreciated people but I don't have the proper story nor documents with them

First one is Cartier Pasha, unworn with still the factory stickers on it, and second one is a Longines Automatic vintage.

The only thing I could find is an auction in Europe were a similar Longines sold for 1450 euros in 2020.

So what are your thoughts about those special watches and their potential value ?

Thanks

 

About as appealing as a watch with Hitler on the dial.

 

+1000

Did you already purchase them? I hope you can return if so.

 

No I didn't.

I am wondering actually the market value, not to be worn, but to be kept as historical elements.

Many watches were offered in the Middle East with Saddam, Qadafi and other dictators on them, it's related to collecting historical watches

 

The good part in buying these : Nobody would steal them. So, you like = you buy.

 

The Assads really did ruin everything they touched, didn’t they?

 

That's an understatement considering the current economic situation in the country...

 

If only it was the economy...

 

Ok, I can no longer resist.

Sure, and how about the major U.S. military actions around the world over the past ~60 years? How did those turn out for the countries to which they were ostensibly "spreading Democracy"? How would you feel about a watch with a George W. Bush image on the dial?

Again, while I am not defending any of Assad's actions, how do you imagine that the (illegal, by the way) military activities of the U.S. in Syria have impacted the country's economy over the past nine years?

 

This thread will be shut down quickly if we continue on this tangent, but Russia's presence in Syria is not illegal, as it is sanctioned by the Syrian government. In fact, they received an official request. That you apparently weren't aware of that fact, nor the highly dubious nature of at least some of the gas attack claims*, suggests that the MSM is your primary, if not exclusive source of information on the topic. And that, ironically, might reasonably be considered the epitome of naïveté these days, especially relating to matters of American foreign policy.

*Here is a recent, related presentation at the U.N. by Aaron Maté, one of a diminishing number of serious and independent American investigative journalists:

https://thegrayzone.com/2023/03/24/aaron-mate-un-opcw-justice-syria/

 

This is why I avoid the news. I don't have to lose my peace of mind over things I have no control over.

My only further thoughts for the OP. I think the market for those watches will be extremely small and they will be incredibly hard to offload. Even then, I don't know that they would command a premium because of the dials. Maybe the opposite. I also think any historical collector value will not exist until those guys and us are all... history. So maybe in 60 years a couple people will pay market price. I would avoid them and buy fun watches to enjoy. Cheers.

 

I was talking about the aesthetic virtues of the watch.

The legacy of Assad rule and American foreign policy can all be debated, but at the end of the day Gaddafi’s Daytona is far better looking than these two timepieces.