The Ones That Got Away...

I love this hobby, owning an interesting selection of watches and clocks from different periods of the 20th century is just great from both the aesthetic and historical viewpoint. For me the pleasure of ownership is almost equaled to by the thrill of the chase and eventual capture of the quarry.

But as for most things that are really good in this life for each high there can come a low. We all know things don't always go quite according to plan whilst on the hunt and sometimes a great piece that should right now be sitting in one's collection isn't.

Be it through circumstance, stupidity, a slight hesitation in opening your wallet at the right moment, or whatever reason, that great deal just slipped through your fingers and rightfully so every now and again comes back to haunt you a little.

There are loads of threads about landing a great deal, this one's about the ones that got away... Here's one of mine to start.

I had taken a friend of mine to a watch fair. It was very early in the morning and many dealers were still unpacking. When alone at this fair this is when I normally find my best stuff but as my friend was with me, and just starting out with vintage watches, I had been showing him around, pointing out interesting watches and sellers and I wasn't quite as sharp as usual.

A seller was unpacking a box, he pulled out a very cool Heuer clock, just like the one in the picture below. Very cool and in perfect condition. I quickly asked the seller for a price, "€50". OMG! Now normally I'd have picked that clock right up and happily paid the man.This time I hesitated and turned to my friend to show him what I'd found. Hmm, he was at the table behind me so I walked the four metres to him and asked him to come and see this awesome clock I was about to buy.....

....and that was my mistake, in those three seconds that my back was turned another guy had picked the clock up. And as me and my friend watched, me with open mouth and turning stomach, he opened his wallet, pulled out a €50, paid the seller and walked away with the clock and a very big smile on his face. That image is burnt into my brain and this for me is one of the ones that got away....

Feel free to share your sad stories here 😟

Awoke Saturday June 13th 2015 and opened the forum sleepily to have a quick read and check the FS section.

I opened a sale by @Darlinboy and was excited at he’s freshly listed watch below.



https://omegaforums.net/threads/1967-bulova-wrist-alarm-outstanding-condition.26260/

I thought I would just make a coffee quickly and then send a PM.

Sat back down with a coffee 🤬🤬🤬

The pitted stomach feeling in the space of 3 minutes someone had beat me to it.

The anguish of missing by seconds, “snooze you loose” I have said to hundreds of people over the years.


Several months later dibs came a calling and I ended up with the watch in the end. But still one I was annoyed for days missing it the first time around

A friend was at an NAWCC mart when he spotted a dealer with a small offering of watches, one of which was a Hamilton 992B. So what, you say! They are all over the place. This one was serial # 2! The second one made! He hesitated, and didn’t buy it! Changed his mind, and later went back, but the guy was GONE!

Here is one from 2 days ago. I had been watching this auction for 30days, waiting until last minutes, doorbell rang, I got talking and missed it. Ended at a bargain price IMO.

The pocketwatch below is one I would’ve liked to capture, and here is my fascinating tale of mischief and heartbreak.

My brilliant plan was to stay awake into the night (my time) and grab this from the AQ auction happening today in HK. I prepared a vegetable curry for my wife and myself, thinking about the low estimate all the while and adding extra spice to the pot, stirring pensively.

Later, after some discussion about our old cat who is sick, we wound down the night with some reading in bed. Yes the curry was delicious and sat lightly in my belly, a belly that would soon feel the butterflies of disappointment.

Suddenly I awoke with the bedside lamp on and to my horror I had missed the auction! It must’ve been the second martini inspired by the gin and tonic thread! For shame!

What I have missed out on:

NM rose gold Seamaster XVI
NM 105.002 and 105.012
One owner 2915-2
A pair of speedmaster “grails”
Missed out on many more nice ones but these were the ones I was in deep discussion to purchase.

My turn to revive this thread of broken hearts. Just buy the fackin thing, is my advice. I snoozed. You know the rest.

First comes the ‘I am aware I’m an idiot’ mea culpa.

Second, should the lucky trigger-puller be an OF member, I’m calling dibs, you b****rd.

The watch in question isn’t, I suspect, what many would consider a grail: a Tudor Jumbo from the early 70’s; 7024 to be precise. (Hell, it’s not even what I consider my holiest of holies; that’s well above this lifetime’s pay grade. But I love these vintage Tudors all the same.)

While I’ve never been overly smitten by the Crown, vintage Tudors have long had their appeal. I reckon it’s my older brother’s influence going back decades, long before we became estranged in the late ‘80’s. Like a number of their Wilsdorfian cousins, many Tudors are 34mm and just don’t do it for me. The Jumbos at 38 are perfect. And then this beauty showed up in a local shop with a sharp case, clean, original dial and hands, but with a crappy strap. So: head only and the price was quite good, too. What’s not to love?

And after spending a few months - yeah, I know I’m a dope - humming and hawing, I finally made up my mind. Rather than try it on once more, I’d simply go to the local watchmaker and vintage consignment shop and take it home.

Unfortunately for this dithering fool, it already had one.

I actually bought the top one but it didn’t work as promised so I returned it. It probably would have cost peanuts to fix and I regretted not keeping it. I have kept the screenshot though.



This one went for a couple of £ more than I’d bid and, again, I wished I’d gone higher.

Like the first one, it was under £150 and, as before I kept the screenshot.



A happier ending here because I picked up a similar one shortly after.