The proverbial “barn find”

Canuck · Dec 23, 2019

DaveK
I think of a barnfind as a watch that was either not generally for sale, or maybe it is for sale but you found it somewhere weird or unexpected. Ebay might count if the watch was described as "old watch just needs a battery" but its actually a Speedmaster.

I got lucky this year, my first year in the hobby, by finding this in a barbershop. The barbershop was in farm country, near barns, so there's that.

@Canuck I am happy to report this has been running for the past month at -1 sec per day. I couldn't be happier.

One second per day! Well within the 60 second per month touted by Bulova, back in the early 1960s! I have the twin to @DaveK S Accutron which was unearthed in pieces. Not in a barbershop or a barn, however.

Likewise, my Omega Seamaster date at 6:00 which had reposed in a tin can, in pieces, for about 50 years. It was all there, except for the case. Look at it now!

janice&fred · Dec 23, 2019

Canuck
One second per day! Well within the 60 second per month touted by Bulova, back in the early 1960s! I have the twin to @DaveK S Accutron which was unearthed in pieces. Not in a barbershop or a barn, however.

there was a nice guy right here in Connecticut that was very well known and used to specialize in accutron repair but unfortunately he passed away. he fixed many for us over the years. who do you guys use for that now?

Canuck · Dec 23, 2019

janice&fred
there was a nice guy right here in Connecticut that was very well known and used to specialize in accutron repair but unfortunately he passed away. he fixed many for us over the years. who do you guys use for that now?

I did the one shown by @DaveK, and my own which I show herein. And all of the 20 odd Accutrons that are in my collection. There are still folks around that do them.

watchknut · Dec 23, 2019

Cozmopak
You’re lucky. I wish I knew some incompetent sellers. 😀

Sellers who source directly from original owners would know the value of what they possess, since they sought it out in the first place, I would think.

A lot of people can do basic research but don’t know the nuances.

For example...a 145.022-69 sold at market rate but the seller had no clue it was tropical.

Seller knew a 6542 was valuable but didn’t know it was tropical or what the original condition meant for the reference.

I could this for almost every watch I’ve owned. The devil is the details, and you only know the details after you’ve spent countless hours researching and studying references and the market.

This game is rigged for those whose know...

DaveK · Dec 23, 2019

Canuck
I did the one shown by @DaveK, and my own which I show herein. And all of the 20 odd Accutrons that are in my collection. There are still folks around that do them.

Mine even came in the same bracelet as yours - twins indeed!

Dan S · Dec 23, 2019

janice&fred
usually it requires boots-on-the-ground hunting to find hidden watch treasure. we have come across them quite a bit here stateside but were spoiled living abroad in the Philippines for 15 years as those far-flung tropical islands is the place for watch hunting!

I will dig up some pics of our past finds and post some a bit later. we used to post regular "watch hunting reports" over on the military watch forum (MWR).

I'll bet you found a lot of great vintage Seiko watches in the Philippines, although I would also imagine that watches typically experienced a lot of humidity there.

janice&fred · Dec 23, 2019

yea that place is like the Seiko capitol of the world. most watches seem to handle the tropical climate of the south pacific fairly well. surprisingly we found it is the Rolexes that seem to have the most trouble with humidity there.

64Wing · Dec 23, 2019

Kargol
That's from Wiki 😀 :

A barn find is a classic car, aircraft or motorcycle that has been rediscovered after being stored, often in derelict condition. The term comes from their tendency to be found in places such as barns, sheds, carports and outbuildings where they have been stored for many years.

Thank you for including 'aircraft' 😀

Larry S · Dec 23, 2019

eugeneandresson
I wanna be a picker. Anyone know where picker-school is?

history channel

watchknut · Dec 23, 2019

Larry S

history channel

What a BS show...so fake and totally rigged.

Larry S · Dec 23, 2019

watchknut
What a BS show...so fake and totally rigged.

It wouldn’t be entertaining if they were just blindly stumbling through hoarders barns unscripted. Pawn Stars ain’t real either.

kingsrider · Dec 23, 2019

watchknut
What a BS show...so fake and totally rigged.

Poor Frank gets no love when they leave 😒. He tries to negotiate, while that Jackass Mike is overpaying and saying things like "I think you are a bit light" let me pay you more than you are asking. Or " I am so honored" to pay you more than this rusty POS is worth. Just once I would like to see them walk on a pick when the hoarder says not for sale.

Dan S · Dec 23, 2019

kingsrider
Poor Frank gets no love when they leave 😒. He tries to negotiate, while that Jackass Mike is overpaying and saying things like "I think you are a bit light" let me pay you more than you are asking. Or " I am so honored" to pay you more than this rusty POS is worth. Just once I would like to see them walk on a pick when the hoarder say not for sale.

Keep watching, there are a few episodes like that. It's funny to see them gradually get more and more frustrated.

Walrus · Dec 23, 2019

I found a quartz Maurice Lacroix in my closet I forgot I had. Been there a couple years. Box and everything. I would put up pictures but it’s not worth it. Still it’s the closest I’ll ever come to a barn find.

redpcar · Dec 23, 2019

This just in today. $23 for a mystery box off the interweb. Check out the NASA sticker on the back side of the stop watch. Oh and the 16000 Date Just is real and runs. 😲 This is a first for me where I think it's a Rolex and it is a REAL Rolex. 99.99999% of the time they are fake.

Professor · Dec 23, 2019

When I was about twelve I found that a wildly over grown lot in my town hid an abandoned mansion with a huge barn out back.
I didn't want to go near the house, it looked like it might cave in.
The barn though was built to last, the boards of the walls must have been over two inches thick and rock solid. they had shrunk enough that I could get my hands and toe of my sneakers between them and climb to the open loft doors.
Inside the first thing I spied was an ancient automobile. Too far gone to even guess at the model but it looked turn of the century and very expensive. The metal was so corroded pieces came off in my hand.
Not far from it I found a huge trunk shaped like the classic treasure chest. Obviously made for long sea voyages it looked as solid as the day it was made. Inside I found nothing but perfectly preserved newspapers from pre WW1. I spent many long hours reading these old news papers, mainly the primitive comic strips of the day.
Years later I read that there was another building on that lot hidden by trees that contained the first buses and taxi cabs to serve the town. These were in better condition than the old car I found.

DaveK · Dec 23, 2019

redpcar
This just in today. $23 for a mystery box off the interweb. Check out the NASA sticker on the back side of the stop watch. Oh and the 16000 Date Just is real and runs. 😲 This is a first for me where I think it's a Rolex and it is a REAL Rolex. 99.99999% of the time they are fake.

Ohh congratulations, that is an amazing haul. Wowzers

JwRosenthal · Dec 23, 2019

janice&fred
for now I will set aside the Philippine hunting reports and show what we have unearthed over the past 4 or so months just here in Connecticut. not a bad haul for simply part-time hunting around in junk shops, antique shops, pawn shops and garage sales/flea markets. anyone can do it. all it takes is getting out and away from the internet and sniffing around small towns. the trick is once a seller/owner has some watches for sale you must not "cherry pick" and only buy one or two watches that are most appealing. buy the whole bunch and more often than not the seller will either bring out some even better stuff or call you when he/she finds more. now you have networked with the seller and made a good contact. have "watch collector" calling cards ready to hand out with your name and number.

while it looks like some of this stuff is merely forgotten old pieces, there are quite a few in this group that are quite valuable and every single one was bought for pennies on the dollar. everything in this pile of stuff is working, although most will get serviced and a couple chronos are missing pushers. hunting for watch treasure takes work but remember that old saying "the harder you work the luckier you get". 😀

Holy crap! 😲

RI Omega Fan · Dec 23, 2019

janice&fred
there was a nice guy right here in Connecticut that was very well known and used to specialize in accutron repair but unfortunately he passed away. he fixed many for us over the years. who do you guys use for that now?

Check out: Oldfathertime.com

watchknut · Dec 23, 2019

redpcar
This just in today. $23 for a mystery box off the interweb. Check out the NASA sticker on the back side of the stop watch. Oh and the 16000 Date Just is real and runs. 😲 This is a first for me where I think it's a Rolex and it is a REAL Rolex. 99.99999% of the time they are fake.

Wtf?!? Congrats on Rolex!

The proverbial “barn find”

Canuck

janice&fred

Canuck

watchknut

DaveK

Dan S

janice&fred

64Wing

Larry S

watchknut

Larry S

kingsrider

Dan S

Walrus

redpcar

Professor

DaveK

JwRosenthal

RI Omega Fan

watchknut

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