Hi all, Came across a beat up De Ville while browsing today on Yahoo.JP. It looks very neat up but I wonder if a little polish on case would get rid of that gunk or whatever it is on the case and polish the glass would restore it’s shine.

Anyone have any idea of the caliber or the ref. Very little info provided by the owner (pawn shop). Could potentially be a little project, but obviously will have to leave the caliber tuning part to a watchmaker.

What are your thoughts about the condition and work required? Crown (if it fits back in) and glass are both original I believe. No clear photo of the dial, but I suspect given the condition it should be original. That end link on the bracelet may need to be replaced.

 

How much does the seller ask for it?

 

It’s currently around 22000yen, auction

 

Depends on what you are willing to spend. I think i would rather stay away from it.

 

Agreed, I think the price is probably fair considering how much you get for about 230USD. But the risk is also quite significant.

 

Any movement pictures. That would be a big factor for me.

 

Unfortunately not, I think Japanese sellers don’t typically show movement photos unless you pm them to ask for it.

 

For $230 I would take the gamble, the bracelet is worth that. It looks nasty and like there’s glue on it, but I’ve seen worse crystals polish back to glassine with a we sand and that case will clean up. Hands and lume look good, and crown is easily acquired. In the hands of a watchmaker, this could be a stunner and total cost out the door is still under what the head alone would cost in decent shape... and you get the bracelet

 

Thanks, end price went for about $320 + shipping. I didn’t take plunge haha. Any idea of its rough worth it restored?

 

I took a similar chance on a vintage watch and ended up paying out the nose to the watchmaker in order to get it up and running properly. Definitely a risk.

 

Not worth that. Top end resorted would probably be around $5-600, for $250 in and $250-3 for a service etc, it would have been worth it if you liked it but that extra $100 puts it in no-go land unless you have the skills to do the work yourself

 

I did he same actually, bought a project that seemed like a good deal, spent more getting it back to shape, and ended up not even liking the watch. It’s been moved along and I won’t make that mistake again. It has to be a steal to be worth it