Your encouragement is appreciated! I've recently been considering abandoning ship and picking up a vintage Sinn 142 instead, but knowing myself that still wouldn't cure me of my itch for the Mark II. (I'm also a bit wary of the Sinn's relative massiveness tbh.) This is also rather encouraging... I'm still working my way up to being able to post in that section, unfortunately... but similar ads on a few other forums have yielded mainly crickets for me so far. I agree with seeing them in the metal. I've checked a few (badly refinished) examples locally and they feel and wear great. Oh man, some truly hilarious/tragic examples in there. I'm convinced the rather delicate brushed finish is to blame. Hapless jewelers often had a tendency to want to make things look "new" for their customers, and turning these watches into shiny metallic eggs seemed to be their solution to removing scratches.
Rather than start a new dumb thread for another dumb watch I'm looking at, I'm just gonna post some pics here and let the discussion continue until you nice people lose interest. I've been offered this one for about $1600 USD from a user on another site. He has an established reputation, but no paypal and this watch would be shipping from Europe, so... there are some caveats. Anyway, the price is still a bit high IMO but it does otherwise fit the bill of what I'm after. Looks honest. Any red flags I'm missing?
Looks like a nice honest unmolested example to me with a nice original finish and the price is good too IMO. Has the Mexican holzer bracelet which I like. Glass could easily be rotated back into alignment or if you wanted to replace it they're readily available. Does it have any service history? If not be sure to keep some budget aside but also remember don't let lack of service be a deal breaker, sometimes you're better off getting it done yourself to avoid an over zealous watchmaker with a buffing wheel. Looks like may the thing you are looking for. I'd say grab it!
That is a nice example. It is the earlier model 145.014 which makes it better in my opinion. It is actually the earlier 1159 bracelet that was used before they introduced the 1162, but with the wrong clasp, or an 1117 that has had endlinks replaced maybe. It looks tight which is hard to find, these bracelets often come with a lot of stretch. It looks untouched judging by the leaky seal on the crystal. No bad thing if your a collector.
+1 what @simonsays (see what he did there) and @Tet says. Looks like a good one. A sympathetic service from a good Watchmaker will make this an excellent watch.
Thanks for chiming in, fellas. Yeah the case and crystal gaskets are both in a state of advanced decomposition, and I can't find a mark on any screw so this watch certainly hasn't been serviced *much*, if at all. And I tend to prefer "not at all" to "badly" when it comes to these old movements. I just want to make sure I'm willing to walk it like I talk it with regards to the scratches--a couple of nasty gouges at 5 o'clock probably look worse at this magnification (and lighting) than they will in actual use, but still a pause for thought. Overall though, this does seem like it checks the right boxes as a "wearable collectible", as opposed to being too nice to wear or too 'altered' to collect. Perhaps it's time to reengage the negotiations!
Also a major plus for me: a lot of the hands I've come across in these were either obviously replaced or have flaking paint or missing lume, so it's really cool to see the properly 'aged' but intact white paint on this set.
Aaaaaaaaand another seller withdraws their offer to me. For anyone keeping score, that's twice in under two weeks. I'm sure I'll marvel at this beguiling coincidence once my rage subsides. Lesson #328: There's a fine line between doing one's due diligence prior to a purchase and falling prey to the golden rule of "he who hesitates is lost." Also refer back to Lesson #7: Buy the Seller.
I would have jumped on that one for the case, dial and handset. Nice and unmolested. Took me a few MKiis to finally find a keeper, a one owner watch that never seen a service bench, unpolished and shows it's age but that is a large part of the vintage charm. I have bought a couple of dodgy ones over the years but they were a learning curve and only made me want a proper original one more. They are out there.
I think it’s back on! Gonna chat on the phone tomorrow. We’ll see how well my rustic Canadian farmboy french holds up to his snooty European french. Your ringing endorsements have been a big help folks—thanks.
Folks, humour me. While waiting for my phone call with the Euro Seller, this little number has come back on the table. Holzer bracelet, looks all original (replacement hands?) and the finish is significantly worn down but still somewhat intact... This one might work out to $100 cheaper and is local, a much simpler/safer transaction. Trying to suss out whether the European option above is "nicer enough" to warrant the extra cost and slight hassle of a less on-the-grid transaction. As always, I remain forever in your debt for any advice you can provide.
You should request a better photo of the dial. Hands looked washed out from light, making it difficult to see the condition. Case looks nice enough. I prefer the case, dial and hands on the French seller (based on the photos), despite the gasket turning to mush and the crystal being somewhat beat up.
A few more (equally unsatisfying) pics attempting to show lume and a bit of browning in the dial colour. The seller is no Ansel Adams:
I do give the nice yellow lume and clearly original hands of the French one an edge, as well as the more pronounced brush marks on the case (albeit with more pronounced scratches to match...) Also like the less common Holzer, even if I find the Swiss bracelet more correct/iconic for this watch. Ultimately the Euro model scores a touch higher on the collectibility scale over all IMO, but I'm unsure whether it's enough to warrant the added cost and hassle.
I absolutely will! Kinda hoping a few more folks will chime in as I am known to turn to stone when faced with decisions like these. :/