One in New York on december, 8th and two in London on december, 14th:

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23482/lot/125/
Dial + bezel are correct, caseback engraving also (not shown, but I've got an older picture of it on my hard-drive), the hands seems to be relumed, but the S/N isn't matching and way to low.

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23512/lot/11/
Dial w/o circled T is common and looks good to me, the bezel is correct, the caseback engraving too, the hands seems to be relumed, difficult to say whether the fixed bars are still intact due to that ugly and strange bracelet fitted. S/N is in the correct range.

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23512/lot/149/
Very nice looking dial, hands and bezel. Caseback engraving is not shown. Same problem with the fixed bars, not visible due to 1171/1 bracelet fitted, so maybe cut off? S/N is in the correct range.

 

Seconds hand on the second one seems brand new? What are your thoughts on the 12, 3, 6, and 9? I feel as if they are almost too white/perfect.

On the last one, what makes you think the lume is 100%? Would you expect more of a patina? Also, the "T" seems crude, is this a common occurrence?

Here to learn! Thank you for any time given to my questioning,

Thomas

 

On the first one the description is a bit unclear about the hands being relumed ("luminous filled") but they don't match.

 

Three points I've never noticed before on SM's (not saying theyre wrong, just odd)

Watch 1: I thought the dials were meant to be too big for these cases, the dial looks small in this one you can even see the stem by 3
Watch 2: Never seen a bezel with the extra grips
Watch 3: Second markers printed over the lume, take a look at the BT

Regards
Mr.H

 

All of the printing on watch 3 looks a little rough in magnify, good spot on the overprinting on the BT

 

Mr H - what do you mean by "extra grips"?

 

Maybe a silly question, but if they have fixed bars, how are they attaching bracelets to them?

 

Hi Dave

I'm used to seeing flat tops to the finger grips on the bezel edge. OP watch #2 has added grip? lines


Regards
Mr.H

 

Good observations.

Watch 1- I think it has the wrong crystal and perhaps missing the tension ring. That might be why the edge of the movement is showing around the 1-3 position. I also think the serial number is a bit too early for a watch issued in 68.

Watch 2- agree. Never seen a bezel like this. Could of been a custom modification to enhance the grip. Looking at the bracelet, I think the fixed lugs were removed.

Watch 3 - Good catch! ALso, it this comes on a 1171 bracelet as stated then the fixed lugs were probably removed.

 

I have seen a fixed lug SM300 with an 1171 bracelet. They opened up the last link a little, just enough to slip it over the fixed bar with the end link pushed toward the watch. It works just fine, but it is hard to see that the fixed bars are still there.

 

Its a bit surprising that a professional outfit such as Bonhams did not include pictures that show key factors that directly impact value. Then again I assume the people who are planning to bid high on these had the watch examined in person.

 

My W10 has the lines also if this is what you are referring too?

 

The second marker is not "printed over the lume" (how should that even work?), the lume has thinned out and the second marker is just shining through.

I've compared a lot of Big Triangle dial pics, some of them show the same phenomena. Here we have an example, the picture is from another thread of this forum:

 

I must admit I thought the top part of the dial had been redone from 55 to just past 13 and the minute markers painted by mistake over the very thin lume, I've had a similar thin lume dial in a mil SM with most of th BT lume missing but couldn't make out the minute markers over the white backing for the lume.

Then this similar example to the OP watch popped up on another forum to my same observation, what do you make of the minute track over the darkish lume on this one
Cannot see why the minute track should show through more than the white backing under the lume?



Regards
Mr.H

 

Finally Bonhams included further pictures. Looking at the last picture in sequence, it seems to me that the triangle is printed offset (pretty common on BT SM300) and the minute marker at :02 is peeping through. On the opposite side the minute marker at :58 is rather hidden behind the lume. At the second picture in sequence, the fixed bars are visible and seem to be intact. Why Bonmhams does not remove that bracelet keeps a miracle. The mil engraving at the caseback looks authentic, however, there is a second handmade engraving above it. Wouldn't bother me.

Overall I think this is a very nice example. Looking forward to see the auction result.

 

In these additional images it can also be seen the bezel has the same additional lines on the grips...

 

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23482/?category=results#/aa0=2&MR0_length=90&w0=results&m0=0

 

http://www.bonhams.com/auctions/23482/lot/125/
So it looks like the US one was pulled?
Note at the bottom states the movement was changed?

 

Just coming back on the bezel grips point as noted by Mr H and Greenecollector- here is a photo of a 1966 HF case and bezel on top of a CB case and bezel, which seems to show those grips on the HF case, interesting how much deeper the bezel is on the HF case. The watch in Bonhams is also a HF case.
These photos are taken from here:
http://www.notey.com/@timezone_unof...ga-seamaster-300-hf-vs-cb-case-and-bezel.html
and are not mine, if this offends anyone please let me know.
Dave