We can watch the auction results all we want, but to me, this is a true indication of the market's appetite for specific references. This presents an example that is rough in a lot of ways (bezel is eaten up, case is scratched to hell, crystal needs to be replaced, lume is pretty dirty looking, and the movement shows visible rust in multiple spots). If this goes for $5K+, which is conceivable given that it has 9 days left and is already at $3.55K, I feel sorry for the winning bidder. This thing is going to need a lot of TLC to reclaim it's glory days.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-G...Wrist-Watch-Rare-Dial-281-Wind-/252011810706?Purchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

Wow.. Is it just me or does anyone else see a late 60's tri-compax dial, thrown into a speedmaster case/bezel. Maybe from a "Speedmaster reduced 38mm" ? Dunno, maybe I'm just looking at too man speedies on here.

 

My goodness! On this watch, which end is up?

 

How did they get the bezel rotated on that one? It doesn't rotate on mine.

I'll be watching this one, wonder what the final price will be.

 

No, the UG Compax/Tri-Compax cases from the sixties had the same bezels and similar curved lugs to the Speedy Pro's. This case and dial setup is legit...just in questionable condition (although the dial is almost completely obscured by all the scuffs).

It was probably knocked around at some point. These bezels, like Speedy bezels, pop on and off. Conceivable that it hit a ledge or something and was popped off and then sloppily snapped back on. Long story short, it's easy to re-align as long as it's not damaged.

 

Is that a DON bezel?

 

Looks like this watch was just posted on Hodinkee

 

Wow, quite the glowing endorsement from Ben. Not that I disagree that you could end up with a $10K watch eventually, but the rusted movement scares the crap out of me (given the scarcity of 281 parts) and it looks like there actually is some damage on the dial near the 6 o'clock sub-dial. Total dice roll though since you can't really see.

 

The article wasn't written by Ben, at least I don't think.

 

You're right, my bad. I was scrolling quickly on my phone and assumed it was Ben (like the past couple weeks). Either way, , is right. Will be very interesting to see where it ends up going.

 

Havent been too impressed with their recommendations for a while now. This one is only for the truly desperate. There is potentially nothing salvageable in this watch - I spy a chewed up bezel, ill-maintained movement, and missing lume plots... It looks like it's never been polished though! although that probably means it's also never been serviced I imagine it can be restored to about 80% of its former glory by throwing money at it, but the question is, is it worth it?

 

We all want Eric Wind back!

 

He is a member here (did a big thread on Universal Sub 1st gen, very educational), @georgetownhoya , Mr. Wind, personally I think it is okay to still be writing watch recommendation articles (since you are so good at it) even when you are working for a prominent auction house!

 

I reckon it'd be a conflict, especially if one of the watch that he features in the article is getting auctioned in Christie's!

 

Conflict of interest is the reason why he had to stop writing at Hoodinkee. It's a shame as his picks were interesting and his knowledge of the market excellent

 

It is clear that those days when getting a Tri in good condition under 5K was relatively easy have passed, specially for the pandas and reverse pandas.

Lucky to have bought mine a couple of years ago:

 

$4,950 with 6 days left...

 

Damn that Hoodinkee bump. It's become a double edged sword for those hoping to bag a bargain

 

Yeah, I have a love hate relationship with their bump. Very much appreciate the knowledge they share, but sometimes get frustrated because they feature watches I've discovered on my own.