Well it actually arrived a week or so ago but it took 5 weeks for Nikon to fix my D600 and return it. I got stung a bit by customs as it came in but I'm still really stoked with it, the dial looks amazing up close with the contrasting concentric brushing around the outer ring and vertical brushing in the center sector and the dial furniture and case really work well together. I chose a Hadley-Roma strap made from freshly peeled Teju Lizard which really seems to suit the hooded gold case and the movement is a Cal 505 full rotor in excellent condition. I've ordered an extract from the archive for it just as I'm curious about it and it was an unusual enough reference to justify the cost in this case.
Nicely done! That was one to go Ashley on because they don't come around that often, especially in that condition.
This is the nicest one of this model with the Ultima dial that I can remember seeing for sale in the past 5-6 years or so and definitely worth pursuing.
One thing I found interesting is there are two hallmark stamps, one on the top left lug and one on the right side of the case on the rounded part just below the crown, both very distinct and clear, not something I've seen before
Darn, to think that all this time I've been making do with stale peeled Teju Lizard ;-) seriously, that is a great-looking watch!
Common with the solid gold manual wind omega chronometres - stamped in both the lugs and the side of the case.
iPhone pics of caseback and movement. The flat part of the caseback was ever so slightly concaved inward which caused the rotor to rub and leave a mark on the caseback, my watchmaker pressed it back out and now its dead flush and no longer touching. He figured that due to the design and of the caseback, the fact that its made out of soft 18K gold, and the amount of pressure needed to press the caseback back in (its a VERY tight fit) someone probably pressed with their thumb very hard on the center of the caseback which bent it inwards to touch the movement. After he pressed it flat again he actually used a covered die and watchmakers press to smoothly snap it back onto the case while distributing pressure around the outer rim to ensure it didn't deform again.