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Universal Geneve “Prototype” Compax

Diabolik
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ConElPueblo ConElPueblo
When the bubble bursts, a number of people will look at their collection and think "what have I done?!".

Or what didn't do ....😡
 
aap
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There's also this similar-looking example - it's a prototype AND it has Hermes on the dial! 🍿
Screen Shot 2017-02-17 at 10.53.10 PM.png
 
cchen
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What it means is (informed) buyers beware. The market is so starved for good/rare examples that in all likelihood anything that surfaces that *might* be legitimate is snapped up in a second, without the proper due diligence.
 
cristos71
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aap aap
There's also this similar-looking example
Screen Shot 2017-02-17 at 10.53.10 PM.png

Aha, now we have a Hermes prototype 🙄.....and just look at the sub dial printing on that one 🤔
 
gop76
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Looking at the sub dial i guess this is a first sketch of the prototype, even rarer i presume
 
Mlafra
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gop76 gop76
Looking at the sub dial i guess this is a first sketch of the prototype, even rarer i presume

ahahahahahahhahaha, I loved it!
 
aap
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gop76 gop76
Looking at the sub dial i guess this is a first sketch of the prototype, even rarer i presume

Protoprototype
 
MattF
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Larry S Larry S
All sarcasm aside I'm struggling here one year in guys. This is clearly a beautiful but put together watch. The value proposition escapes me. I had an understanding of the brand after a year plus of collecting. I understand that with UG one must accept grey areas. This is what makes the brand fun. I love these watches and I love the ones I have acquired with the help of this forum. But this is not a grey area. This is pea soup fog.

Is the anaogy a newly discovered Rembrandt (dial) on the market in a new frame? (Spillman case and movement)

There are a lot of legit and fantastic watches one could acquire for what this sold for. Numbers don't add up. Seems to me that this is a slippery slope. We've had some fun with this but to me this watch is a sign that the UG market is beyond frothy, that the good watches are so scarce that "Prototypes" are now acceptable.

What am I missing?
Extremely well said Larry S--you are missing nothing and you are 100% correct that the numbers don't add up. Interesting that people are talking about how watch celebs own a similar piece to this and that it gets highlighted today on their related site given credence to the configuration and documenting the price point. I think there is a lot of froth in vintage in general and people keep striving to make something rare and unique at all costs.
 
rahilb
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cristos71 cristos71
You're missing nothing and quite amazing to see that loose "prototype "dial for sale on CH24, certainly gives pause for thought before dropping big $ on such a "rare" UG 😲

Apparently not so much...

Clockworld Clockworld
I almost purchased that watch from Menta watch. I guess a was a day late.... who ever has it not if interested can contact me if they ever want to sell.
Thanks
Olivier
 
S
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I would dare to say the dial sold at Chrono24 is very very similar to the one in Menta's watch. Matching imperfections all over the dial is too much for a coincidence.
 
Cad290
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S styrizo
I would dare to say the dial sold at Chrono24 is very very similar to the one in Menta's watch. Matching imperfections all over the dial is too much for a coincidence.
Yes that's the same dial. Exact same marks on minute track between 12 and 2
 
MattF
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I have just looked those pictures over in very close detail and I agree that the dial from CH24 is the dial on the Menta watch. It is a true franken piece and in all honesty everyone in the watch world should be made aware especially since it sold for such a crazy $ amount and it is just so flagrant. In addition, I might even question if that dial is original at all since some of the lines don't look crisp in the subdials as if the grey is bleeding into the white.
 
Larry S
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billving billving
hey....I have that pinball machine! Twilight Zone, one of the best ever
Excellent analogy for the genesis of this watch.
::stirthepot::
 
M
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gop76 gop76
Would be good @mentawatches tell us his side of the story...
Lol! Was just signing on to do that after seeing the Hodinkee article. Let me first just come out and say it - I did not "put" this dial into the watch. It was sold to me like this. I got the watch via a friend of a friend. It took me several months and much back and forth to acquire, and I never had contact with the seller himself, as the person who knew him seemed to want to "shield" me from him/her, so as not to be excluded from a share of the profit. Whenever someone brings me a tip for a watch, I always reward that kindness (usually monetarily), which was the deal that was struck here. I was to pay for the watch, the two other people were making the deal happen and would be rewarded in kind. The watch arrived to me with a replaced top pusher (the one on it now was the closest I could find to an original spillmann mushroom) and a pretty beat up crystal. Further, the dial has a dent in it between the bottom and right register, and some very light peel along the outer edges of the dial (the watch also needed a service), hidden under the bezel. So, while I cannot conclusively say this is or isn't the same dial as the one sold on c24, I can say I have my doubts; or, if it is the same dial, it was put in that case awhile ago, and some damage has happened to it since being put in that case.

I do know of a couple of these dials in the hands of private collectors, and know where one is located, so when i first saw the c24 listing, my first reaction was "well, that's where Mr. X got his!".

I am going to reach out to Universal to see if I can get an extract for the watch, and will keep you all posted.
 
billving
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IMG_1197.JPG
Larry S Larry S
Excellent analogy for the genesis of this watch.
::stirthepot::
Same issues with pinballs, lots of fakes and redo's. Lots of reissues to capitalize on the market. Their big bubble was really a couple of years back. Seem pretty stalled right now.

But just like my watches, this gets played multiple times a week!
 
DirtyDozen12
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M mentawatches
So, while I cannot conclusively say this is or isn't the same dial as the one sold on c24, I can say I have my doubts
5.JPG
 
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