I was offered this piece at my local watch shop today. Reference 1007 but not finding many with this type of patina. We called it tropical but I don't know if that fits. Was this more likely black or grey before?

 

It looks like the varnish on the dial has micro-crazing which is scattering the light. I don't know what the varnish is, but a solvent vapor treatment may possibly reform the varnish...its worked on paintings/furniture. You really need to know what you are doing before you try.

 

In my experience a dial that looks like this has a very delicate finish, and can flake off quite easily, so keep in mind that it may deteriorate further as time goes by...

 

Unless it was “offered” at a really cheap price, I’d walk away. Lots of better examples out there. Damage doesn’t make it priceless.

 

Black, gray, or blue originally. I can't tell from your photo. Some people find this type of dial appealing, but I don't think it would generally bring a premium. And as Al noted, you are taking a risk ... pretty good chance it will continue to degrade. With that dial, and no bracelet, it would have to be very cheap.

 

I saw a bunch of 1007s on eBay and ch24, low end is like 3100 without a bracelet but a nice dial.

He just told me if I couldn't live without it that he would make me a good deal on it.

I just found a post from a while back that talks about these being seen less than other models. it just kinda struck me as a nice piece with the bezel however if you guys are saying that dial has serious issues, it might not even be worth that.

I'll have to call him up and see, maybe even throw around some of what you all mentioned. I do like the style but maybe not the look of it's not special, especially if it's damage or serious deterioration.

Thanks, as always, I appreciate the input .

 

Sorry, that is a crazy price for a 34mm OP without a bracelet in the current market. You can get a great DJ without a bracelet for that price these days. If price matters to you at all, you should spend a little more time really understanding the market instead of just quickly browsing some asking prices. I would be hard pressed to pay half that much for this watch with no bracelet and a damaged dial.

Edit: You may want to work on your searching. I just looked on eBay and I am seeing several Rolex 1007s with bracelets with asking prices in the mid $2000s, and they are not selling. There is a recent completed auction for a nice 1007 with a bracelet for $2100 on eBay. There are also the usual silly listings with asking prices of 3x the actual value, but you have to know enough just to ignore those as totally irrelevant to valuation.

 

The effect on the dial is pretty cool looking, but there are missing lume plots, which means the dial is not so valuable. The 1007 is the same as the 1002 and 1003, but with this different flat engine turned bezel. The case is slightly fatter as well. I think this bezel makes the watch wear a bit bigger than a 1002.

 

Yes, I need to work on my impulse purchase triggers for sure. I didn't even notice the missing lume plots as was pointed out in the next post.

Definitely need to remember that auction listings are not valuation! I looked at completed auctions and checked watch charts. I poked around and then asked the experts here, where your input is highly valuable to me. I'll certainly take a step back and slow down a bit and focus on the details more.

Thanks all. Very informative!

 

All those things hit the pleasure center of my brain! It did seem like a cool effect, I didn't think of it as damaged immediately either.

I don't see that style of bezel often and it looked bigger than it seemed.

 

I saw that completed auction and that was kinda what sent me here to start asking. I saw the ones in the mid 2000s but those are from Japan and I can imagine that the customs fees on those would amount to at least "a few" bucks so kinda added that to the price in my head.

I was figuring if he didn't offer it for $2000 at the very least, then it was a walk away. Now you guys are saying there could be long time problems with the dial, I will probably just spend the cash elsewhere unless he's going to do $1,500.

 

Could a refinishing place like LA Watchworks have luck with at least stabilizing the finish you think? I mean, it's not unattractive, damage or not.

All patina is damage in the end.

 

I don't like, sorry.

 

stabilizing would be to spray with a clearcoat AFAIK. That would add a visual effect of blurring the text and changing the overall look probably. They would also have to pull all of the dial furniture to avoid those parts being covered with lacquer, which would further damage the lume plots and the dial finish. It’s really not worth it. .

 

How would a dial suffer so much damage but the printing on the looks so pristine? I smell fish.

 

That definitely sounds like a huge, expensive job. If I could get it for rock bottom, I'd get it and leave it alone. Thank you again for this thought.

 

I dunno, maybe it isn't as "damaged" as it appears in this single, top-down photo I took in a rush on my cell phone. I can always go back and take some angled pics to see if that's flaking or whatever.

He's working on on of my vintage Omegas, so I'll probably inquire a bit further when I see him next week.

If not, he's got others but I like this style for sure.

 

Well, good or bad, I can finally post pics of this on my wrist. I dig it and I'm really excited for the piece. I should have grabbed some movement pics while at the watchmaker but I had to run out to get back for feeding time. (Anyone with many animals know you can't miss that time or things get broken! lol)





A few lume plots are missing but nothing a decent shop like LA or Everest Watch Works can't handle. Sharp lugs and still an amazing finish on the case. I really love the profile of the engine-turned bezel and beveled crystal together.

 

I think it's a thing of beauty. Maybe keep your eyes open for a nice old riveted or folded 19mm oyster and you're all set

 

I've seen them around on ebay but I'm not exactly sure how to sus out a fake or not. This is a 1969, so a 68-70 bracelet would be cool. From what I've researched, it's a 7205 with 57 endlinks and they range from $400 to $2500 but I know a member who has one for $1250. That was at the peak of things last year, maybe they'll come down a little for a nice guy like me.