Good morning OF,

I recently purchased a Polerouter off of the ‘Bay. Being that I collect vintage watches, I figured this was a good buy for the price I won it at — $680. Now, I may have made a mistake, but that’s OK. I know the crown is a replacement as it is not signed. I purchased this watch with the intent of finding a replacement crown some time in the future.

Can you guys give me your opinion on this watch? (Don’t be afraid to be harsh—constructive criticism is how we get better!)

Thank you in advance for all your assistance!

P.S. Sorry about the potato-quality pictures, I don’t have the watch in hand right now to take high res photos.

 

Opinion #1: if the seller didn't provide a photo of the case back, then it is likely to be flawed.

Opinion #2: not a good idea to buy a watch without a photo of the movement, either; these micro rotors sometimes have rubbing issues, etc.

 

Hello,

Why do you think you made a mistake?

I agree with @Tony C. Always check the caseback, movement, reference and serial.

This one could be a reference 20360-2, and if that is the case it should have a 215 microtor. You are right about the crown, the case looks slightly polished, and the dial looks original in my opinion. Better photos would help. This silver dials may look good with some patina, but its a matter of taste and it seems to have all the lume plots.

Is the minute hand broken? Cant tell...

 

Hi guys, thanks for responding. Here is a photo of the case back. I know it’s significantly polished but it looks right for the watch (based on the research I did). I asked for photos of the movement but the seller didn’t have the tool to open it, and judging by the tool marks on the back I didn’t want him to damage it further.

I agree that it’s risky to purchase without pictures of the movement and I do think that was a mistake. However, I made a chance guess based on the overall condition of the watch that the movement would be in decent shape.



edit: When I receive the watch I’m going to service it as well as post higher quality pictures in this thread. I don’t think the seller is a dealer—he seems to be a guy that goes to estates and flips his finds.

Edit 2: I don’t believe the minute hand is broken, other pictures show it intact so I think that’s a reflection in that one picture.

 

The caseback may be correct. But you have to check the reference and serial that should be between the lugs to see if everything matches.

 

Thank you. Hypothetically, based on everything being correct, what is the general price of something like this?

 

Actually I see what you mean about the minute hand. I believe it’s missing lume, and may be cracked. I have a great watchmaker that should be able to fix or source another set of original hands.

 

I'm not sure I agree the guy isn't a dealer. All photos have some king of Universal Geneve papers under it, so guy probably knows more than you've suspected until now. Looks like an interesting pickup. Hope servicing costs are low. Case is in good enough shape for me personally.

Shame about the seconds hand. Weird damage.

 

Thats a good observation. I went back and forth with this guy and he didn’t seem to have much knowledge about watches, but he could be sand bagging me of course!

 

Hard to tell. Not only having everything correct, but the condition may influence a lot (I mean a lot) on the final price. The broken hand, the crown, the polished case, an original plexi... Maybe a bit above but within current market prices.

 

Thank you! I just want to make sure I didn’t drastically over pay, and I should have come to you guys first, of course.

As long as I’m not hundreds of dollars above I’ll be pleased. Like I said when I get it in hand I’ll post much better pictures for y’all.

 

It seems I was following that auction. Based on the discription the seller doesnt seem a novice. I dont think you drastically over paid. But lets see the other members opinions.

 

Thank you for your reasonable replies. I appreciate that a lot!

 

Does anyone know what size crown would go on a 20360-2? I'm using some google-fu to try and find out more info, but haven't seen anything yet. I did see this, but my main concern is that is says "waterproof" in the description and as far as I know only the Polerouter Sub had a screw down crown:

 

You should confirm first the reference when the watch arrives. And explore universalgenevepolerouter.com because when it comes to polerouters thats the place to go. And that isnt the correct crown IMHO.

 

Yep, I plan on taking all of the advice in this thread when I receive the watch. That website is fantastic, thumbs up to the guy who manages it! By the looks of his examples it doesn't look like I did too bad, barring the broken hand and crown. Hopefully I can find some soon.

 

The guy who manages that website is on OF as @CafeRacer and is very helpful. Additionally @Mazoue is also a great source of expert knowledge with Polerouters in particular.
Good luck with your watch.

 

Thank you both for your help. I’ll get in contact with those users and see if they have any tips regarding sourcing the parts I need.

@gatorcpa : Go Gators!

 

You’re supposed to be saving for the speedie