Zenith from the new Phillips sale

LouS · Oct 5, 2016

The below Zenith is lot 42 from the upcoming Phillips sale, offered as an ultra rare GH381 produced in 1969. How many fractions of a second does it take you to spot the screaming error?

https://www.phillips.com/detail/ZENITH/CH080216/42

ELV web · Oct 5, 2016

Nice serviced dial from 386.... Really????

LouS · Oct 5, 2016

Bingo - Service dial from more than 30 years after claimed date of sale, stuffed into a G381 case, with incorrect subdial hands. AND they got an extract of the archives, which of course is for the case only, which is that of a bog-standard G381.

Some pretty basic errors here...

ELV web · Oct 5, 2016

If anyone wants to compare to a great genuine sample....

https://omegaforums.net/threads/rare-zenith-el-primero-chronograph-ref-g381-yellow-gold.45880/

Mlafra · Oct 5, 2016

Wow!! this is bad!! very very very bad! I mean, really bad! That the dial not only is service and much later but also mounted on the WRONG reference! And you know the absolutely worst thing: someone made that spotting in the subdials on purpose to make the dial look old instead of new!! I am actually speachless

jordn · Oct 5, 2016

Amateur hour ::facepalm1::

Franken = Extremely rare. What is this, eBay?

plexyforever · Oct 5, 2016

Interesting ... they have changed the white metal indexes with the golden ones: perfect work!
Anyway, could you imagine Zenith producing such a beauty in the late sixties?
Gold case and tricolor subdials, love it.

PS: the tachimetre scale looks wright and not service

wristpirate · Oct 5, 2016

Along with the other catalogue of errors, dare I say it is the crown wrong?

LouS · Oct 5, 2016

plexyforever
Interesting ... they have changed the white metal indexes with the golden ones: perfect work!

That's the most intriguing detail, the only thing that suggests it is not just a slapdash franken. Someone has taken care to do that. But it does not negate that this is a modern service dial.

We will see if Phillips pulls the watch or alters the listing once they become aware of the error, or whether they decide to go "full-Antiquorum" and brass it out.

khmt2 · Oct 5, 2016

plexyforever
Interesting ... they have changed the white metal indexes with the golden ones: perfect work!

Wouldn't say it's perfect - the gold / tarnish on the indices seems to be fading away in the closeup

plexyforever · Oct 5, 2016

khmt2
Wouldn't say it's perfect - the gold / tarnish on the indices seems to be fading away in the closeup

I was meaning they paid attention to that particular (matching indices with case and hands) not they did a good work.

MMMD · Oct 6, 2016

I wonder if it was a Zenith mother-ship (or service center) repair job.

JohnSteed · Oct 6, 2016

It also seems correct, that "In fact, we cannot remember ever having seen another GH 381 featuring such a dial making this an exciting watch for the fan of rare vintage chronograph watches." is really accurate, IMHO. The unitiated may well likely rely on that line .... Someone over there must know what he/she is doing

just wow

m neuman · Oct 8, 2016

Well spotted Louis. When I saw the extract, I thought they really do not know what they are committing to.
There is also a fake IWC Portuguese in the sale at €40,000-60000.

Syrte · Oct 8, 2016

Mlafra
someone made that spotting in the subdials on purpose to make the dial look old instead of new

Am curious, how would one do that from a technical viewpoint? (Thanks for enlightening someone who knows nothing about technicalities, and hardly more on the rest...)

speedmaster971 · Oct 17, 2016

I'd be curious to know the criteria whereby Zenith has authenticated the watch..incredible. A Zenith franken watch declared as rare GH 381....

m neuman · Oct 25, 2016

In anycase Phillips have withdrawn the watch from the sale.

dsio · Oct 25, 2016

They and Christies are generally pretty good about things like that, unlike as LouS mentioned, some of their competitors.

LouS · Feb 28, 2017

Well, well! Look who is trying to flog the watch now!
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ZENITH-18ct...nograph-3019-PHC-Rare-A386-1969-/222425262554

and check out the song and dance that goes with it:
(from the listing) Zenith have been sent pictures of the front and back of the dial in this watch
and have confirmed it was made by them as well as the fact that
the G381 reference was made in very low numbers with 3 colour sub dials.
They have suggested that the font style of the El Primero writing
is more like that of a watch from the 1980s
even though they did conceive that font style back in 1969/1970 for advertising.

It is believed this watch was originally sent to Zenith
at some time in the 1980s or 1990s for repair
and a Service Dial replacement was fitted
in an effort to try and keep a rare 3 Colour G381 alive.

The Famous Tri Colour Zenith dial is normally only seen in the Steel A386
and only a couple of other Gold pieces are known to exist featuring the 3 colour subs.
It is extremely rare and unusual to find a Gold version of
this legendary watch...

So it's not a regular old G381 with a modern A386 service dial. It is actually a super rare tri-color G381s (not ever photodocumented anywhere, not even by Zenith) and Zenith went out of their way in this super-rare watch to fit a modern A386 service dial to this watch to keep that memory alive, even though no one has ever seen an original.

Mlafra · Feb 28, 2017

ahahahahaahahhahahahahaahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahahahahah!!!!!
You made my day!!!
Evening actually, about to go to bed.
Just incredible what some people are capable of coming up with.

Zenith from the new Phillips sale

LouS

ELV web

LouS

ELV web

Mlafra

jordn

plexyforever

wristpirate

LouS

khmt2

plexyforever

MMMD

JohnSteed

m neuman

Syrte

speedmaster971

m neuman

dsio

LouS

Mlafra

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