- MKTheVintageBloke
- Master of Time
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- Joined: December 7th 2016, 2:47pm
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Bring a Brain XXIII
Hello and welcome to the 23rd instalment of Bring a Brain, the watchdog series, which, as always, brings you some entertainment, info, and, if you're behind the content featured, possibly some grey hair. In this instalment, we will look at - among other things - the learning amplitude: learn, forget, learn, forget...the same thing.
Lads and lasses...you have waited long enough, and here it is! Follow your spirit, and upon this charge...This is your Bring a Braaaaain!!!
As always, we'll start with the usual suspects...
First up, this Longines:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1960s-longines-chronograph-30ch-reference-7413?variant=12100649975883#
So, you're telling me that an approximate year of manufacture is OK when researching a Longines?
Nope.
Oh, by the way, it dates to 1966, not 1960. "Circa 1960" would be, like, 1959 or 1961. 1966, I'd say that's quite far off.
The replacement pusher is the icing on the cake.
Now, let's move on to a rather fascinating phenomenon, shown in two Rolex listings. First, this Air-King-Date:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1983-rolex-air-king-date-reference-5700?variant=12089485983819
Some rather nasty pitting ("case back shows nicks") on the case back (of the not-so-well restored case) aside, here's the star of the show: they have finally acknowledged, that it's the cal. 1525, not 1520... Well done, I've mentioned that for, like, three instalments, if not more. Good job.
On second thoughts, I take that back. Not a good job. Here's a watch from the newest batch in the shop:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1973-rolex-red-submariner-reference-1680?variant=12100209082443
"Caliber: Rolex self-winding movement caliber 1570." No. It's the 1575. 1570 is a no-date. So, they just learned something new, and now they forget. Lesson one: don't have goldfish do the movement ID.
Let's move on to something else. Like, this Omega:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1960s-omega-seamaster-gold-plated-reference-14762?variant=12100434460747
Here's the good question: if the pic of the inner side of the back is there, why would the movement pic notbe there? Oh, and the date window looks odd...at least the frame of it does look odd. "By the pricking of my thumbs..."
Now, another Omega:
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1960s-omega-seamaster-chronograph-reference-105-005?variant=12089473728587
The difference in the colour of the lume on the dial and hands is beyond suspicious. Assuming that's actually lume on the hands, because it looks more like black inlay, which doesn't go with a lumed dial. Two-word summary: this stinks.
It's time to look at the listings from another source...
First up for barrage, this Omega:
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/archive/products/1940-omega-artdeco-ref-2318-5-cal-30t2
"Dial: untouched authentic excellent condition." Amazingly, not a word of this description is true. Just look at the font! The crooked M, tilted and narrow A (should be "flat-top!")...
"Professionally polished..." How nice. Let us honour this victim of capecodclothicide with a minute of silence.
Now, this Doxa:
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/all/products/1943-doxa-jumbo-tropical-dial
Just for starters - no movement pic, and yet there is a pic of the inner side of the case back.
So, this is a replated piece, no movement pic included, for way more than a nice and unmolested specimen of the "Pie-Pan" Constellation. How about no?
How about this replated Tissot...
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/all/products/1941-tissot-caliber-33-3-two-tone-guilloche-dial
...priced at 7500 euro? What a joke.
Oh, and this pattern is called snailing, not guilloche.
So, maybe this 6500 euro replated Tissot?
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/all/products/1940-tissot-caliber-33-3-chro-ref-6201
No. It's a joke all the same.
That would be all for this instalment of Bring a Brain. Hope ye lads and lasses have enjoyed it, and as always...Bring a Brain will return if necessary!
Elim Garak, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
No good deed ever goes unpunished.
Rule of Acquisition no.285