Watchlords

Welcome, lads and lasses, to the thirty-third instalment in this comedy/watchdog series! As always, we're going for a lemon picking. This means, as always I pick the lemons among listings, and explain to you, dear readers, what's wrong with them. That said... The game's afoot! Follow your spirit, and upon this charge...
This is your Bring a Brain!

As always, let us begin with our favourite Usual Suspects...

1950s Omega...
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1950s-omega-reference-14161-in-18k-yellow-gold?variant=28737820295243
...only it's not from the 1950s. Seriously, they could finally learn how to use Google, and start looking up serial numbers. The movement dates to 1944, and so does the case. Also, they acknowledge that it's a 30T2 RG, and later, in the specs, list it as a 30T2. No, that's not the same thing, H-Shop Boyos.

Now, this Rolex Datejust "Thunderbird..."
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1972-rolex-reference-1625-thunderbird-in-yellow-gold?variant=29080631541835
...and the classic H-Shop mistake - not knowing the difference between Rolex movements. It's a Datejust, so it cannot have the cal. 1570, because the 1570 is a no-date movement. The 1575 is the date version. Of course, it can be marked 1570, while at the same time being a 1575. That's well-known to most people in the know about Rolex movements... Also, "date disc in matching gold?" Wut? It used to be white, only it no longer is. That's not "gold."

Let's have a look at what Hodinkee always gets wrong...an Eterna.
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1960s-eterna-eterna-matic-super-kontiki
"Circa 1960s?" Seriously? That's the best you can do? What if I told you, that the movement serial points to late in 1963?

Let's check out this Tudor Submariner...
https://shop.hodinkee.com/collections/vintage-watches/products/1992-tudor-submariner-reference-79092?variant=28737542062155
The rotor on the movement has me unconvinced. The Tudor engraving looks sloppy, and the shield logo doesn't appear to be placed correctly. In all specimens I've seen, that shield is positioned right on the edge between Geneva stripes, the edge that runs through the very centre. Here, not only is it not positioned correctly, but also seems to be tilted!
Here, I've added a red line that runs along the edge between the Geneva waves/stripes:


That's it for the Shop - now let's move on to the column, to which BaB owes its name.
https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/may-31-bring-a-loupe

Hyping a listing for a beat-up Zodiac is one thing, a listing without a movement shot is another, and a listing with absolutely dreadful pictures is yet another, no? Apparently not, because Mr. Wingold hyped a listing with all three issues.
Then there's regurgitating the Zenith-JFK connection, to which we have some hearsay thrown in, and still nothing solid.
And then there's that ridiculously overpriced Doxa. Even the people in the comments seem to have enough of the Doxa stuff coming from Isaac... He doesn't quite seem to get his Doxas straight.


Let us visit another venue - this time, it's the King of Cape Cod!

Chezard-powered Doxa:[url="https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/vintage/products/1957-doxa-rare-dead-seconds"]https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/vintage/products/1957-doxa-rare-dead-seconds[/url]
It wouldn't be worth half that price, even with a dial that doesn't look as if a dog chewed it.

Now, this Omega Memomatic:
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/vintage/products/1969-omega-memomatic-jumbo-exotic-dial
"Exotic" dial... Bwahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, and I wondered how long will it take His Majesty VintageCaliber, the King of Cape Cod and Duke of the Dremel, Sovereign of Sandpaper, to attack another case with his tool kit. Well...not long.

Also, they don't quite seem to know how to interpret case back markings on Omegas...
https://vintagecaliber.com/collections/vintage/products/1958-omega-tresor-ref-2897-two-tone-dial
This watch is NOT a 2897. The case is correct for the 2897, but being that this is a cal. 501 with a sweep second, the other reference stamped on the back is the correct one - 2898. The 2897 is the sub-second version with cal.491.
And another case attacked with the tool kit... Aaaarghhh.


Yeah, let's have a look at a different place now. Wannagetfleeced?

First up, this redialed Longines:
https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/longines-14k-yg-elongated-hourglass-circa-1950s/
"Beautifully restored silver satin dial." Did they paint it with their legs?

This Helbros...
https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/helbros-17-jewel-mickey-mouse-circa-1970s-7/
...for 695 bucks? You've got to be taking the mickey, Wannagetfleeced...
But no, they're still taking the mickey:
https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/rolex-ss-oyster-precision-ref-6426-mickey-mouse-circa-1971/
Aaaarghhh.

I would say that that's yet another Ganjust...
https://wannabuyawatch.com/product/rolex-ss-oysterdate-precision-ref-6694-4-20-edition-circa-1967/
...but in fact, it's the Oysterdope Hipprecision. Another revolting redial. At that price, since they're in California, maybe they throw in a crystal bong and a few months supply of medicinal herbs? Just in case the buyer has glaucoma, or whatnot...


We'll finish with a visit to the Knowers of Nothing - T&H.
https://theoandharris.com/shop/vintage-watches/lip-parechoc/
1500 bucks for a LIP? Get lost.

And then, there's this LeCoultre...
https://theoandharris.com/shop/vintage-watches/lecoultre-chronograph-2/
4K bucks. Seriously? Lume on the hands is all gone, and the rust by the pushers tells me that I don't even want to know what's going on inside. The lower left lug is completely clawed.


That's it for this instalment of Bring a Brain! Take care, steer clear of the rocks, and as always, Bring a Brain will return if necessary!

Any Datejust with a rotating bezel, AKA a Turn-O-Graph, is sentimentally included under the Thunderbird nickname umbrella, however, the namesake watch, which this watch is not, is the most highly prized and valuable piece. By not clarifying, H kind'a rides on some heritage / implied value that this watch doesn't deserve. A small sin I 'spose for this bunch.

In the 1950's lots of the USAF Thunderbirds pilots were wearing Turn-O-Graphs as their flight watches. Rolex got wind of it and created the ref. 116261 (two tone on a Jubilee bracelet, and had the Thunderbirds logo printed in red on the dial, a red sweep seconds hand and red numbers on a white date wheel). There was also the 116??? in steel with the same dial I think and there may have been others. I was hunting for the 261.

The real prize in any Turn-O-Graph states Thunderbird on the dial. Find yourself one of those babies and you got something right there, by golly.

Always fun to read MK.

3Flushes wrote:Any Datejust with a rotating bezel, AKA a Turn-O-Graph, is sentimentally included under the Thunderbird nickname umbrella, however, the namesake watch, which this watch is not, is the most highly prized and valuable piece. By not clarifying, H kind'a rides on some heritage / implied value that this watch doesn't deserve. A small sin I 'spose for this bunch.

In the 1950's lots of the USAF Thunderbirds pilots were wearing Turn-O-Graphs as their flight watches. Rolex got wind of it and created the ref. 116261 (two tone on a Jubilee bracelet, and had the Thunderbirds logo printed in red on the dial, a red sweep seconds hand and red numbers on a white date wheel). There was also the 116??? in steel with the same dial I think and there may have been others. I was hunting for the 261.

The real prize in any Turn-O-Graph states Thunderbird on the dial. Find yourself one of those babies and you got something right there, by golly.

Always fun to read MK.

Guess that really leaves little options as to what to call these 1960s/1970s Datejusts with a rotating bezel. It's not a Turn-O-Graph, as the Turn-O-Graph was a slightly Submariner-ish (earlier than the Sub, though) watch with a friction-fit bezel with an insert - the ref. 6202:

Pic filched from the Internets for reference purposes

They're not Thunderbirds, as the Thunderbird is the 116261. The good question is, what is it, then?

^^^

IDK if there is a nickname for the oysters; Plain 'ol Regalar Turn-O-Graph... we should make up a good one for it here at WL.

Bling-O-Graph?

You should be getting paid big coin for your knowledge, MK. And the turds grifting people should be getting iced water enemas on the regular.

Excellent, as always.