Watchlords

It was long assumed that these rare prototypes were rejected by the US government because they prematurely revealed the name of the upcoming "Desert Storm" mission. While reviewing the notes from my discussions with Mr. Bernard Gallet himself before he passed in 2006, I discovered that this was not the exact circumstance.

Along with the 30,000 MARATHON labeled watches that the late Bernard Gallet, former director of the Gallet Watch Company, provided to the US Government in 1990 for the Gulf War, he included 6 prototypes with Desert Storm printed on the dials. His thoughts were that the servicemen might enjoy having a personal keepsake from their mission similar to the watches Gallet supplied to the renowned Swiss Raid Commando activities the previous year. Preferring consistency over sentimentality, the US government rejected these 6 watches in favor of the standard MARATHON marked versions and returned them back to the Swiss Gallet headquarters.

Of the 6 prototypes returned by the US government, one is currently in the permanent collection of The National Watch and Clock Museum and another is in the Gallet Company collection. My husband and I were each generously given one of these amazing watches while working for Mr. Gallet before he passed in 2006.

This is a rare opportunity to own a watch sought after by serious collectors and anyone desiring to wear a true historic timepiece. Accompanied by a its original military-issue nylon strap, this rare watch is ready for decades more use and enjoyment as its value as an important collectible continues to appreciate.


https://www.ebay.com/itm/233987249488?f ... 4QDz1LGqio

Sold for only $1,500. Still quite a bit more than it is worth to me, but it brings up an interesting question, which is what gives a watch value. The amount of cost built into popular culture references never ceases to amaze me.

DoctorIvey wrote: ↑

May 5th 2021, 7:05pm

Sold for only $1,500. Still quite a bit more than it is worth to me, but it brings up an interesting question, which is what gives a watch value. The amount of cost built into popular culture references never ceases to amaze me.

That seems like good value to me as far as these things go. I really like this particular style of watch, this one appears to be more or less NOS, and there's a bit of provenance and an interesting back story, and some homages, such as MkII, are similarly priced. I think $1,500 is a very fair and reasonable price.

I agree. The seller must have been bummed.

DoctorIvey wrote: ↑

May 6th 2021, 6:21am

I agree. The seller must have been bummed.

"Pre-Auction Estimate: $5,000.00 to $6,000.00 USD or more (based on rarity and condition) "

A simple fix was to sell it outright on a buy it now listing but methinks he/she/zem was hoping to make serious bank via auction.
32 bids and garnered a whooping $1500 ........ minus ebay's fee, bad decision was made here.

Next up----> an excuse from the seller for not being able to find his listed watch.