The apocalypse is at hand

U
Posts
25,981
Likes
27,609
LouS LouS
$2400. Too much? Too little?


The case looks pretty crisp. The right watchmaker could have that looking very nice. The crown & pushers look like they were haphazardly chosen, as if they fell out of a watch parts piñata and these were the 3 pieces that got grabbed. The dial, for all intents and purposes, sucks. So is the case, caliber, and hands worth $2400? I don't know.

If somebody had a specimen with a nice dial and an over polished case, this would be the answer. You could make one Arnold Schwarzenegger, and sell the Danny DeVito leftover one to recoup your money.
 
Zuke
Posts
973
Likes
1,725
For some strange reason - the dial doesn't look that bad to me. Sure it doesn't look like it's supposed to, but I don't mind it.
 
haga888
Posts
443
Likes
1,600
I bid what I thought was a very high price on it and was willing to overpay a little bit. Wanted the case for my A3817 which would have been a very nice example as I found a correct crown as well. Somebody else wanted a project more than me I guess. But if this can sell for $2,400 what could one sell the leftover "Danny DeVito" for? $2,000? At that price it's not that much of a stretch.

This A3817 is at $3,850 already and it has an oval case and the wrong subdial hand that I'm guessing is near impossible to source.

a3817_zps61e98a33.jpg
 
haga888
Posts
443
Likes
1,600
Zuke Zuke
For some strange reason - the dial doesn't look that bad to me. Sure it doesn't look like it's supposed to, but I don't mind it.


It looks like someone tried to lube the movement with WD-40. That's going to leave a mark.
 
danomar
Posts
347
Likes
1,309
Zuke Zuke
For some strange reason - the dial doesn't look that bad to me.

Indeed. The more I look at it, the more I think it could be resurrected. Maybe. The lume fills are even in the hour markers.

But $2400?

As Nathaniel Hawthorne once wrote, "I trow not!"
 
MMMD
Posts
4,642
Likes
31,197
You will probably see that dial again in a polished case. Someone is going to upgrade their A3817, A3818 or A384 with that case (keeping their original case back with correct number), and then throw the A385 back to the wolves.
 
LouS
Posts
6,713
Likes
18,550
U ulackfocus
The case looks pretty crisp. The right watchmaker could have that looking very nice. The crown & pushers look like they were haphazardly chosen, as if they fell out of a watch parts piñata and these were the 3 pieces that got grabbed. The dial, for all intents and purposes, sucks. So is the case, caliber, and hands worth $2400? I don't know.

I can tell you that a vintage primero movement at straight auction would go for about $600-$700.
The value in the handset is in the red seconds sweeper - real introvabile stuff - say $200.

U ulackfocus
If somebody had a specimen with a nice dial and an over polished case, this would be the answer.

Spot on, Dennis, I think. This is all about the case.

Zuke Zuke
For some strange reason - the dial doesn't look that bad to me. Sure it doesn't look like it's supposed to, but I don't mind it.

Get some sleep, Zuke!

MMMD MMMD
You will probably see that dial again in a polished case. Someone is going to upgrade their A3817, A3818 or A384 with that case (keeping their original case back with correct number), and then throw the A385 back to the wolves.


It's true that A 385s have been getting torn asunder for parts for some time. Here's a question - when was the last time anyone saw a good A 385 on auction? They used to be the most common reference in this case, by far. One every month or two on eBay. I've seen more A 384s and 3817s (a lot more A 3817s) in the last 6-9 months than I have seen A 385s. Has it become the rarity? The baby fur seal of the early El Primeros, clubbed to near extinction?


haga888 haga888
...the wrong subdial hand that I'm guessing is near impossible to source.

a3817_zps61e98a33.jpg

Seems to me all you have to source is some French Racing Blue paint.....
 
haga888
Posts
443
Likes
1,600
LouS LouS
Seems to me all you have to source is some French Racing Blue paint.....

I suppose that's true.
 
haga888
Posts
443
Likes
1,600
Sold for USD$5,200 with more pictures of the strap than the actual watch.

a3817_zps61e98a33.jpg


Now if you bought the A385 for USD$2,400 + this for $5,200 you're in for $7,600. Say another $200 for a watchmaker to do the case swap for you (assuming you don't service it). So $7,800. Can you sell "DeVito" for $2,000 making your net $5,800 for a A3817 that needs a proper crown? Still seems like a heavy overpay.
 
LouS
Posts
6,713
Likes
18,550
It hasn't and I doubt it will be. Whoever laid down that dough was dead set on that case. I think even a shill would not have driven the price up that high.
 
haga888
Posts
443
Likes
1,600
Greedy b@stard. Unless he was using multiple shills, the last real bid would have been what $5,350 or so? If you get over $5k for that you should be laughing. It's too bad you can't see the ID's of bidders so you can track the shill accounts.
 
U
Posts
25,981
Likes
27,609
It's only gonna get worse guys. Pretty soon, it will be an accepted practice and all but a very few will use shills. Unless eBay charges for relisting and makes sellers pay the final value fees for each time a watch "sells", shilling is here to stay on the swamp.
 
MMMD
Posts
4,642
Likes
31,197
This is why unsophisticated, low-feedback sellers with weak photography skills turn me on.
 
blackwatch
Posts
438
Likes
181
MMMD MMMD
This is why unsophisticated, low-feedback sellers with weak photography skills turn me on.
Yes, but I think more and more of those guys are sandbagging... I'm positive that they take bad photos on purpose. (How else could somebody with 2000+ feedbacks still be taking pictures so bad that it you can't tell if it's a watch or a dog or a christmas ornament?)

There has to be a way to match up "s******d" with bidder "shithead" if he/she was won at least a few auctions.
 
1 More Post...
Sign up or log in to reply...