This week's Bring A Loupe will present to you some unusual, even a bit outlandish, yet truly beautiful watches. Let's start with a tool watch that Patek manufactured in the 1960s, with a stainless-steel case! You will also discover two rare divers, the Omega Marine ?the first diver watch ever produced ?and a more recent Universal Geneve. Unfortunately, we will also need to flag many doubtful pieces that you should stay clear of. This is your Bring A Loupe for September 18, 2015.
A Tool Watch From Patek, The Amagnetic Reference 3417Countless times you have heard in Bring A Loupe that steel Pateks are rare. What about a tool watch that can face the aggression of magnetic fields replica rolex Yes, this is what the Patek Philippe "Amagnetic" reference 3417 is all about, and only about 500 of them were ever produced. We introduced you to this incredible reference in the past here and our infatuation with this model has not decreased one bit since. This rare watch might be up for radio magnetic adventures, but it still remains as classy as Patek can be with the elegant Amagnetic script on the dial and a great 35 mm case with slim lugs.
Matthew Bain is offering one example here ?be ready to be charmed by the unique purity of this surprising tool watch.
The First Dive Watch Ever, The Omega MarineForget the debate about the Rolex Submariner and the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms in the early 1950s, Omega was first to develop a proper dive watch back in 1932. By then, Cartier and Rolex might have allowed some happy few to gently swim with their timepieces, but Omega proved that it was possible to actually dive with a watch on your wrist! This prowess was reached through some seriously clever engineering with a double case hermetically sealing the movement as well as a sapphire glass able to tolerate the underwater pressure. The watch was delivered on a sealskin strap, which was thought to be more resistant to moisture, and if you are skeptical, you should know that in 1936, two of them were tested to a depth of 70 meters in the cold waters of Lake Neuchâtel, with no leaks at all. And even today this square-cased watch looks amazing on the wrist, albeit on the smaller side.
One of these early divers is offered for around $5,250 here; it was just serviced and the dial shows its age without any harsh scars.
A Rolex Pre-Daytona With A Rare DialEarly Rolex chronographs do not lack strong arguments when compared to their famous Daytona siblings ?namely, the same great 36 mm Oyster case, the same sexy pushers, and some seriously attractive dials. The reference 6034 clearly demonstrates its assets here, displaying a crisp case and a stunning dial. This dial is indeed worthy of your full attention with its light blue telemeter scale and the rare tachymeter in miles above.
Watches In Rome is offering this prime example here; note that the bracelet is probably a later addition as it should feature straight ends, rather than the endlinks shown.
A Funky Diver From Universal GeneveIn the 1960s Universal Geneve was not only crafting the chronographs that we love, but they were also designing some good looking dive watches, like this Polerouter Sub. Its beefy case and funky orange hands give it a unique look. Interestingly, the automatic movement is powered by a micro-rotor, a rare feature for a dive watch but one of Universal's core competencies at the time. Nowadays, this solution is more often used in dress replica watches such as the Piaget Altiplano, as it allows the automatic movement to keep a slim profile.
One example is listed for $4,200 on eBay here and the seller accepts offers. A clear bonus ?the watch comes with its original Gay Frères bracelet, but the indexes on the dial are far from perfect. EDIT: The original crystal of the watch with its asymmetric loupe is indeed missing here.
A quick bidder beware about the same reference the horrendous example below, also offered on eBay here. In a word, this is one of the worst looking fake dials I have ever seen. The crude printing of the dial gives away the poor job; in addition, Universal Geneve never had such a design for its logo.
Bidder Beware: A FAKE Patek PhilippeA rare and oversized Calatrava in steel for less than $10,000? The story started well, for sure. Unfortunately, it is indeed too good to be true and bidding on it is foolish. The dial is straight out fake and the case is not any better. Looking closely at the dial, it is obvious that the font and the imprint do not match Patek's standards while the case simply does not fly, starting with an "inventive" case back.
You can find this well presented yet very fake reference 570 on eBay here but I don't recommend anything else than glancing at it.
An Automatic Futurematic In SteelThe Futurematic is one of my favorite vintage models from Jaeger-LeCoultre for its lack of a crown and attractive dial layout. The Futurematic name conveys exactly what this reference was about in the early 1950s: an ambitiously innovative watch, which only needed to be set up through the case back, its automatic movement ensuring its continuous functioning. This explains the power reserve indicator: its mission was to inform the owner that the movement was about to stop should the watch not be worn again. While Futurematics are plentiful in gold or gold-plated cases finding one in stainless steel like the example here is much harder.
This Futurematic is listed for $2,250 on eBay here, and the seller accepts offers.
Notable Sale Of The Past Week: A Problematic Zenith El PrimeroA couple of days ago this early Zenith El Primero ?the lovely A386 reference ?was offered for sale for an attractive price here and it was promptly gone. Should you have regrets for having missed it? Not at all! Indeed, this listing is a great example of what can go wrong when hunting for the vintage watch of your dreams. Let's start with the dial: it was modestly described by the seller as second generation ?in fact it was simply a service dial. A couple of telltales: the O of "Primero" should not finish with such a long tail looping above the letter; the sub-dials should be connected with the scale through thicker connectors at 3,6 and 9 o'clock; and the bottom of the dial should not read Swiss Made. Beyond the dial, the crown is incorrect; it should feature an embossed star rather than a square logo, and the case back is also illegitimate. All these small details transform what could have been a good deal into a regrettable purchase.
Bring-a-loupe A Patek Philippe ref 1563 Owned By Duke Ellington And A Cloisonne World Time Clock Coming Up At The Patek Grand Exhibition 1066