This week, I've got a bit of a different flavor of the column for you. With New York auction week now through, I thought we might as well take a look back at a few sales deserving of attention that you might've missed. These include an impossibly sharp Oyster Perpetual in gold, along with a rare Audemars Piguet chronograph, and a Hamilton Pan Europ. Though not necessarily the top lots that got all the press, these are certainly noteworthy timepieces worthy of further discussion. For good measure, there's also an included vintage Heuer that's coming up for sale in Hong Kong, along with a Gallet chronograph listed on eBay. Let's do this Bring A Loupe thing and get down to it https://www.replicawatches.live.
Hamilton Pan Europ 703 Ref. 11003-3You don't always want a perfectly tasteful and versatile watch. Sometimes you just want something that's plain old cool, making no bones about it. I happen to take this stance when it comes to G-Shocks, associating with the camp that finds the tough Casio to be particularly genius, but the rule can be applied to vintage watches, as well, considering the number of mildly (or totally) over the top pieces that came out of the 1970s. With its large presence and vibrant styling, that's exactly what the Pan Europ chronograph from Hamilton is, in my opinion, with its large presence and vibrant styling.
One came up for sale the other day at Fortuna in New York, and a nice one, at that. Knowing that many that originally bought these wore them heavily, makes the sale of this example all the more special, given the outstanding condition of most key components. From the blue rotating bezel, to the stainless steel case's sunburst finish, to the silver subdials accented by red hands ?everything is essentially perfect.
As some will know, Buren played a large role in the collective development of the Calibre 11 Chronomatic project, and as a Hamilton subsidiary, the company naturally put the movement to good use internally upon completion. I likely represent a minority, but the Pan Europ is one of the best uses of the Chronomatic movement in my personal opinion. On the wrist, these are fun watches, perfect for weekends. I'm not big on the idea of summer replica watches (whatever that's supposed to mean) but the idea of this as a weekend fake watch just makes sense.
If there's one thing Fortuna's afternoon sale proved, it's that the auction house can produce a diverse catalogue, with equally accessible and interesting pieces like this Hamilton. It achieved $2,000 with premiums, which is a decent deal, if you ask me. Check it out here.
ADVERTISEMENT 1970 Heuer Skipper Ref. 7754I'm not sure about you, but I'm in favour of the Heuer market's rebound, and I say this as someone without a single Heuer in their collection. Even though things did admittedly soften up a bit, there's no denying the quality and impressive aesthetic nature of Heuer's watches. For the most part, the sale of most Heuer chronographs don't generate a ton of attention nowadays, however there are anomalies which have occurred over the past couple of years.
Another Heuer anomaly popped up recently, which will soon be up for grabs in a Bonham's sale taking place in Hong Kong. This is another example of a fake watch we've featured before, which is of course what many regard as the most special variant of the Carrera ever produced. Keeping the vibrant styling train going, the Skipper is distinguished by its aquamarine, orange, and green accents, which exist against a rich blue backdrop. Heuer collector or not, it's easy to understand why this fake watch is aesthetically special.
Examples have achieved sizeable results before, and I'd wager that this one is no exception, though it should be known that this example's dial has been "relumed." This will be a result to take note of, as it'll indicate just how strong demand is for the Skipperrera despite this flaw. With very few examples known to the market, every sale is significant.
Bonham's will be selling this example of the sought after Skipper in Hong Kong on the 12th of June, where it's being offered with an estimate of $30,000 to $60,000. I'll be watching what happens with this one. You can too, right here.
ADVERTISEMENT 1955 Replica Rolex Oyster Perpetual Ref. 6567If you didn't already know, condition is everything in vintage fake watch collecting. As the original condition of a fake watch fades, all the magic and mojo that makes a great fake watch great is washed away, and gone forever. To be fair, semi-questionable ways do exist to reclaim old glory, watchmaking restoration-wise, but we're talking about the real deal here ?no funny business. To have a rare fake watch is one thing, but to have a rare fake watch in excellent condition is a different animal altogether. One such animal went up for sale the other day at Heritage, which I'd now like to look further into with you.
This is a Ref. 6567 Oyster Perpetual, which dates back to 1955, and as you'll notice, it's been executed in brilliant 18K yellow gold. There's even a matching rivet Oyster bracelet in gold, which is just as crisp and clean as the fake watch in question itself. Among other examples, this piece stands out for two main reasons. First off, is the configuration of the fake watch itself. Though just an Oyster Perpetual, it's an especially well executed one, with nice indices, a non-luminous dial, and a nice set of dauphine hands. And then there's the whole gold thing.
As previously alluded to, the second reason is the condition. This is simply just about as crisp and untouched as it gets, and that's something you can't argue with. No it's not a 36 mm Oyster, but the dial is ridiculously clean, and the both the case and bracelet have achieved a unique patina on their surface. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that this spent much of its life to date inside the confines of a safety deposit box or vault of some sort. With that said, I hope it gets worn and enjoyed as much as it should.
Bidding on the '50s Oyster Perpetual eventually ended when the crisp Ref. 6567 achieved $9,375 including the buyer's premium. The new owner of this piece has done incredibly well with this one. See it here.
1942 Audemars Piguet ChronographWe've discussed it before, and we're about to discuss it again. Vintage chronographs manufactured by Audemars Piguet are some of the best around, though are difficult to track down to say the least. This can be attributed to the fact that these are legitimately rare replica watches ?just 210 chronographs are confirmed to have been produced between 1939 and 1945. Tracking down an attractive example of such a high grade chronograph is a dream for any serious collector, but you can't be picky when there's such slim pickings. This makes the surfacing of any vintage chronograph from Audemars Piguet a noteworthy event.
Having rehashed that, let's now focus on an example that came up for sale earlier this week in Sotheby's morning sale; the fake watch dates back to 1942. Although it's not untouched, this is an honest example of what an ultra scarce and desirably configured chronograph looks like. This 33 mm piece is powered by the Cal. 13VZAH, which is effectively a Valjoux dressed up to the ninest of nines, if you will, and is adorned with a single Roman numeral marker on the gold tone dial side.
According to the original Audemars Piguet Extract from the Registers, this fake watch was manufactured in 1942, and then to sold to the retailer Maxima in Geneve in 1943. Since then, it's since developed a bit of mechanical hiccup that'll require an overhaul of the movement. Despite this, I still think this is quite a cool watch, which the buyer certainly agreed with seeing with what it achieved.
When all was said and done, this rare chronograph from Audemars Piguet brought in $50,000 in the morning sale. If you'd like to take a closer look at it, here's where to do so.
Gallet Multichron EP40To end things off for the week, let's look at another fake watch this is available for purchase, coming from eBay, which was decidedly uneventful over the past seven day stretch. Nonetheless, it did yield this last piece, which is an appealing chronograph by Gallet that's powered by the Excelsior Park EP40. Similar chronographs have been worn over the years by a laundry list of notable figures, though what this example lacks in exciting provenance, it makes up for in the good looks department.
When it comes to Gallet, it's the more minimal pieces that do it for me. The ones that go unnoticed for the most part by the masses, spotted only by a few certifiable nerds like myself who can discern between non Excelsior Park and Excelsior Park Multichrons. This is exactly the kind of fake watch I'm talking about, that also happens to have been preserved well over nearly six decades. With blued steel hands against an ever so slightly patinated dial, there's a lot to like here, that ought to look a lot better on any other strap.
Apart from the EP40 that you'll find beneath the stainless steel caseback, my favourite details on this piece are the typefaces found on the dial, which are decidedly modern for a fake watch of this age, and wouldn't look out of place on a modern offering. The case is a bit polished looking, but it's a good looking fake watch overall that'd make a commendable addition to any collection.
This Gallet is being offered on eBay by a seller based out of London, who has it listed for GBP 3,995, equating roughly to just under $5,100. You'll find more info and photos here.
Bring-a-loupe