Market Watch(ing): Rare Birds Edition

Neil’s Picks

IWC Mark XI

I have discussed the merits of the IWC Mark XI before and am clearly a fan. It’s getting harder and harder to find quality examples so I’m pleased to see this offering from analog/shift. When I think of vintage pilot’s watches, the IWC Mark XI is the benchmark by which I judge all others, and this one is a fine example. Considering it’s 60+ years old, this old boy has help up quite well and the case is in amazing condition for it’s age. The “T” dial is also excellent, and looks very crisp. Although a replacement, it was done so while still under military contract and it still looks period correct with matching patina on the hands. This of course features the Hall of Fame worthy Calibre 89 that will continue to give the wearer years of accurate and worry free use. With the Broad Arrow, fixed bars, and T dial, this has a cool factor and military provenance not commonly seen.

$8,200

Rolex Submariner 14060

My next pick is once again one of my favorite watches and also a member of our Hall of Fame. We can always count on Scott and Jacek at H.Q. Milton to have a solid supply of Submariners both modern and vintage. This example is the quintessential tool watch that is the 14060. The perfectly balanced dial without the date, and the minimal two lines of text make this an understated Rolex that can be worn anywhere. There’s no bracelet but a correct 93150 can easily be sourced. Fortunately, this watch looks great on the endless number of available straps whether Nato, leather, Bund, etc. The price is excellent and this is a model with minimal wear considering it’s almost 20 years old. Even better is that it a model with tritium so it will only continue to look better and better.

$3,800

Isaac’s Picks

Wittnauer Sports Chronograph

Japan is well known among collectors to be the source of many trends in the vintage watch market, as well as the home to several notable figures in this realm of the watch loving world. The presence of genuine passion and appreciation of fine craftsmanship always seem to be true of our horologically-inclined friends out east, and this is most certainly the case for the people behind Private Eyes – a highly reputable dealer based out of Tokyo.
While scrolling through Instagram the other day, I noticed that Private Eyes is about to put a Wittnauer sports chronograph from the ’60s up for sale, and I instantly got excited. Just a few days ago, I had seen that a friend of the site purchased a similar example, and it’s quite the beauty. Maybe I’m going crazy, but it seems as if just as I first notice something that’s of interest, they begin to pop up everywhere. Damn you, Internet!

Now while this watch currently isn’t listed for sale on their site just yet, I think it’s still worth a mention, because it’s absolutely ridiculous. You’ve got the dial edge detailing of a racing dial Speedy, the iconic Singer sub-dials, the trusty Valjoux 72 movement, a refreshing pop of orange on the hands and dial, and don’t even get me started on that bezel. In a nutshell, this Wittnauer is jam packed with so many insanely cool details. This is exactly the type of watch that keeps me enthusiastic about collecting. If interested, your best bet is to get in contact with them sooner than later, as I don’t think this one will stick around for too long.

LeCoultre Memovox Alarm Clock

Every collector of watches needs a few items in his or her collection that aren’t watches, but related objects along the same lines. It further solidifies the spirit of collecting, and opens up a whole new world of knowledgeable individuals, markets, and communities. With that in mind, what we have here isn’t a watch, but a clock that’s currently for sale on eBay. Nonetheless, it’s quite an interesting piece, and is most definitely worthy of a closer look.

This Memovox style alarm clock from Jaeger LeCoultre really does mimic the look of their alarm-equipped wristwatches, and the red dial that happens to feature luminous plots really pops. My favorite thing about this clock is the crystal, which is beautifully curved to create what they like to refer to as the “Space Dome”. I think this clock would look great on a desk or beside nightstand. After all, our houses really don’t have watch-related trinkets as it is!

Buy Now / Make Offer

Dean’s Picks

This week I made my return to RedBar NYC. The notorious den of hooligans and men-about-town that helped kick my watch obsession into overdrive. The first watch I want to talk about is one that I saw this week at the “honeycomb hideout” that is something of a controversial choice.

Tempus Machina 216A

This week I met Jeremy of Tempus Machina Watch Company. On his wrist was a prototype of the company’s first piece the 216A (kudos to those who get the reference…I didn’t). The 216A is a mod. Let’s get the elephant in the room processed into ivory trinkets and jerky. 99.999% of watch mods BLOW. They are gaudy overpriced toys for people with too much money and not enough sense. That being said, this one is kinda cool. The 216A is a brand new Sub-C that’s been worked over like a whore on cowboy payday. When it comes out the other end, it’s an artful and sexy take on a “Big Crown” 6358 from yesteryear. I held the thing in my hand and it has the “it” factor. The domed sapphire crystal is perfectly machined. The finishing on the case looks like it came off Rolex’s own production line, and the dial is sharp. Even the coin edge on the modified bezel looks OEM. The kicker? It’s a new old stock OEM Rolex Brevet big crown. Don’t ask ’em where they got ’em. They won’t tell you. They also wont tell you what other homages are in the pipeline. Yes, service and resale might be an issue but if you’ve got the cash to throw at one of the 50 of these that they are making, its probably not gonna stop you. More info here:

$25,000

Zenith A3736 Super Sub Sea

The second watch I love this week is a personal favorite of mine that I’ve been hunting on and off for a while. I’m kinda reluctant to post it here, but it’ll be better for my impending child’s college fund if one of you buys it before I lose my self control and go running down 10th Ave with a tinfoil hat on my head sending out bank wires. The watch in question is the Zenith A3736 Super-Sub Sea.

This watch just does it for me. It’s incredibly rare, has a quirky cushion case, a venerable workhorse chronograph movement (zenith 146HP) and outrageous oversized orange hands and accents. I am a sucker for ALL of those things. The example for sale is being sold by a well known seller over on Chronotrader. He’s asking 6,350 EUR, plus an additional 850 EUR for the original ladder bracelet. However, the price has already been reduced once and now he is open to offers, so who knows what it will take to get it. The dial has a little spot where some of the minute track has rubbed off, but otherwise this looks like a great example for a decent price, especially considering I’ve seen mint ones being shopped around in the $10-15k range recently.

6,350 EUR

Shane’s Picks

Heuer G. Monin Automatic ref 844

I wish this one didn’t need an introduction, but I still think the Heuer G. Monin divers are under appreciated at the moment. The G. Monin divers were basically Heuer’s first shot at entering the dive watch market, as they had mostly been known for racing-inspired watches. To make a long story short, Heuer was on life support due to the quartz crisis, and outsourced production of these divers to G. Monin, a French watchmaking company. Not knowing what sort of sales these new divers would bring in, Heuer was taking a chance. Luckily, the G. Monin divers — in their many configurations — saved Heuer from going the way of The Verve (seriously, what happened to those guys?).

Anyway, here we have an outstanding example of an automatic G. Monin diver, reference 844. Many of these divers came with quartz movements, but I obviously prefer mechanical ones. It’s being sold by Carlo S., a known collector on Chronotrader, who also happens to be selling a number of his other awesome Heuers. He acquired it from Heuerville’s Stewart, so this one has passed through the hands of serious Heuer collectors. According to an article by Stewart, he had to sort of piece this one together, making it not original, yet correct. With all of the pieced together watches on the market, it shouldn’t be a huge deal, so long as the sellers are open, and the watches are correct. Carlo is accepting offers through Sunday, settling on the highest bidder, which will likely be around $5K or so.

Link

Panerai Wrist Compass

Like Isaac, I think it’s good to spread the watch love to other related accessories. Alarm clocks, wall clocks, straps, and even compasses. That’s why I’m going with this ridiculously cool Panerai Wrist Compass, made sometime in the ’60s or ’70s. It’s probably unwearable, but it has military provenance with the Italian Navy, and a definite cool factor. It was truly meant for underwater navigation, with water, shock, and magnetic field resistance, as well as big time Panerai lume. Christie’s sold one for just under $4K about 3 years ago, and this one is up for 1,800 EUR. It’s not in as good of condition as the Christie’s example, but the price seems fair for military memorabilia and/or Panerai collectors.

1800 EUR