To all it applies, we hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We sure tried our best to eat and drink ourselves into comas. Now it’s time to get your consumerism on for Black Friday. As per usual, we have a great selection of watches from around the web. Whether or not you care about Black Friday (we don’t), get your wallets ready and READ UP!
Neil’s Picks
Sinn 142
It’s hard not to love almost everything Sinn does. I was fortunate enough to review the cousin of this watch, the Sinn 140 St S, and it never ceased to impress me. The 142 featured here is the more traditional Lemania 5100 based watch. It’s well used but still in great condition, and besides, Sinn watches always seem to look better with age. We don’t need to tell you how superb the Lemania 5100 is, and combine that with Sinn’s incredible engineering and craftsmanship and you have one hell of of a watch. This is the real deal. It is the successor to the 140 which was worn in space back in 1985 on the Spacelab D1 mission. I’ve seen some 140A’s and newer 142 St’s come up on the market but this is the first time in recent memory that I’ve seen a 142 like this come onto the market. The price is more than fair. If you’re a a fan of the Lemaina 5100 as well as Sinn, then this is certainly an excellent choice.
$2,100
Oris Divers Sixty-Five
We have sung the praises of the Oris Divers Sixty-Five before, and now here’s your chance to get a great example at a good price. Under the hood is Oris’ Cal. 733, which is based off the Sellita SW 200. It is a solid movement that you’ll not have to worry about. Sure there are plenty of other vintage inspired dive watches out there but I doubt you’ll find one this nice at this price point. The seller claims it’s like new and the original strap hasn’t been used. If you’re curious about our in-depth opinion then please read our In the Flesh review. This is truly a knock out piece from Oris. This watch retails for $1,850 so at $1,200, you’re getting a heck of a deal. Don’t pass this one up!
$1,200
Isaac’s Picks
Patek Philippe Ref. 5016J
Patek Philippe has always been thought to be at the top of their game, in perpetuity. For generations now, the manufacture has carefully crafted some of the finest watches available for purchase, and the heavy hitting collectors have always responded enthusiastically. The brand’s grand complication Ref. 5016 is certainly is one of those pieces, and I think now that an example in steel sold at this year’s Only Watch for a record breaking 7.3M CHF (said by some to be the highest price ever paid for a wristwatch), a little movement in the market for all other variants of the reference wouldn’t be out of the ordinary.
While scrolling through the catalog of Antiquorum’s upcoming December auction, I came across another 5016, but it was manufactured in yellow gold. When purchasing a piece like this, you don’t see to many owners wearing them as a daily beater, so to speak, so there’s not much to worry about with the condition of this piece. Everything is original, and although it could’ve maybe been polished once, the case’s lines are still sharp. The estimate is currently set at $450,000 – $650,000 USD, so it’ll be interesting to see whether the sale of a piece unique can impact the market for the reference entirely.
Lot 296
Waltham Blancpain-Bathyscaphe Diver
In recent years, we’ve seen a considerable amount of development in the market for early vintage Fifty Fathoms watches from Blancpain, and I would personally say that is with good reason. As far as dive watches go, a good example of a Fifty Fathoms represents not only a tool watch in a true form, but a symbol of Blancpain’s constantly
Produced in a Bathyscaphe style, this example makes use of Blancpain’s patented bakelite bezel, a detail that most any vintage watch collector is sure to highly regard. While I can’t say the years have been kind to some bezels, that doesn’t go for this one. It’s bright, for the most part clean, and free of any significant wear. Pair that with the all original dial, hands, even an original crystal, and you’ve a good one. An honest watch that’s built to last.
Inquire via Instagram
Shane’s Picks
Squale Marina Militare 50 Atmos
As if I didn’t already choose enough military watches, here’s another one. It seems that amongst the many US, UK, French, and Germany issued watches that dominate the military watch community, Italian military watches fly under the radar (except for maybe Panerai). There’s very little known about these ’80s/’90s Squale Italian frogmen watches, but the seller did his research and they appear to have some supporting evidence. Stuart, the man behind Heuerville, links to the research he did and seems to be completely transparent on his knowledge of the Squale. What’s more, even if it has no actual provenance, the price doesn’t seem too high to begin with. For about $900, you get a possibly issued watch with great vintage aesthetics — hard to beat.
$900
Heuer Montreal ref 750.503
Here we have the unloved Heuer Montreal. The Carrera, Autavia, and Monaco get all the love while the Montreal basically never gets talked about. The truth is, these old Heuers were all extremely similar, and the price differences are purely based on what’s been hyped more in the market (“Oh my god! Steve McQueen wore this huge square watch in a movie once!”). The good news is that leaves some of these less sought after references pretty cheap. This later execution Montreal carries what I’m guessing is a Valjoux 7750, and has a great aged look. The case is in above average condition and the lume is intact and creamy as finely crafted cappuccino. The seller is accepting offers above $1500.
Offers above $1,500
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