Friday is here, and as can be expected, so is Market Watch(ing). We’ve got a pretty wide variety of watches this week — a little bit of something for everyone. We’ve got a little bit of modern, a lotta bit of vintage, and all-a-bit of awesome. Check it out; Market Watch(ing) is live!
Neil’s Picks
Rolex Explorer I 14270
Rolex’s Explorer I reference 14270 is the last great Explorer I in my opinion. After that reference they became too bloated, blingy, and lost its perfect proportions. Fortunately this reference is quite abundant and relatively inexpensive as far as Rolex goes. This means they are easy to find at great deals just like the one featured here. This is an X Serial circa 1991. The 25 year old tritium dial is fading nicely and creates a beautiful contrast against the black dial. The bracelet and case show signs of wear as you would expect but they are fairly minimal for a watch of this era and you can see that the lugs are still sharp. The seller doesn’t provide much addition information but from the pictures it looks like a will taken care of Explorer. The price is certainly a steal for a watch that looks this good and has this kind of history. You’re getting a true Rolex sports watch which are getting harder to come by these days.
$2,850
Seiko “Turtle” SRP773 Blue
Seiko has definitely won me over with their new Turtle. I’ve worn it in a couple variations, all of which I like. Just when I thought I couldn’t like it any better, they release the Blue bezel version. This combo is absolutely stunning, especially with Seiko’s new bracelet. Seiko represents one of the best bargains when it comes to price, toughness, quality, and looks. Their new Turtle is no exception. It looks like a million bucks but won’t make much of a dent in your paycheck. Another advantage of this particular sale is that it comes with the bracelet. This price is great for the version with only the silicon strap, so you certainly get a deal here, and can always purchase the strap separately. I haven’t seen many of these new Turtles come up for sale, which means the original buyers are hanging on to them. Don’t miss your chance!
$350
Isaac’s Picks
Omega Marine
Rolex, Blancpain, and Doxa may have played the biggest roles in advancing dive watch technology to where it is today, but as the record will show, the very first commercially available, dedicated dive watches were in fact made by Omega. The watch I speak of is known as the Omega Marine, and upon its release in 1932, Omega was rather daringly addressing an extremely niche market, seeing as underwater exploration and recreational diving was still in its early days. Most curiously, instead of using a round case with a threaded, screw-down caseback, Omega produced the Marine, and subsequent models like this Marine Deluxe, using a rectangular case that was sealed using a system of gaskets and clips. Even though it may not have been the easiest way to approach the challenge of achieving a significant water resistance rating, it got the job done. Although the dial on this example currently available for sale on eBay may leave something to be desired, these watches just don’t come up for sale very often, so I’d advise you take advantage of this opportunity if interested.
Bid Now
LIP Nautic Ski
While I’m typically not one for battery powered watches (make sure to read that in the voice of snooty nobleman), sometimes I make exceptions. This is one of them. What you’re looking at is a supercompresser style Nautic Ski by the french watchmaker LIP, and beating inside this watch is a hybrid electro-mechanical movement, which is essentially a standard mechanical movement that is powered by a battery. The dial on this piece also happens to have faded over the years to a gorgeous, golden brown, “tropical” shade, which in my opinion pairs quite nicely with the custard colored, luminous Breguet numerals.
€1,500
Dean’s Picks
Heuer seems to be having something of a moment. For me the big takeaway from the recent auction cycle in Geneva was the following: really rare and high quality pieces are still making bookoo bucks and haven’t let up. It’s cliche to say it, ’cause everyone says it, but it’s true, originality, quality and provenance are the main drivers of the really good stuff. So yeah, some weird-ass split second Rolex made a bagillion dollars. Mazel tov. For guys like me, those sheikh-level watches are abstractions. I’m more interested in the rank and file vintage stuff. In that end of the market things seemed a bit like more of a mixed bag. Last year’s belle of the ball Universal Geneve produced mixed results (maybe due to the quality of the offerings). What didn’t produce mixed results was vintage Heuer. Some of the prices that pieces were pulling in left everyone gobsmacked. An IDF Autavia which normally is a $7k watch sold for 90 grand. A few other pieces made similar leaps. Now, I’m not entirely sure how or why this happened, or if it was all above board, but it happened. Funnily enough 2 of the more historically popular Heuers were left out of the action, I’m talking about the Siffert Autavia and the McQueen Monaco. Lunar Oyster actually has a really interesting Monaco 73633B up for sale. Usually I like my vintage watches clean as a preachers sheets. I think heavy patina usually is just a nice way of describing a damaged watch. Well, this Monaco has heavy patina and I think its cool. On top of that it’s listed for just shy of $8k (prob because of that aforementioned patina). The case looks sharp and the aging of the lume is funky and orange. I dig it.
$7,900
Rolex Ceramic Daytona “C-Tona”
In other news, it looks like the highly anticipated new ceramic Daytonas have hit the streets. The black ones seemed to get out before the white ones, which appear to have been debuted in the wild by none other than watchlebrities Ben Clymer and John Mayer. So, why am I discussing this in Market Watch(ing), you ask? Well, it seems that the watches have been landing in the hands of American grey dealers as well. So, while I know many of you probably think that your high position on a dealer list might secure you one of these coveted baubles, your best bet might actually be to go give your friendly neighborhood grey dealer a ring. Prices right now are bananas, but maybe you don’t care. Also, I assume those prices will be coming back to Earth sometime soon. David SW and OCRolexGuy seem to be the first guys to flash their pieces out on the lanes of Instagram, so you might want to talk to them.
Shane’s Picks
Mafran Squale Master 100 Atmos
I love vintage Squales. They absolutely capture the the look and feel of the golden age of recreational diving, as well as check a lot of boxes for what vintage collectors are looking for today. This example is a Squale made for Mafran, and it’s got a killer bakelite bezel and lacquer-finished dial. The aging of the lume is nice, and the only blemish I see is a hand-drag mark, which seems to be noticeable in the right light and at the right angle. For its age and intended use, I think it’s in fantastic shape. The seller is asking $1,250, and I don’t think that’s unreasonable.
$1,250
Omega Seamaster Soccer Timer Full Set
Yes, yes; I love Omega Soccer Timers. This is nothing new. However, I won’t just write one up on Market Watch(ing) unless it’s a deserving example. This is one such example. Here we have a Soccer Timer with box and papers, and even the original bracelet. If it had the roulette wheel bezel, it’d be 100% perfect, but this is damn close. For an extra few hundred doll hairs, you can get the roulette bezel, but as it is, this is a fantastic collector’s piece. The seller is looking for a little under €5,000, which probably isn’t unreasonable considering the full set. If you have any interest in a Soccer Timer, I can’t imagine you’ll find a better example hit the open market.
€4,750
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