A very expensive Waltham

[pdaneu]

Hi for all,

Please look the Waltham this link http://www.oldwatch.com/spcl.html (http://www.oldwatch.com/spcl.html).

What do you think about the worth?


Regards,

Paulo

[Dr. Jon]

We don't do value assessments on this board.
The owner has very mixed feelings about selling it.
It has been listed this way for a long time so buyers are not jumping at it at this price. To my knowledge this is the only example that is free sprung but there are rumors that another may exist. Other crystal plate 72's at auction have brought a lot less.

This as close to a giving value as I think we are allowed.

[pdaneu]

Hello Don,

I know about the rules of the forum.
I was want to know only what the friends think about the watch.

Regards,

Paulo

[ronwatch]

We don't do value assessments on this board.
The owner has very mixed feelings about selling it.
It has been listed this way for a long time so buyers are not jumping at it at this price. To my knowledge this is the only example that is free sprung but there are rumors that another may exist. Other crystal plate 72's at auction have brought a lot less.

This as close to a giving value as I think we are allowed.

This is the only known free sprung 72 crystal plate. I have no doubt the owner will overcome his mixed feelings to a serious collector.

[Jon Hanson]

And, the remains....is it original or restored?

[Tom McIntyre]

The watch was discussed in Gerrit's article on the crystal plates and is interesting.

In addition to being the only freesprung, it has a unique pallet fork for these watches and also has no step in the foot of the balance cock as the standard examples have.

I was one of the "experts" who spent an evening examining the watch a few years ago. :)

It certainly has generated a lot of interesting conversations.

[Jeff Hess]

i think it will bring in the 6 figures for sure.

the "grapevine" suggests that there have been very very serious offers close to that figure,

I think that rare Howards, Balls and early complicateds like Fasoldts and Potters have only begun to astound.


Jeff Hess

[Jon Hanson]

The "experts" have never owned one much less taken a crystal plate apart.

Let's review this one: recased, dial reported changed, cock screw replaced, incorrect escapement compared to all others, wrong metal in the escap., no step in cock, as the correct ones would be much more difficult to make. etc., etc.

[Clint Geller]

To state the obvious, ownership and expertise have nothing necessarily to do with one another.

[TimeHandedDown]

How can a watch like this even if it is the only one be worth so much? I mean it might as well be a car or something huge! I can't believe it would bring 3 figures or am I just being nieve! Rob

[Tom McIntyre]

Without discussing the value of this particular watch, there are recorded sales of watches for more than $5,000,000. I think there may even be a wristwatch or two in that range.

The most valuable of the crystal plates are probably the ones in the Ford collection that were featured in a Bulletin article a few years back. The Logan watch with the picture of the Waltham factory on the dial is probably right up there also.

[Beetlebug]

I just like the fact that for that much money they still are charging extra for S&H LOL.