In this week's Bring A Loupe, we start with two great classics: an oversized Patek Calatrava and a blue Rolex GMT-Master. Next, we've got a handful of chronographs from Doxa, Eterna, and Enicar. We also go back to the watch scandal of the week, looking at a Heuer Autavia that did really well at auctions despite some potential reasons for concern. This is your Bring A Loupe for May 20, 2016.
A Rolex GMT-Master Reference 1675 With Blueberry Bezel
The bezel insert is the symbol of the GMT-Master, with the infinite variety of shades it can develop during aging driving the infatuation for those vintage watches. Obviously, this single part makes every single GMT unique, where the patina reflects the life of the piece. The blue bezel – also known as "blueberry" – goes one step further in exclusivity and actually affects the value of the watch more than all the other components put together. Unfortunately, most of the inserts that you see around are replicas of the few genuine ones that Rolex had reserved for special orders in the 1970s. The watch here is authentic, however, and with such a nice dial and case, you definitely get a killer GMT.
The dealer HQ Milton lists this blueberry GMT for $27,550 here.
A Patek Philippe Reference 570 – An Oversized Calatrava
"Oversized" can feel like an exaggerated term for a 35 mm watch, but it makes total sense for the Patek Philippe reference 570. This watch was, in fact, designed as a bigger iteration of the very first Calatrava, the ultra elegant reference 96 with a 30.5 mm diameter. Produced for more than 30 years, the 570 kept the design of the 96 – think stunning flat bezel and sharp dauphine hands – but with more generous dimensions. This explains the persistent success of this reference among collectors, especially in the white metals – ranked by increasing rarity, they are white gold, stainless steel, and platinum. It is truly amazing how a watch launched in 1938 can still feel so modern almost 80 years later.
The Keystone is offering this big and beautiful Patek for $28,500 here.
A Doxa Chronograph With Waterproof Case
If you have no clue what a "Spillman" case might be, the term refers to a specific 38 mm chronograph case currently getting a lot of love from the vintage market. Spillman was one of the illustrious Swiss case-makers of the past century; its client list included no less than Rolex – hence, the C.R.S engravings you often find on the case back, for C. R. Spillman. And while the case might be one of the main attractions of this Doxa, its tricolor dial is pretty lovely too. Additionally, the Fab. Suisse mention probably indicates France as the original market of this chronograph (which is powered by the trusted Valjoux 22).
You can find this great Doxa for 3,999 euros (or around $4,500) here.
An Eterna Chronograph With Tropical Dial And Step Bezel
This Eterna does offer another Fab. Suisse dial, described as a tropicalized gilt version, but it is hard to tell from the provided pictures. On the other hand, the step bezel really jumps out, offering an amazing profile to the 37 mm case – quite a sweet spot for case dimensions. The two layers of the flat bezel nicely echo the sharp lines of the rectangular pushers. Lots of angles and lots of charm there, and it could get even better if the dial proves a bit more alive on the wrist than it does in the seller's images.
The dealer Cosimo just listed this promising Eterna here.
An Enicar Sherpa Graph Reference 072-001 With Cool Silver Sub-Registers
This eBay listing gets quite technical about the Sherpa Graph, mentioning a Mk2 dial, in a similar fashion to what has been established for collectible vintage Rolex and Heuer. This execution looks really good with the characteristic silver sub-registers and thin handset – note that the patina of the lume is darker there than on the indexes. The the 40 mm Piquerez case sits well on the wrist, and the chronograph function is via the famous Valjoux 72 movement. Overall, a pretty sexy combo, that helps explains the growing interest in vintage Enicar.
You can find this Enicar listed on eBay here; at the time of publishing, bidding was still below $4,000.
A Notable Sale Of The Past Week – A Questionable Heuer Autavia
Last but not least, this Heuer Autavia was successful at auction, despite rampant criticism in the watch world. The auction love translated into a final price nearing $70,000, while most Heuer aficionados highlighted its many flaws all over the Web – you can find a good thread here. So what is wrong with this Autavia? Based on the dial, this Autavia does deserve the nickname "Rindt," after the racing driver that wore a similar example. Unfortunately, the serial number of the case is much too early to be consistent with such a dial, and the hands happen to come from an even later execution. In the end, you get have an accumulation of unrelated parts that makes the scale of the bidding perplexing.
You can find this past Auctionata listing here, and the winner can be sure that he now owns a pretty famous watch, although perhaps not for the most reassuring reasons.
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