Completely happy Friday, and welcome again to Deliver A Loupe! It is already been an enormous week for classic watch-focused content material right here on Hodinkee, and I am not letting my foot off the gasoline. In case you’re a weekly reader of this right here column, try my picture report from The Authentic Miami Seaside Vintage Present, because it’s stuffed with classic gems as effectively! Shameless plug, I do know. I admire the clicking, regardless. Considered one of this week’s picks is a Rolex Datejust that I noticed within the steel on the Miami present and has been caught in my mind ever since, however the remaining are good old style web sleuthing finds!
A lot of outcomes to recap from final week! Our two-tone Rolex Bubbleback ref. 3372 ended up at $19,801 on Loupe. That is one other sturdy end result for the simmering (wink) Bubbleback market. The opposite Bubbleback, a ref. 6332, with a blue enamel dial, has been marked as offered by Momentum Dubai; the asking worth was $38,116. Equally marked as offered had been our two eBay picks, a Patek ref. 3445G with Gübelin retailer stamp and a Movado made for the 1966 Solar Bowl. The asking costs had been $11,997 and $350, respectively.
Let’s get into this week’s picks!
1946 Longines Ref. 5415 Flyback Chronograph with Caliber 13ZN
Longines chronographs from the primary half of the twentieth century are thought-about by many to be technically wonderful to an extent that can’t be overstated. The caliber 13ZN is the king of this period of Longines chrono actions. Formally the primary flyback mechanism designed for and made in “mass” portions, the 13ZN was produced for 11 years from 1936 to 1947, and the watches it’s discovered inside are far and away essentially the most collectible Longines ever made. Metal examples with waterproof circumstances, just like the one we have now right here, boast a particularly devoted following and often promote for greater than most classic lovers would assume.
That is a kind of markets the place plenty of classic collectors won’t completely perceive what’s going on, however for the few dozen Longines obsessives, a large flashing crimson gentle seems of their imaginative and prescient instantly when seeing a seemingly trustworthy instance floor at a small public sale home in Falls Church, Virginia.
As a reference 5415, this explicit instance includes a waterproof case with spherical pushers and a high-pressure snap-back case. Whereas not photographed by the public sale home, this caseback is understood to snap fairly tightly and has an fascinating design function to fight the ensuing removing course of. Two “tongues” lengthen from one facet of the caseback to help and permit for extra grip. As with every good classic Longines chronograph, this reference has an enthralling Italian nickname, “Doppio Linguetta” or “Double Tongue.”
Situation and originality can imply tens of 1000’s of {dollars} for a watch like this. different examples of this reference, I think about this dial to be at the very least right, if not authentic to the watch. We see the identical dial in one other seemingly authentic watch with this identical batch quantity, 23020. Additionally, discover how shut the motion serial numbers are between the 2: 6929186 for ours and 6929135 for the beforehand offered watch. The one distinction between these two is the hand model, ours having a thicker hour hand. Don’t be concerned; one other instance from this batch might be seen right here, offered with an extract from the Longines archives as effectively. This third watch, motion serial 6929157, has that thicker hour hand. That is the form of forensic accounting that have to be achieved in evaluating the originality of a 79-year-old watch.
Situation-wise, this Longines may be very, very good. I just like the look of the subtly aged and creamy dial. The case traces look like considerably sturdy, however I am unable to make out a lot of the unique brushed end. So, it is in all probability not “unpolished,” or possibly it was simply worn a very good quantity through the years, however regardless, this isn’t an overpolished clean case, the unique structure is there. One final tip: do you see that filth/rust on the sting of the crystal? That is an incredible signal, as anybody attempting to prep this look ahead to a shady sale would doubtless clear that off the dial.
This Longines lot 122 of the January Tremendous and Ornamental Arts Public sale by Quinn’s Auctions Galleries on Friday, January twenty fourth, 2025 at 10 am ET. The excessive bid on the time of publication is $900. Click on right here to view the lot.
1967 Rolex Datejust Ref. 1601 in White Gold with Black Gilt Dial
Nestled in a case stuffed with yellow gold Day-Dates and varied stone dial Rolex finally week’s Miami Seaside Vintage Present, this humble white gold Datejust caught my eye and has been on my thoughts ever since.
Given the pattern in direction of “elegant” watches versus “sport” watches, most collectors I encountered final week needed to speak about Day-Dates and Cartiers greater than Submariners and Daytonas. That is nice; I’ve at all times been a fan of the less-sporty classic choices. The watch you will discover me sporting most is a gilt-dialed Explorer, in all probability the “dressiest” “sport” Rolex. It is smaller and delicate wanting and humble. This Datejust is much like the “sportiest” “costume” watch from the identical period. It is strong gold and really clearly a Datejust whereas that includes the identical gilt dial end as my Explorer and simply mistakable for stainless-steel at a look.
Tip: if you wish to spot a classic Datejust in white gold, search for the little infill on the within corners of the lugs, mimicking the midcase development of the Day-Date. Anyway, Tariq in all probability does not need to commerce my 1016 for this 1601 straight up so another person ought to go and seize this one whereas it is nonetheless obtainable. You may be the proprietor of the classiest, most under-the-radar classic Rolex on the planet.
The vendor, Momentum Dubai, is situated in Dubai and this Datejust has an asking worth of $31,300. Test it out proper right here.
1951 Rolex Oyster Precision Ref. 6098 Large Bubbleback Pre-Explorer
Nicknamed the “Pre-Explorer,” the Rolex ref. 6098 is a 36mm Oyster case that sits in a transition interval for the model. In 1931, Rolex launched its Perpetual full-rotor computerized motion, thus creating the Bubbleback period of the Thirties and Forties. By the tip of the Forties, tendencies moved in direction of bigger circumstances, and Rolex up to date its catalog with watches just like the 6098 and the ref. 5030 “Pre-Datejust.” Repeatedly known as the Large Bubbleback technology, these references had been an enormous step towards a extra acquainted Rolex catalog, which by 1956 would formally supply the Submariner, GMT-Grasp, Explorer, Datejust, and Day-Date.
On this pre-model-name interval of Rolex manufacturing, a single reference could possibly be used for a wide range of completely different watches. Let me clarify with the 6098. This identical reference encompasses strong yellow gold circumstances with “Galaxy” star dials in addition to the “Pre-Explorer” stainless-steel 6098s worn by mountaineers like Jürg Marmet and Norman Günther Dyhrenfurth on early Everest expeditions. See, very completely different watches.
The instance we have now right here is extra just like the early Everest watches and appears to be in sturdy, authentic situation. It’s on supply at a smaller public sale home within the UK and, in my view, is without doubt one of the finest methods to have a real piece of Rolex historical past for comparatively little or no cash.
This Rolex lot 193 of Tayler & Fletcher’s Tremendous Artwork, Classic & Interiors sale beginning at this time, Friday, January sixteenth, 2025. The excessive bid on the time of publication is £1,100. Get all the main points proper right here.
1970 Heuer Carrera Ref. 7753 NT
After being a bit fearful after I sat right down to compile the picks this week, it turned out to be a surprisingly good week to look the small public sale homes of the world. This ref. 7753 NT hails from one of many closing years of manually wound, basic case-shaped Carrera technology of the Nineteen Sixties and really early Nineteen Seventies. As I’ve frolicked explaining many instances earlier than, any Carrera, on this case with a panda or reverse panda dial motif, is taken into account to be extraordinarily collectible and fascinating. For probably the most superbly designed and legible chronographs ever made, contrasting black and white tones do a ton to ship these watches excessive.
This instance seems to have a reasonably clear dial with little to no recognizing or discoloration to notice. The lume plots are principally intact though with some discoloration that is probably not essentially the most enticing tone of creamy patina. I can look previous some poorly aged lume plots when a watch is seemingly contemporary to market, un-messed with, and authentic. FYI, this Carrera clearly wants a service and a few cleansing, however with a Valjoux 7730 inside, that needs to be simple work on your native watchmaker.
This Heuer lot 1719 of Rendell’s Auctioneers & Property Brokers’s Antiques and Collectables, inc. silver and jewelry sale beginning Thursday, January twenty third, 2025. The estimate is £4,000 to £5,000, and there have been no bids on the time of publication. Test it out right here.
Forties Mido Multifort with François Borgel Waterproof Case
As is custom, let’s finish with a “low cost” eBay discover. This one is up for public sale and possibly will not finish above a few hundred {dollars}, however if you happen to’re an actual classic head like me, you will adore it. Mido was an incredible model again within the Forties and in addition a shopper of my favourite case-maker, François Borgel. Different Borgel shoppers embody Patek Philippe (ref. 1463, 565, 2508, and so forth.), Movado, and Vacheron Constantin. The magic of classic Mido in 2025 is that you’ll find stainless-steel, water resistant Borgel circumstances for what’s, relative to the above manufacturers, nearly no cash. For instance, final yr, I picked up a Mido-manufactured Abercrombie & Fitch Shipmate with this identical rectangular case design for lower than $200. At that worth, why not?
Borgel’s rectangular circumstances are extraordinarily arduous to search out. Patented in 1939 beneath Swiss patent quantity CH 207378, the caseback and bezel type the 2 major elements of the case, and three locking strips slide onto the case sides to squeeze all the things collectively. The tolerances are tremendous tight, tight sufficient to make sure a water resistant seal with the assistance of a thick gasket. This identical case design is utilized in Patek’s ref. 1485, one in all my favourite area of interest classic Pateks.
It isn’t famous on the eBay itemizing, however I do know this Mido case, and it ought to measure as an undersized-for-2025-but-still-respectable 23mm throughout by 32mm tall. For reference, Cartier’s largest Tank Regular within the Forties measures the very same dimensions.
An eBay vendor in West Hartford, Connecticut, has listed this Mido for public sale ending this Sunday, January nineteenth at 9:06 pm ET. The present bid worth on the time of publication is $24.50. Get all the particulars and images proper right here.
