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Syrte
·Greetings everyone,
An unexpected purchase materialized today -- my first chronograph.
I looked at buying one for many months, but having just recently bought two long coveted watches I thought I was done for a while. Then this showed up (seller's pictures):
I had heard of those before, a pal who collects military chronographs even let me try one on.
They are said to have been used by the Yugoslav air force in the 1950s but little is known about them.
The seller was in Eastern Europe and the asking price was way above what I was prepared to pay.
One pusher is clearly off, and as usual no telling what a service might reveal.
It had what appeared to be a marvelous chocolate dial under a certain light.
But it looked more dull on other photos:
As it turned out the seller was not only willing to discuss the price, he was about to drive to Paris for the week end for the Euro championship. And he agreed to meet at a watchmaker's shop to have the movement looked at.
If the purchase went ahead, I planned to pay him inside the shop as I didn't want to walk around with cash in the street in the company of a stranger.
Lo and behold my safety planning was thrown off when the guy called, saying he and his friend were nearby but lost, and asking if I could come and get them. Darn. Two friends together? The watchmaker saved me and agreed to hold the cash while I went on my rescue mission.
So here I am in a fancy neighborhood of central Paris, linking up with two young guys wearing beer and heavy metal tee shirts, who had just driven 1400 kilometers for a football match, and shuttling them to a watch inspection.
The dial was exactly as I had hoped.
The original lume looked pretty good to the naked eye for an old presumed military watch.
The movement would need service but was deemed in good condition.
When I left the shop with my loot I was in a bit of a shock, not being used to such transactions.
Coffee and photos were part of the recovery.
A million thanks to @Northernman for his kind and generous guidance and encouragements.
An unexpected purchase materialized today -- my first chronograph.
I looked at buying one for many months, but having just recently bought two long coveted watches I thought I was done for a while. Then this showed up (seller's pictures):
I had heard of those before, a pal who collects military chronographs even let me try one on.
They are said to have been used by the Yugoslav air force in the 1950s but little is known about them.
The seller was in Eastern Europe and the asking price was way above what I was prepared to pay.
One pusher is clearly off, and as usual no telling what a service might reveal.
It had what appeared to be a marvelous chocolate dial under a certain light.
But it looked more dull on other photos:
As it turned out the seller was not only willing to discuss the price, he was about to drive to Paris for the week end for the Euro championship. And he agreed to meet at a watchmaker's shop to have the movement looked at.
If the purchase went ahead, I planned to pay him inside the shop as I didn't want to walk around with cash in the street in the company of a stranger.
Lo and behold my safety planning was thrown off when the guy called, saying he and his friend were nearby but lost, and asking if I could come and get them. Darn. Two friends together? The watchmaker saved me and agreed to hold the cash while I went on my rescue mission.
So here I am in a fancy neighborhood of central Paris, linking up with two young guys wearing beer and heavy metal tee shirts, who had just driven 1400 kilometers for a football match, and shuttling them to a watch inspection.
The dial was exactly as I had hoped.
The original lume looked pretty good to the naked eye for an old presumed military watch.
The movement would need service but was deemed in good condition.
When I left the shop with my loot I was in a bit of a shock, not being used to such transactions.
Coffee and photos were part of the recovery.
A million thanks to @Northernman for his kind and generous guidance and encouragements.
Edited:
