WA1415
It seems like my wife has been looking at classic Formula 1s for ages, endlessly searching for the right combination of perfect dial, bezel and hands... and then trying to find all that on a bracelet rather than the plastic straps so many of these were originally sold on. Well, maybe it exists, indeed I think I found it in the photograph above - but then you see they price for that one (nearly $600) and you get to thinking okay, maybe we need to be a bit more realistic. One of the problems is of course the super high def pictures that sellers put on eBay, I mean I know that's a good thing for everyone concerned - but, as I pointed out to my wife: you're looking at something that's 1" wide and picking fault with it blown up times ten on a screen!
So while the watch my wife has eventually sourced isn't quite as 'perfect' as the one pictured at the top of this post, it still looks great. The lume pip has gone and the triangle isn't 100% complete either. The green around the dial is maybe slightly faded, and this is perhaps made more noticeable because the hands are still super green (I'm guessing they've been replaced or swapped from another watch), but overall... it's a smashing little thing. The lume on the hands still works, again suggesting replacement as the dial is pretty much dead, but the condition is generally excellent. Sure my wife might decide to invest in a new bezel at some point in the future, but even as it is it's pretty good.
This one was on eBay from the USA, we've been reluctant to buy from abroad in the past because of all the potential pitfalls (import duty etc) but finding what she wanted in the UK was proving so difficult (much like my search for 3000 Series) that she eventually decided to take the plunge. Once she'd made the decision to purchase I suggested she might like me to buy it for her for her birthday (here's a tip guys, get your wife into watches - it makes everything so much easier!), she jumped on that idea and then it was a case of waiting.
We were given an estimated delivery date of 7th to the 23rd of April, which meant it might not come until after my wife's birthday, but it actually turned up on the 1st, just nine days after the end of the auction. So that was a relief... but then I opened the box (not a proper box unfortunately) and had a little panic because the bracelet looked tiny. I mean, my wife has got really small wrists, but it looked like a child's watch. I knew the case was small, and my wife knew that - her Alter Ego is even smaller, but that bracelet was giving me stress. However, when I got home my wife tried the watch on and it was too big! I couldn't believe it, but two holes down on the clasp and it fitted perfectly, phew!
This watch came from 'bruce_watchguy', it looks like he sells these regularly and he has excellent feedback, I'd certainly buy from him again. I imagine, like most of these classic F1s, they aren't entirely original, but I think it's best to take these at face value. Being the affordable end of TAG's range in the 90s they were bought and worn, not babied and kept in safes, so genuine pristine examples are going to be hard to come by. I think my wife has done the right thing by accepting the less than perfect bezel, especially as she intends to wear this one daily.
I paid just over £200 for this one, and I think that's a very fair price, given the condition and the fact that it's on a bracelet. As ever the prices for these things are all over the place, so you really need to shop around if you're looking to add one of these to your collection.
No comments:
Post a Comment