Query on Watch Auction

fortyplus

If this is an unsuitable post, let me know & I will delete immediately, or a moderator can. I am a newbie here, so apologies in advance.

It's tricky to ask this question without identifying the item, but lets try an abstract query.

There are lots of auction houses in Ireland, but I noticed one has a watch of interest in an upcoming auction. Due to COVID, it's all on-line, but with the possibility to visit & inspect.

So I was in the area and arranged to view a swiss made chronograph, and it appeared in very nice condition, very few scratches on the crystal or SS body. It appears to run. It did have a service record from the AD, and it looks as if significant work was done in recent years. I think I saw a reference to new hands & "parts" . No service invoice, but I suspect significant :eek:
On closer inspection of the watch face, I noticed 2 dimples on the watch face, and a slight crease close to the watch face edge over maybe 10% of the circumference(maybe a 1.5mm in). This version has only been manufactured after 2000 and does not show signs of physical wear, so what thoughts.

1) Run very quickly
2) If it's great value, go for it and budget 1k for repairs...

List new on the watch is around €7.5-8k

It is a very fine watch...

Fitz II

Post a link to the listing, hard to tell otherwise. Nobody will gazump you no need to worry.

fortyplus

Fitz II wrote: »

Post a link to the listing, hard to tell otherwise. Nobody will gazump you no need to worry.

It's not gazumping, but was not sure it was OK to do?

Fitz II

fortyplus wrote: »

It's not gazumping, but was not sure it was OK to do?

Its fine. People post links to for sale watches all the time.

fortyplus

Fitz II wrote: »

Its fine. People post links to for sale watches all the time.

IWC for sale

POBox19

1)
Your description screams 'impact damage'.

Fitz II

IWC is a nice watch, and that Portugieser Chronograph is lovely. The black dial in IWC is never as nice as the blue. I find auction prices on watches can be a bit mental and certainly their upper estimate would be overpaying. New dial and face screams waterdamage to me, somebody pressed the chrono pusher underwater and flooded the watch. Personally I would run a mile.

fortyplus

Fitz II wrote: »

IWC is a nice watch, and that Portugieser Chronograph is lovely. The black dial in IWC is never as nice as the blue. I find auction prices on watches can be a bit mental and certainly their upper estimate would be overpaying. New dial and face screams waterdamage to me, somebody pressed the chrono pusher underwater and flooded the watch. Personally I would run a mile.

All totally valid points. And there is ~20% hammer fee.
Due to dimples, etc, I might bet on impact damage, but one way or another, accident damage.
Amazing if other parts were replaced that that AD would not have replaced the face!

Interesting that a USED IWC chrono face is £400 on fleabay.

What must it be new...

Cyrus

fortyplus wrote: »

All totally valid points. And there is ~20% hammer fee.
Due to dimples, etc, I might bet on impact damage, but one way or another, accident damage.
Amazing if other parts were replaced that that AD would not have replaced the face!

It's not a hard watch to buy as it was and still is pretty popular I'd find a nice example on chrono24 personally

fortyplus

Cyrus wrote: »

It's not a hard watch to buy as it was and still is pretty popular I'd find a nice example on chrono24 personally

Lacing my running shoes as I type...

Cyrus

here is one in spain

https://www.chrono24.nl/iwc/iwc-top-condition-automatic-portugieser-portuguese-chronograph-black-dial-white-panda--id19855114.htm

are you set on black with white subdials?