Thanks, Jeff -- I took the admittedly uninspiring image into Photoshop and blew it up (my eyes ain't so good); I hadn't realized what a cob job was done on the bezel, and I think you must be correct re: the running seconds register: it does, indeed, look like the needle may have dragged... something sure tore it up. Having educated myself (to a minimal extent!) over the last couple weeks has certainly raised my appreciation for the rarity and consequent price of dials, bezels, crowns, etc. It would cost almost as much to bring it up to snake (as an Indian doctor I once knew insisted on saying) as to pop for something complete and in reasonable condition. Did you notice the movement? I'm going to send the image to my watchmaker friend to see what he thinks. It differs in many details from mine, but certainly seems to be a Valjoux something-or-other... I think.

I'm sure you're aware of this, but traveling around the web today I came across a Rolex Paul Newman Daytona, a chronograph I'd never seen or heard of before. Heuer prices seem positively bargain-basement in comparison!

Thanks for the observations.

Bart

: Interesting question, Bart.

: I would cite the following reasons for the lack of a bid on this
: one: second execution screw-back case is a bit of an odd-ball;
: people love the first execution screw-back with the big
: registers, and the later snap-backs, but this second-execution
: screw-back somehow gets caught in no-man's land.

: the damage to the bezel insert is very noticeable, at 12 o'clock,
: and the replacements are near impossible to find.

: marks in the running seconds register suggest some additional
: problems . . . was the needle dragging? or what?

: the photo is uninspiring . . . and we know that people bid on the
: photos, as much as the watches.
: So that's my quick review. Maybe a decent deal at under $1,000, but
: who really wants to own this one? so far, no bidder wants to own
: it.

: Jeff

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