Just a Little Perspective on This Collection

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Just a Little Perspective on This Collection

In Response To: OTD Exclusive: First Photos, Patrizzi Auction of 129 Heuers ()

It's getting late here, but I wanted to share just a couple of quick thoughts on the Patrizzi "Heuer Only" auction, which has been the subject of some discussion, both on this forum and in some e-mail messages.
We sometimes say that "you are not buying the watch, you are buying the seller", so perhaps it is worthwhile here, to see what we can understand about the seller of these watches . . . or the person who assembled this collection . . . and the auction house that is now selling them.
In the catalog, we see approximately 100 watches, in conditions ranging from some that seem to be recently completed "projects" to some that seem to be near mint, in very nice condition. And we know that the 100 watches that we are seeing are the ones that remain, after several fakes and frankens were removed from the auction. So this tells us that the collector who assembled this collection was not a "mint only" or "near mint" collector, but he seems to have been satisfied to have collected almost anything with the name "Heuer" on the dial (regardless of how that name got onto the dial). [And to put this into perspective, it is probably fair to characterize our community as almost exactly the opposite; with all due humility and apologies for what may sound arrogant, most of the collectors who post on this forum are meticulous about their watches, and the watches posted here represent the very top vintage Heuers, with few exceptions]. Still, going back to the collection being sold, there are some excellent, high-dollar pieces, particularly some of the Monacos and Carreras . . . so he was not just a bargain hunter or a project hunter . . . there are some really fine watches in this collection. It's just that we don't see the absolute purity / consistency that we see in our own collecting community.
In terms of the Patrizzi angle, it seems fair to say -- after studying the collection and reading some of the descriptions -- that they do not know too much about the vintage Heuers. Yes, they seem to be learning quickly and with enthusiasm, but the numerous mistakes in the catalog tell us that the catalog was put together quickly and without careful attention to detail (and without a deep knowledge of the Heuers). Still, give them the credit for removing the frankens and fakes, as well as 15 "specials", as soon as they became aware of the issues.
So all in all, it is fair to say that this collection is not up to the highest standards of this community, but I believe that there are plenty of nice watches that many of us would be / will be happy to own. When we look at it that way, I hope that we can enjoy this auction, and maybe even score a few watches, for the benefit of our community.
Thoughts from other readers, please?
Jeff
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

: I am delighted to be the first website to present the photos of
: amazing Heuer chronographs to be offered by Patrizzi & Co,
: on Saturday, November 28th, in Milan.

: I have quickly reviewed the 129 watches included in the catalog,
: and selected these four for this preview, not necessarily as the
: personal favorites, but as four that I expect to be of great
: interest to our readers: there has been much discussion of the
: Autavia Divers, and this looks like a nice sample of the 11063P,
: with the decompression bezel this Monaco is the favorite of
: several readers the gold Carreras have been "hot"
: lately, with several of our readers chasing them [who knows,
: perhaps someone will choose to chase this one!!] many see the
: Silverstones as the one watch to watch in 2010, as TAG-Heuer
: releases the re-issue, as part of the 150th anniversary
: celebration The "paper" catalog has just been printed;
: the online version will be release soon; but these four are for
: the OnTheDash / Chronocentric / VetroPlastica readers to enjoy.

: Of course, comments and discussion will be welcomed; the full
: catalog is under "embargo", so I am limited in terms
: of what I can release, but I am happy to answer some reasonable
: questions: Are there lots of wonderful watches for us? Yes. How
: many Silverstones? Three, and anyone can guess the colors . . .
: hint: none of them are black. How many Monacos? Too many to
: count. Are there any Carrera 12 Datos, with the "fat
: lugs"? Yes. What about the Carrera 12 Dato NS, the new King
: of the Carreras. Sorry, but none that I could find. Are there
: some "frankens" [combinations]? Maybe . . . it
: wouldn't be a Heuer auction without a handful of these. What
: about these so-called "Specials" that we keep hearing
: about? Yes, but let's see what we can learn about them, before
: we start screaming. [Of course, there will be plenty of time to
: scream, if we choose to do so.] Abercrombies? Yes. Poor men's
: Heuers? At least one. Rich men's Heuers? Yes, yes, yes . . . and
: yes again!! Strongest selection? Carreras, in my view. Are they
: all perfect / NOS / mint? No, but there are plenty of really
: nice pieces that most of us would be thrilled to own. Anything
: to mount OnTheDash? Well, I suppose that you could drill through
: the strap or bracelet, and mount some OnTheDash, but none really
: made for that purpose. Anything for the soccer (football)
: freaks? Yes. Anything for the Harley Davidson freaks? Yes. Any
: of those super-cool, red-cased, split-second rally chronographs?
: Not unless I missed the listing, which seems unlikely. OK, then
: what about the super-cool, black-cased, split-second rally
: chronographs? Same as above. Any boxes and papers? Man, this is
: a watch auction, not an ephemera auction. [by the way, what is
: this ephemera that we keep hearing about?] Anything with the
: name "Sears Roebuck" or "Allstate" on the
: dial? Like I said, this collection was put together in Italy,
: not Iowa, Indiana or Illinois. When was the last time you saw a
: Sears Roebuck in Italy? How many "Memphis" watches in
: the auction. Five that I can count!! Oh, my mistake . . .
: actually zero. I am becoming more and more convinced that I will
: own the only one ever produced. Daytona? Of course. Kentucky?
: Yes. Pasadena? Yes. Atlanta? Yes, two of them . . . and I am
: not kidding!! Alabama or Augusta? Sorry, no such thing made by
: Heuer. Maybe see whether Antiquorum might have one of these for
: you. Any Index Mobile or split second chronographs? Sorry, no
: such thing made by Heuer. Maybe see whether Antiquorum might
: have one of these for you. Anything used at the filming of Le
: Mans? Well, maybe . . . I mean there were hundreds of people
: there, wearing hundreds of watches, so maybe someone has cooked
: up some "provenance". Maybe see whether . . . [you
: know the rest] Anything owned by Steve? Huh. Who is this
: "Steve"? What about the Sifferts? Yes. Anything worn
: in space? Doubtful . . . very doubtful. How much caffeine have
: you had today? And how much sleep this week? Loads of the former
: and a little of the later. Did you take a "power nap"
: earlier this evening? Yes, how else could I possibly be writing
: this so-called "Q&A"? Will any of the "Ten Great
: Mysteries" be solved by this auction? Hope springs eternal
: . . . I am very optimistic!! So get ready for an exciting two
: weeks in the vintage Heuer world.