Working with Eric Wind, a good friend and passionate watch guy, this lovely set came my way. I posted a Friday picture of this and its ghostly bezel. With a bit of time on my hands to get to know this piece and all its nuances, I wanted to share these images with the group and explore the “Tropic” effect which is something I am finding more and more interesting.

In watch terms this is an adjective for a whole host of effects such as chocolate dials, spider dials, ghost bezels etc caused by the effects of time and the elements. What was once new and pristine has gradually altered its appearance to something quite different and for some, quite beautiful. More often than not they are unique and one offs and it is this uniqueness that’s makes these very special and quite rare. Of course the tropic effect is a well travelled road in the Rolex world for one simple reason – when you get large volumes of one watch, they all look the same except the tropic’s which stand out and become sought after because they are unique and different from the rest. To use a well know English expression, they are like marmite – you ether love them or hate them. I like marmite and I like most tropic effects.

So here is my Orange Boy with a faded MH bezel - once black now a pearl like grey and once owned by G Lindemann who was probably a pilot from Illinois and spent many hours at high altitude. Could this and the resulting high UV and radiation be the cause of the fading bezel? Who knows but I’m unlikely to find out myself.

Regards
Paul
www.heuerworld.com