I'd been searching for the right Monnin diver for more than a year. I knew the configuration I wanted was an automatic, Made in France, with the cathedral hour hand. Such a watch popped up on the Bay a couple of months back. It was in rough shape. But I took a gamble.

When the watch arrived, not only did it look destroyed, but it didn't run. You could barely set the hands because the stem had been so worn down. The bezel wouldn't turn because so much dirt and grime had accumulated underneath it. Here's a look at it, as posted in the auction:

I sent the watch off to England. The movement was serviced. The case was extensively cleaned. A new crystal and stem were installed. The hands were re-lumed to match the PERFECT dial. Here is what I received in the mail today:

A HUGE thank you to James Hyman for his work on this. I'm not a gambler, but sometimes it pays to take a chance. Cheers all.