I puzzled over this decision. Clearly, the collectors already know the watch. If I changed the bezel, you'd still have known.
Sure, someone might be scared off by the gouged bezel. It was a risk I decided to take.

Why? Because it shows I am not hiding anything. It's condition is honest. The new owner can easily replace the bezel, and he/she will know exactly what they have. Did I make a mistake? Possibly. We may find out the answer next week, but I suspect we will never know the impact a bezel swap would have made at this sell.

All that said, I did try to source a bezel. I even bought a "NOS" one for about $1100. It didn't look quite right - a brand new bezel against a dial with a VERY nice patina (I think you guys should focus on that dial - not a single bit of lume is missing and it's gracefully and mildly aged like fine wine, the hands and dial are awesome). Then I took a closer look and the "NOS" bezel, in my mind, wasn't even original Heuer. The little turrets were not shaped the same. It, in my opinion, was a very good copy of an original. It fit well but I could not feel right about selling it as original when my suspicion was that it was a copy. The seller of the bezel accepted a return.

PS - I hope you don't crash your Vespa. And I certainly hope you don't damage your OB or yourself. And when you sell your Chronomatic, swap whichever parts you want. :-)

: I am not convinced guys.
: But I guess the result of the auction will tell us.
: I agree that originality is everything on a vintage watch,
: especially this one.
: It goes for the case, the dial, the hands etc..
: But the bezel? These bezels can be changed in 5 seconds. Ok the
: buyer will be able to do it.
: That means that the seller could have done it. The watch would have
: looked way better and wouldn't have scared some potential
: buyers.
: The history of the watch would be lost?
: Come on guys, and will all respect to our fellow OTD member, when I
: get in a crash with my 71 Vespa P200 and my OB gets a nasty
: scratch in the bezel......
: Not sure about the value of that story. :-)
: I agree I wouldn't change anything to a watch Jo Siffert scratched
: in a bike accident.
: Fact is it is always nice to hear different opinions in important
: matters like these.
: Enjoy the weekend guys.
: B