Thanks, Ron . . . Great Thoughts Here. I will try to post a reply, sometime soon.

Jeff

++++++++++++++++++++++

: Friends,

: While roaming the net today, I also visited some of the collectors'
: websites with Heuer focus. One of them specizializes on
: Autavias. When I started reading it, my mind started floating
: back 6-7 years when collecting nice Heuers was still possible at
: prices around a 1000 Euros. Just have a look at this link;

: http://www.heuerautavia.com/00000099ec0939810/index.html

: The owner of the site obviously has been less active in updating
: the site. Have a look at those price estimates from not even so
: long ago.Sifferts for 2000-2500. Orange Boy? Around 1000 Euros.
: Prefer a 1163 GMT? You have to count with around 1500......

: Aren't we all drewling now?

: Assuming that those prices were right at the moment that the site
: was uploaded, we can ask ourselves the question however what has
: happened to prices but certainly also to collecting. Prices have
: gone up dramatically -and I mean dramatically- causing that
: quite a number of collectors are not able to follow anymore and
: lose interest. I myself find that quite sad. At the same time
: the real nature of collecting as we used to know it, threatens
: to be fading away slowly but gradually. Isn't my impression
: right that collecting is also more and more about business
: nowadays? "Unfortunately"a romantic collector may add
: to this development. Call me an old f..t, I started collecting
: Heuer in 1999, former century, but this impression has taken
: possession of me.

: The Heuer world until, let's say 2-3 years, was still a world where
: enthousiastic people exhanged views, traded watches and
: friendships were built. Now it seems to become -in a growing
: number of cases- more and more the domain of traders, sometimes
: presenting themselves a passionate collectors, doing nearly
: everything once they spotted a piece that they see as valuable
: for their business. I myself witness that in some cases
: relations between the collectors change from collector friends
: to collecting competitors. I have witnissed some cases lately
: which make me worry about this development. Some do everything
: to get a certain watch without bothering to lose good manners.
: In some cases misleading innocent sellers by imposing their
: expertise, in order to talk down prices. And not a few hundred
: Euro, in some cases more than 40-50% of today's value. In one
: case I talked to a trader who was proud having bought a nice
: Monaco from a 70 year old widow for only 600,-! .Other examples
: are sellers that promise to keep a watch on hold for a few days,
: and then sell after massive, almost stalking, pressure from
: another bidder. To me such practices are out of bound, proving
: that greed has taken over there.

: Some of you may say : "that's business", and of course
: that is correct in a way. There are limits however, and I guess
: all of you who read this,agree.

: Now since this is Christmas time I want to close this contribution
: in a positive way. The cases that I just described are still
: exceptions, the vast majority of the Heuer community I know,
: still have their collector's heart in the right place. Lovely
: people with a great hobby.Please let it stay like that however,
: and let good manners and chivalry prevail always over collectors
: greed.That at least is my intention, not only for now but also
: for next year and after that. I hope many agree to that.

: Happy hollidays to all and enjoy your favourite Heuer under the
: Christmas tree!

: Ron