And Bring A Loupe returns! Sorry for the week or two off, we were, you know, making moves. This week we have a great range of vintage replica watches found everywhere from private dealers that seldom list online, to forums, and even Instagram. Oh, and we have one major buyer beware that will surprise a few of you. This is your Bring A Loupe for June 19, 2015.
Tudor 7928 Gilt Underline Full Box And PapersVintage Tudor is going through a bit of a surge right now ?check out our video when we went inside the Tudor vault ?and original pieces are next to impossible to find. Andrea Foffi of Ore del Mondo sent me this watch, which is a reference 7928 (first with crown guards) that features an underline dial, and full boxes and papers, and like every tag possible including the awesome Tudor anchor. There is no bracelet with this kit and you might be wondering about the hands, which are darker than the dial. Well, those are likely correct. Look at the 7928 owned by Tudor themselves and you see the same thing. You don't see Tudor kits like this practically ever, so if you're interested, click here to contact Ore del Mondo.
Omega Speedmaster 105.003 With Full Box And PapersAndrea sent me this other photo of a very cool Omega Speedmaster Reference 105.003 again with boxes and papers. The fake watch looks absolutely fantastic with the exception of the lume that fell out of the minute hand. Price here is about 14,000 euro, and more details are here.
Rolex Paul Newman Daytona 6264Paul Newman Daytonas, right now, are next to impossible to find. Believe me, I know. This watch, coming from replica watches In Rome, is interesting because it is the desirable black-bezel-on-white-dial configuration, but what's more is that it's not a 6241 but rather a reference 6264. This is the rarest of all Daytona references and with the exception of some pitting on the case back and the 9 o'clock lume plot missing its cap, the fake watch looks pretty good. Expect to pay a premium over a 6241, but a nice fake watch overall. More here.
Audemars Piguet Royal Oak With Military DialYou don't see rare Royal Oaks all that often, but here we have the seldom seen "military dial" RO. The fake watch dates to the pre-3120 days of AP, when they were still using JLC base calibers (and no, this is not the infamous 2120), so the price will be reasonable. This seller is asking $7,000 and the listing is over on Timezone. This is a cool fake watch featuring a great name and rare dial that AP will likely never make again. More here.
1950s Girard-Perregaux Alarm fake watch For $899This 1950s GP features a mechanical alarm and looks a bit like the early Tudor Advisors. This example is completely honest with an unpolished case, original strap and steel buckle, and even original crystal as you can see with the scratches all over it. A quick crystal swap would really make this vintage alarm fake watch pop, and you seldom find any replica watches of this age at any price fake rolex watches point in this type of honest and original shape. For $899, how can you go wrong? More here.
1970s Heuer Autavia 'Orange Boy'From the gentleman who sold a huge chunk of his collection on Crown and Caliber (featured here) we now have a killer Heuer Autavia Orange Boy. The Orange Boy comes from the funky, self-winding years in Heuer history and while it is not as rare as the Dark Lord Monaco, it is rather uncommon. The listing claims just 30 are known in the market. Rare or not, this is a super cool looking fake watch that I've always had a soft spot for. Original listing right here.
1940s Omega Air Ministry Navitor's WatchThis fake watch is in admittedly rough shape, but then again it's 72 years old and likely saw action in the Second World War. It was issued by the "A.M." ?or Air Ministry ?to either a pilot or a navigator back in 1942 and is marked as such on the case back. It features an original dial and even original crown. There is serious spotting to the dial and looks like some damage to the case, but if you're okay with that, you have a fake watch with a story for under $1,300. It's listed here for 795 GBP.
1972 Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Reference 5402STThe Royal Oak Jumbo is hot again, and I can think of about five people who have told me in the last three weeks that they'd like to buy one. This example is an early piece from 1972 that features all the right attributes, including original dial, GF signed bracelet, and heck, even an unsigned crown! This fake watch has some speckling to the dial, which is completely normal for these watches, though less than ideal. But, on the upside, the case appears to be quite sharp, and I know more than a few people who would pay good money for that original and unsigned crown. The fake watch is available at The Keystone for $30,000.
A. Lange & Sohne Lange 1 Timezone Buenos Aires Limited EditionThe Lange 1 Timezone wasn't release in white gold in serial production until 2012, but in 2010, a limited edition piece was made for the Argentine market. Few people know about it, and few people have seen these Buenos Aires edition Timezones. Made in just 100 examples and coming with white gold deployant buckles, these are really rare replica watches ?and today there is one listed on Timezone for $32,000. It does not feature the luminous hands like the later white-gold Timezone, but that makes it perhaps even more interesting. The listing is here.
1940s Longines Calatrava 'Cylinder'This 1940s Longines Calatrava is simply stunning. Okay, it's quite small at 31 mm but I've worn a Patek 96 at length and with the right strap and a little dose of confidence, you can get away with it. This fake watch is absolutely unpolished and original, and of course features that great mid-century Longines aesthetic that is so popular today. This one is just awesome if you can get over the size. Listing here.
Original Owner Replica Rolex Pre-Daytona 6238Nothing gets the juices flowing like an original owner Replica Rolex, and Geoff Isringhausen has this absolute beauty of a pre-Daytona. This silver dial 6238 he describes as untouched, and it retains a flawless dial with all lume plots. The silver 6238 remains an undervalued fake watch in the grand scheme of collectible Replica Rolex chronographs and this one looks as good as any. Contact him on Instagram if you'd like more details.
BUYER BEWARE: Fake "Japanese Racing Dial" SpeedmastersTwo weeks ago, the good guys at Wanna Buy A fake watch posted this instagram of what many believed to be an Omega Speedmaster Racing Dial Tribute from 2004. The feedback on IG was overwhelmingly positive, and several folks offered to buy it on the spot.
One person did indeed buy it, only to find out after some quick research that the fake watch was the very definition of a Frankenwatch. The fake watch came without papers, which is unusual for a piece just 11 years old, but not that crazy to arouse suspicion. But upon delivery of the watch, the new owner noticed several attributes not in line with the Japanese watch.
The 12 o'clock marker was wrong, the minute dashes in the chronograph register were wrong, the hands were wrong, and the bracelet was wrong. And yet nobody (including us for that matter) noticed this upon first glance. Finally, the icing on the cake ?if you zoom in you can actually see where somebody painted over "Mark II" on the dial.
Yup, somebody took at Speedmaster MKII dial and tried to re-create the limited edition Japanese fake watch that is highly sought after. The folks at Wanna Buy A fake watch conceded this fake watch was not correct and quickly refunded the buyer's money, but this is just another lesson about fake watch buying. Sometimes you get so excited about the prospect of a good fake watch that emotion overtakes reason and you make a mistake ?which clearly every single person who saw this fake watch on Instagram did. It's a scary world out there people ?as this fake watch shows ?so as always, literally and proverbially, bring a loupe.
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