chrgod

Impressive research. I hope that is the missing link! I just wonder if a fire engine can have "officers and members"? I might be far off now... But isn't it custom in the US that organisations or private persons sometimes "adopt" fire engines and collect money to support the service and help to keep them running..? It is tempting to imagine the hero-firefighter who received the le Coultre after 20 years of faithful service at the local station...

A firefighters watch.. That sounds more exciting than some priests watch.. Thanks for the suggestion.

Nice pictures. Love that Aston Martin DB5 ( or is it DB6?) :-) I imagine Switzerland in November must be a somewhat dark and wet place.. Summer is past and the winter season has not yet kicked in.. You did not see the famous factory where they make AAA+ Swiss made replicas?

Last week I bought a genuine vintage le Coultre Master Mariner. A classic watch, suitable for all those dress and tie occations during Christmas. Lots of patina, but nice overall condition. It has a somewhat strange caseback engraving, which I wonder if some of our US-members can interpret... more of that later Replicas are fun, but to set things in perspective it is interesting to see what genuines one can get for the price of a high-end replica. This beauty cost me 350 USD in all. A very competitive price for a vintage le Coultre in fully operational condition with original dial. Caseback engravings and a probably unoriginal crown (unsigned) lowers the price. The Jaeger le Coultre is one of my favorite brands. High end with long history, but not very common. According to what I have found out, le Coultre was the Swiss watchmaker and Jaeger a Frenchman. Jaeger and le Coultre joined forces in the 1930ties, but their watches were sold under different names until sometimes in the 1980ties where the JLC name were introduced all over the world. "le Coultre" were used in the glorious republic of United States of America, "Jaeger" in France and Jaeger- le Coultre elsewhere in the world. Im sure someone here can fill me in. The Master Mariner is a small (34mm) watch from the late 50ties-early 60ties, with a high grade 17 jewles automatic movement. The caseback is a part of the case. The movement comes out from the front, which makes it more waterproof. Obviously it was targeted for marine conditions. "For Men who command". Don't thik they would use that slogan today! According to the seller ( Thebigwatchguy on TZ salescorner) it is a caliber K880 which is a stacked rotorwind movement much like those movements used in highgrade Vacheron watches of the same time period. Actually Vacheron made movements for LeCoultre during this time period. Anyway, the movement are very quiet in operaion and looks very well finished: This is the strange casback engraving which I need some help to understand... It says: PRES. TO FR. JAMES J. BARRY BY OFFICERS AND MEMBERS OF E 314 UPON 20 YR. SERVICE 2.1.43 - 63 I suppose FR might be short for "Father" or priest, but what is E 314?? It sounds like some food-conservation stuff? Or is it some US Navy vessel? An organisation with both officers and members.. The Salavation army or a secret governmental organisation...?? It would be very cool to be able to get some information on the history of this baby. A Google search reveiled no useful clues to me.. There are some James J. Barry around on the web, but whitout knowing what "E 314" is, it is hard to find a connection. Any help appreciated! Else, just enjoy the pics! And.. finally a wristshot of the Master Mariner. The perspective makes it look bigger than its 34mm. :

Very nice to see some "everyday" shots of the Evo, and not just those flashy dealer shots. Is this the first example of the rep Chronomat Evolution in Norway? The Chronomat Evo is a strange watch.. I can't make up my mind whether I love it or hate it... in some ways it is design just for designs sake. New looks and names almost every year, without much consistency.. But on the other side I cant deny it looks the part. Breitlings are a bit love or hate. I can understand your desire to get a nice watch to fit your genuine strap. It is hard to wait! Now we just have to wait for the Steelfish!

A bit different, and better than I had expected.. A black or blue ribber strap on an Omega deployment clasp would have been a killer!

And what about the date-font..? But, the dial itself seems very very nice. I love those swirils on the subdials!

A nice review. The finishing on most of the Subs are a little rough.. Thats probably why the gens cost some 1000s more.. But with some polishing and care, it can be made much better! I agree with the date mag. To me, the noobs magnification is too small. But, at the end of the day, I suppose it is down to personal taste of what matters..

Good looking watch, with a bit of "vintage Breitling" style.. I have been wondering if it is possible to use the movement from these cheap sub-100 USD vintage chronos to make a decent replica of the Heuer Monaco. It also have subdials @3 and 9 , and date @6.. Any thoughts on that? (Of course it is a shame to cannibalize a nice watch, but..)

Take a look at the date font of that watch.. The rep of the Link Chrono version with the polished bezel has previously had a really bad date font. However Ruby, over at RWI, posted two weeks ago a new version of this Link Chrono with correct date font! In my mind, the polished bezel version is a bit more dressy and more in line with the rest of the Link series.

Cute watch, simple and understated. Vintage Omegas are cool! Are there any markings on the caseback?

I have been wondering about the same issue, regarding the box sets that our dealers sell, like the one for IWC. Are they just like the genuine?

Thanks! Then, I for sure must get a Link Chrono.. Maybe the other Link Chrono version with smooth bezel and the Tachymetere scale under the glass. It is even more "dressier" than this one. The previous version had a very bad date font, but Ruby seems to have a new version with correct date font.

Thanks! There is not much winter on the Norwegian west coast yet!

Interesting post. I remember this story... Glad you reposted this from RWG1.

Excellent as usual. You set a high standards for reviews! I agree that the Link is the dressier choice. The SMP is more a toolwatch. I wonder, are the Link as thick as the SMP? The thickness of the SMP makes it a bit awkward to use with a long sleeve shirt. I try to use that as an excuse to buy the Link Chono as well!

Weird!

Do you have a link to the auction?

A good looker.. The nicest two-tone watch I know.. Excellent pictures as always, would be even better if the plastic on the bracelet was removed on all pictures

Hacking means that the crown is pulled out to stop the hands from moving..i.e "hacking the seconds hand", so that time can be perfectly syncronized. Some genuine movements, like the calibre 861 and 321 in the Omega Speedmaster moonwatch cannot be hacked. The seconds hand run even if the crown is pulled all the way out.

Very very nice.... You got the best Explorer II! Do you have any plans on changing the crown?

I have had three Asian 7750 so far ( all with the regular 6,9,12 layout).. One was dead on arrival, was sent back and is now just fine. One was fine, out of the box. One was ok, but has a constantly running chrono-hour counter.. There have been some threads about the quality of Asian 7750ties. Personally, I would recommend ordinary ETA-movements. for newbees. ETA are more rugged, simpler and just better.. But, alas, chronos are so cool.. Good luck with your choice.

Nice collection! It looks almost like as a dealers display window!

Nice and tasty collection.

A true classic! One of the best buys in vintage Rolexes... Wear it well!