Bring A Loupe: A Rolex Pre-daytona, A Harvard Monopusher By Gallet, And A Questionable Patek Philippe

Happy Friday, and welcome back to Bring A Loupe! The more vintage watch shopping you do on the internet, the more "bad" watches you see. While I've heard the phrase "there's a wrist for every watch" in the past, I really don't think it's true. Beyond being empirically impossible, some watches are just too far gone. Today's column features a "bidder beware" Patek that is both imperfect and wearable. There is a wrist for this watch, but you should know some details first. If you like what you read here, leave a comment. I've been contemplating a full week of "bad" picks, from watches like this with flaws to the completely awful, too far gone, and flat-out fake.

But first, results! Our pair of U.S. Army provenance Tudor Submariners with consecutive serials have found a new home, the asking price was $45,750. At auction, the Rolex ref. 6286 with a faceted bezel sold for $2,750, and the Universal Genève Compur finished at $9,350 on LoupeThis. On eBay, our Asprey-signed Jaeger-LeCoultre sold for $1,299.

And now, this week's picks!

1966 Rolex Ref. 6238 'Pre-Daytona'

There is something about this reference. Over the past few years, I have been asked about the 6238 more than just about any other vintage Rolex. It could be the perfect storm of a unique look, relative rarity, and collector demand, but for whatever the reason, this is a very lusted-for reference. Some sources estimate that around 3,000 examples of the 6238 were produced. As this is vintage Rolex, and an official book has yet to be released that includes Daytona and Pre-Daytona production numbers, we don't really know. That said, from observing the market, these seem to be far less common than the Daytona references that come later.

Rarity aside, the 6238 sits at an ideal intersection. Previous "Pre-Daytonas" might have multiple scales on the dial or quirky features like "arrowhead" hour markers and large radium-filled hands. But the 6238 is about as close as you can get to a Daytona without being one. 

For some collectors, wearing a vintage Daytona says something they would rather not say. The 6238 says, "I'm really into this whole vintage Rolex thing," or "I'm a real head; Daytonas were so five years ago." That might be a bit much, you can wear a 6238 for whatever reason you want, I won't judge either way!

This silver dial example is coming to market at a reasonable asking price and is in solid condition throughout. The case is strong, showing signs of a light polish, but nothing to be overly concerned about. The luminous material on the hands and dial is full and has aged to a pleasing, creamy tone. Among 6238s that I have seen, most have some lume plot issues to note, from degradation to a few that have fallen off. The seller notes some spotting on the dial surface, but while I see it clearly, these spots don't bother me all too much.

The seller, Robin at Mann About Time, has listed this Rolex Pre-Daytona ref. 6238 for £35,000. It is fresh and yet to be posted to his website, but you can see it on his Instagram right here.

1934 Rolex Oyster Ref. 2416 In 18k Yellow Gold

Sticking with Rolex, here we have an early Oyster case. In a pre-Bubbleback era with a flat caseback and a manually-wound movement, the ref. 2416 is rarely seen. So much so that I don't have all too much to say about it. Before Rolex nailed down its catalog in the 1950s, we see many short production-run references like this. The interesting thing to see in this era is the very non-Rolex design language used. From the cushion case to the two-tone Art Deco-esque dial, it's more similar to what other brands were doing in this era, whereas later Rolex models are more clearly differentiated from the rest of the market.

This watch immediately reminded me of a ref. 3139, which I had a chance to view during last November's Geneva auction season. Up for sale at Antiquorum, I pegged this steel cushion-cased Rolex as a sleeper pick of the season. It did well, selling for CHF 4,000, but that isn't all that expensive in the grand scheme of things. I would expect a similar result here, accounting for some premium, as this 2416 is gold, but you'll get a really interesting Rolex for less than you might think.

The dial features a retailer signature, Murdock's of Cape Town, South Africa. Still in business, Murdock's fancies itself as Cape Town's Original Jeweler and dates back to 1897. The case has some signs of polishing, but the hallmarks on the side of the case and the top of the one o'clock lug are present and readable – that's how I figured out the watch was 18k gold.

This Rolex ref. 2416 is lot 2124 of Schuler Auktionen AG's Art, Antiques, Vintage & Lifestyle sale starting today, Friday, March 14th, and running through Wednesday the 19th. The estimate is CHF 2,000 to 3,000. Check out the auction listing right here.

1940s Harvard By Gallet Regulator Monopusher Chronograph

The watch world's worst-kept secret has been made news as of late—Breitling acquired Gallet. With Breitling set to "officially" announce Gallet's revival here soon, it's a perfect time to feature one of my favorite vintage models. You won't find Gallet's name on the dial here, but the brand actually held exclusive rights to this regulator design and the Venus caliber 140 movements during this period. So, if you see one with a different name, it was made by Gallet.

As the movement is marked, Harvard, or Imperial Watch Co., was a brand focusing on chronographs in this era and offered a few different Gallet-made models. Whereas you may pay a slight premium today for a Gallet, the Harvard versions of the same watches typically trade lower and are, in fact, less common. The watch measures 34mm in diameter and 38mm lug to lug. It has a case design that is very similar to Patek's ref. 96 in my eyes, with a flat edge on top of the bezel that I find attractive.

Regulator chronographs aren't found all too often. In an era when some people really relied on the chronograph, either at work or while racing a car over the weekend, the regulator puts more focus on the stopwatch function, deprioritizing the time of day to a sub-dial at 12 o'clock. Gallet made two versions of this watch. First-generation examples like the one we have here are easily identifiable as monopushers, whereas the second generation has your typical start/stop and reset layout.

An eBay seller in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has listed the Harvard chronograph for auction, ending Sunday, March 16, at 5:49 P.M. ET. At the time of publication, no bids had been placed on the opening offer of $900. Get all of the details right here.

1970s Mondia (Mini) Diver

Mondia has been featured on the pages of BAL before, but the relevant story here is quick. When Movado and Zenith merged in 1971, a third company, Mondia, was included, yet in typical descriptions of that deal, it is often left off. A much smaller company, Mondia focused on design and utilized off-the-shelf calibers. Most I have found, like this one, have some ties to Italy. Mondia seems to have been targeted to the Italian market in some way.

Here, we have a 30mm diameter dive watch branded as Mondia, but as the hangtag states, "Mondia é una marca di Zenith" or "Mondia is a Zenith brand." The movement inside is not a Zenith but rather an A. Schild. For a short period in the 1970s, Mondia was used as somewhat of a Tudor-esque brand for Zenith. It was assembled by Zenith but with "standard" èbauche calibers. In what looks almost like new old stock condition, this is a great one for less than $350 if you're looking for an interesting undersized dive watch.

An eBay seller in Napoli, Italy has listed Harvard chronograph at a Buy It Now price of £299. Check it out in full right here.

Bidder Beware: 1950s Patek Philippe Calatrava Ref. 565 In Stainless Steel

As it is among my favorite vintage Calatrava references, I rarely miss a 565 for sale or coming up for auction. With a 35mm diameter water-resistant case by none other than François Borgel, this is, in many ways, Patek's first sport watch. "Dressy" by today's standards, if you were after a do-everything time-only Patek in the 1940s, this would be your pick. This example has a central seconds hand thanks to the caliber 27SC inside, a stainless steel case, and, of course, everyone's favorite Breguet numerals. The watch is checking a lot of boxes, so why is it labeled bidder beware?

Last offered at auction in 2001 via Antiquorum Geneva, this 565's last 24 years appear to have been rough. Back then, the dial looked to be in acceptable condition, with some darkness to the seemingly original radium lume plots and a bit of patina and darkness to the lume in the hands. All was fine. But since, the watch seems to have been relumed with a new luminous mix that is more white or green in tone. Beyond not being the original lume, the color of this lume is just not attractive to me.

Left image courtesy of Antiquorum.

So the lume was redone, that's ok, maybe. But if we keep digging, we can see that the outer track on the dial has been sloppily reprinted. The most apparent tells are the rounded top "3" in "30" at six o'clock, the "5" in "50," and the "0" in "10." Interestingly, some of the outer tracks look original, like the "20" and "25." With overlapping print, I assume the reprinting is partial and was done right over the top of the old track and numbers. If we look at the photo in 2001, it appears the track was original then.

Lastly, the "Patek Philippe Geneve" signature is certainly lighter than it was 24 years ago, signaling that the dial was sanded. This signature was originally rendered in raised enamel. Part of the reason for doing this was to allow for dial sanding and cleaning but someone has gone too far, the signature barely has any enamel left.

Piecing together the clues, I would guess we're looking at the aftereffects of a catastrophic event and a sloppy cleanup. Maybe water entered the case and damaged the dial. Then, the wrong "restoration specialist" was put in charge of bringing the watch back to presentable. Whatever the reasons, any bidders should know that this dial printing is far from original.

Here is the link to the auction. Bidder beware, click at your own risk.