# Original LACO B-Uhr on ebay



## mebiuspower (Sep 24, 2009)

Item # 250686017907. Seller is asking for $3500 USD buy it now, is that a fair price? He has zero feedback tho.


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Something is wrong with the hands, one seems to be re-worked.

Interesting, seller works with copy & paste without asking for permission.

These B-watches have been made for the German Luftwaffe by only 5 manufacturers:
A. Lange & Söhne
Laco (Lacher & Co)
Stowa (Walter Storz)
Wempe (Chronometerwerke Hamburg)
IWC
and contained high quality pocket watch movements:

* Lange & Söhne: cal. 48/1
(due to limited capacities watches have been assembled by Huber/Munich, Felsing/Berlin, Schieron/Stuttgart, Schätzle & Tschudin/Pforzheim, Wempe/Hamburg).
* Laco: Durowe cal. D 5
* Stowa: Unitas cal. 2812
* Wempe: Thommen cal. 31
* IWC: cal. 52 SC (SC= „seconde central")

The specifications of these watches had been defined by the „Reichsluftfahrtministerium" (RLM) - Imperial Air Ministry.
Due to those specifications all B-uhren had the following features in common:

A case diameter of 55 mm
Marked on the back with FL 23883 (FL = flight, 23 = navigation)
Equipped with large crowns in order to be used with gloves
Hacking movement (the second hand stops when pulling out the crown / essential for a precise time setting)
Breguet balance spring
Regulated and tested as chronometers
Long leather strap (to be worn on the sleeve of a flight jacket).

https://www.watchuseek.com/f67/stowa-flieger-eta-2801-review-5209.html


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

mebiuspower said:


> Item # 250686017907. Seller is asking for $3500 USD buy it now, is that a fair price? He has zero feedback tho.


It's got a great case and movement number (H4444) and looks like the minute hand was re-lumed. Personally I would ever bid on an auction - never mind one in that price range - if the seller has zero feedback. It's quite possible that the seller is an upright individual who just wants to sell their personal B-Uhr, but why take the chance when there are so many available on the market from known sellers?


----------



## mebiuspower (Sep 24, 2009)

Isn't the original ones very hard to come by? I don't recall seeing any for sale during my time here.

But I agree, there's no information of how the owner got the watch or documented history of what's been done to it.


----------



## Nalu (Feb 14, 2006)

With 6 days to go it would be simple to request a photo with a current newspaper to prove ownership. Furthermore, PayPal will give you some degree of protection.

The seconds may have also been re-lumed, hard to say from the junk photos. You could have the hands re-lumed with vintage-look lume and the watch serviced for a modest price and have yourself a nice piece of history for potentially a modest price (assuming the end price is less than the BIN, which is about the market for an original Laco from a reputable seller).

If I were looking I might consider investing some time into finding out more about this watch. If the seller balks at providing more information/photos, run away.


----------



## Beau8 (May 24, 2008)

mebiuspower said:


> Seller is asking for $3500 USD buy it now, is that a fair price?
> 
> He has zero feedback tho.




```

```
Clue one, no. Clue two, no~Cheers! ;-)


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

mebiuspower said:


> Isn't the original ones very hard to come by?


Hardly. There are always a few listed on eBay and Chrono24 has three for sale at the moment.


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

mebiuspower said:


> Item # 250686017907. Seller is asking for $3500 USD buy it now, is that a fair price? He has zero feedback tho.


By the way, H6060 (another nice number) is for sale right now on eBay too (180550773014) and has the same Buy It Now price. However, this seller has a 100% score over 911 feedbacks left. This watch also looks a lot cleaner and has what looks to be an original strap.


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

The second one an unoriginal crystal. The crystal is totally crap.


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

mebiuspower said:


> Isn't the original ones very hard to come by? I don't recall seeing any for sale during my time here.
> 
> But I agree, there's no information of how the owner got the watch or documented history of what's been done to it.


There are always one, two, three on ebay.de (mostly Stowa and Laco; Wempe, IWC, Lange & Söhne are very hard to find). Furthermore there's always a chance to grab one on chrono24.com. Crott autcioneers always have some in their catalogues. Watchmaker Buse in Mainz/Germany would be another good source to get one.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

The watch you guys are talking about is mine. Indeed I have no feedback, since I never sell by ebay. Its not that common in the Netherlands.

Pictures could/can be given upon request. I bought it almost an year ago but looking for another watch. As far as I can tell it is completely original.


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Aha, you are the seller working with copy & paste without asking for permission. No good style.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

]\[


stuffler said:


> Aha, you are the seller working with copy & paste without asking for permission. No good style.


asking permission for what? You are referring to the part of Stowa on the text of the watch?? That is not were I got the part from.

Btw you have nothing nice to say??


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Janne said:


> The second one an unoriginal crystal. The crystal is totally crap.


This is what I said earlier, and I stand by it.
NOT completely original.

Do not forget, Skim41, that those watches were living in boxes for the last 60 years or so, as no sane person would spend any money on unwearable N*zi crap.

Most got mishandled, bashed around, used as toys.

Once the collectors emerged, (us!) those watches were repaired with the parts that were available at the local watch maker.

Your watch can be restored to a much higher standard, by servicing the movement, adjusting it to chrono standard, and replacing the wrong parts.
All done by a skilled watchmaker, of course.

Thn it will be worth the asking price.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> This is what I said earlier, and I stand by it.
> NOT completely original.
> 
> Do not forget, Skim41, that those watches were living in boxes for the last 60 years or so, as no sane person would spend any money on unwearable N*zi crap.
> ...


Not completely original, because the band/strap is no longer original? Ok can live with that.

Have you seen the watch in person??? NO. So I do not think that you can tell that it is crap or not. Next to that, seems you have this crap on your wrist as well.

My watch does not need to be restored, the watch is except for the strap completely original.

You know what the problem is? None of you have requested anymore pics or information whatever, so again you can not judge on it. If you have nothing good to say that dont say it. If you want to say something make sure that you have done your homework.


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Looks like I'd better nip this in the bud. 

First, I'd like to welcome Skim to WUS and the Laco Forum. Skim, I think you'll find that Janne's reference to an incorrect crystal wasn't on your watch, but another watch that was referred to in this thread. I can only assume he thought you are the owner of both. Also, you would have to read between the lines of his post to understand that he wasn't calling your watch 'crap' - he was merely suggesting that this was the general sentiment many years ago before the B-Uhr became a collectable item.

As for the copy and pasting issue, I wanted to see what that was about but couldn't find your auction on eBay. Is it no longer there?


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

it is as Uwe says.
Your watch was seen by people as Na*i crap before people like us started collecting them.

Yes, I thought you were talking about that Ebay watch, the one which is not listed anymore. You did afterall say that you were the seller, or at least I interpreted your post in that way.

Not original strap? Well, you can get a modern made by/for Laco with the correct looks etc.
IMHO putting the modern Laco strap on it will not detract from the watch. Like when I put a newly reproduced (by Mercedes Benz) bonnet star on my ex 1939 MB.

Maybe you could post a pic or two, including of the movement, of your B-uhr??
Here, we have a (combined) lot of knowledge of the Originals!

Here's mine, with his little brother!!


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Skim, I feel you think we are negative and against you and your watch.
We are not.
But do realise that some of us have been collecting for decades, read all the litterature, discussed this type of watches untill our wife's hand in the divorce papers and have also been arguing/fighting between our selves!

Personally, I think that criticism is positive, as you have the chance to do a couple of minor changes and get the watch historically correct.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Uwe W. said:


> Looks like I'd better nip this in the bud.
> 
> First, I'd like to welcome Skim to WUS and the Laco Forum. Skim, I think you'll find that Janne's reference to an incorrect crystal wasn't on your watch, but another watch that was referred to in this thread. I can only assume he thought you are the owner of both. Also, you would have to read between the lines of his post to understand that he wasn't calling your watch 'crap' - he was merely suggesting that this was the general sentiment many years ago before the B-Uhr became a collectable item.
> 
> As for the copy and pasting issue, I wanted to see what that was about but couldn't find your auction on eBay. Is it no longer there?


Thank you for your welcome. If I misinterpreted I apologize. Im not the owner of both, I bought one early this year but am selling as Im looking for something else. The copy and paste, if you search under my name you will find a threat started in may, also for this watch. The text is in there, I copied it somewhere (partially) but not from this forum nor from the stowa thread.

The ebay thread is gone, as the watch is sold. However I have a non paying buyer.......


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> it is as Uwe says.
> Your watch was seen by people as Na*i crap before people like us started collecting them.
> 
> Yes, I thought you were talking about that Ebay watch, the one which is not listed anymore. You did afterall say that you were the seller, or at least I interpreted your post in that way.
> ...


I'm the seller. Again, as said 1 post earlier If I misinterpreted then Im sorry. I bought a "replica" strap of Juergen from S parts. I also looked at the laco but found the Juergen ones better.

I dont mind posting pics, but I have a bad camera, so the pics dont do it justice. But will try to make some decent ones.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> Skim, I feel you think we are negative and against you and your watch.
> We are not.
> But do realise that some of us have been collecting for decades, read all the litterature, discussed this type of watches untill our wife's hand in the divorce papers and have also been arguing/fighting between our selves!
> 
> Personally, I think that criticism is positive, as you have the chance to do a couple of minor changes and get the watch historically correct.


Reason that Im negative is that a lot of people will bash first before they realize they are wrong. I had this in the past with selling a sportscar as well. Also the guy who bought the watch on ebay is referring to this and is now not willing to pay.....

I understand that some people are here for their "lifetimes" but there are people who are just enthusiast and have to start somewhere and at sometime. I do realize that a lot of frauds do the same. Im not.

My personality does not respond well to criticism... I have been told in a sales training....

BTW the name is Rogier, the screenname is skim41


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Hi Rogier,

Was your B-Uhr the one with the H4444 serial number? What exactly is the non-paying buyer complaining about? I'm always surprised when I hear of this happening... why bid on something if you don't intend to pay for it? Please post a few pictures; we like seeing originals in this forum.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Uwe W. said:


> Hi Rogier,
> 
> Was your B-Uhr the one with the H4444 serial number? What exactly is the non-paying buyer complaining about? I'm always surprised when I hear of this happening... why bid on something if you don't intend to pay for it? Please post a few pictures; we like seeing originals in this forum.


Yes thats the one. First after he had won the bid he wanted to know if I was from Holland, or the Netherlands. THen if I would sent to Russia, as my ad stated differently, wile below it mentioned clearly will ship worldwide. And lastly he told me that the watch has been for sale for 4 times and he was informed by a forum. That together with the fact I have only 1 feedback he was afraid of fraud. He seems to have a friend who he wants to visit me and then buy the watch. To me this is not fair, as he is snatching the watch away for others, quite a lot have been bidding on it. And now he is keeping a reserve and is not paying.

Also he did not inquire about any details in advance, nor requesting any pictures.

Uploading of pictures is not working for me at the moment.

Regards
Rogier


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Skim41 said:


> Btw you have nothing nice to say??


I am afraid I have not.


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

I think the buyer thinks it is too expensive. 
The faults I pointed out earlier will unfortunately lower the price.
Crystal is not original, but a scratched and polished wrong sized crystal, shaped to fit.
Minute hand had lost its Radium, and been relaced. Both the Hour and Minute hand should have received the new infill at the same time.
Crown is not original

Your watch:











Do you see the diferrence?

And the movement is frankly speaking quite dirty.

YES, I AM BEING ANAL AND SPLITTING HAIRS!!!!

But, if you ask a premium price, your goods neet to keep a certain standard.

If you want a good price for it, it needs to get fixed. Or lower the price.

I would never one a Friend of a Russian Buyer in my house, I can tell you that!


----------



## mebiuspower (Sep 24, 2009)

I agree with Janne. When you're selling a high-end item on the internet such as an expensive watch and you have difficulty taking good pictures or don't have a good enough camera, that's a sign to people that you're trying to hide something.

Seriously this is 2010 (almost 2011), I don't think people expect anything less than multiple high quality photos of the watch along with detailed history, etc. It won't hurt to say you don't know as suppose to not providing any answers to the above.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> I think the buyer thinks it is too expensive.
> The faults I pointed out earlier will unfortunately lower the price.
> Crystal is not original, but a scratched and polished wrong sized crystal, shaped to fit.
> Minute hand had lost its Radium, and been relaced. Both the Hour and Minute hand should have received the new infill at the same time.
> ...


I disagree on the crown and glass. the lume could be, can not tell. They do barely lit. If Im asking a premium then why did the buyer bought it???? And indeed I do not want those people at my home, this is how burglaries overhere happen a lot.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

mebiuspower said:


> I agree with Janne. When you're selling a high-end item on the internet such as an expensive watch and you have difficulty taking good pictures or don't have a good enough camera, that's a sign to people that you're trying to hide something.
> 
> Seriously this is 2010 (almost 2011), I don't think people expect anything less than multiple high quality photos of the watch along with detailed history, etc. It won't hurt to say you don't know as suppose to not providing any answers to the above.


Even with a high end camera it is difficult to take good pictures. Also, they have the change to request more pictures. I have nothing to hide.

How do you mean `It won't hurt to say you don't know as suppose to not providing any answers to the above.` ?? What can I tell about its history when I have it since early this year? I bought it early this year??


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

mebiuspower said:


> I agree with Janne. When you're selling a high-end item on the internet such as an expensive watch and you have difficulty taking good pictures or don't have a good enough camera, that's a sign to people that you're trying to hide something.


I understand your reasoning, however, I think you're being a little unfair. I know from experience that there are many honest people with nothing to hide but can't work a camera to save their lives. Other than that, the OP said that he was willing to provide more photography to anyone that requested it.



Janne said:


> I would never one [allow] a Friend of a Russian Buyer in my house, I can tell you that!


I second that opinion; it all sounds very suspicious to me. It's also extremely ironic given the quantity of fraudulent watches that are coming out of Russia and the Ukraine. I can't believe that eBay doesn't do something about it. These unscrupulous sellers make all kinds of crazy claims for watches that have been 'created' using old watches cases with new, terrible quality dials. Sadly when you look at their feedback scores, there are a lot of people being burned AND they don't even know it.

By the way, where is Holland? I hear it's next door to the Netherlands, is that right? ;-)


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Skin41 !
Trust me, the crown is not original. Shape, number of serrations and the surface treatment is not correct.

The crystal should have a polished curvature all the way down into the case. I am possibly/probably wrong on your watch (I hope), but it looks lke the edge has been ground down. But a new pic taken from the side would resolve that problem.
Movement is dirty, but will clean up well. I understand it is in working condition, but as I always say, do not wind itup, as the movement will get damaged without a service first. Laco have some spare parts left, but not many after the latest production run with the modified (21 jewels) D5.

Minute hand? Yes, new lume/paint. IMHO the Hour hand should receive the same treatment.
I would not touch the Dial. Looks good, original
All the repairs done on the watch could have been done years ago.

As I said before, we should not forget that these watches are 60 years + old. For the majority of the life they were abused. Most of the approx 20 000 units that were made by Laco are gone. Bottom of the North Sea, 15 feet or more underground in ex SSSR and UK.

So, you have a nice, working piece of horological history, in need of a gentle restoration.

And please do not feel angry that the person that sold it to you lied about the condition. He possibly did not know much about it, just like you..


Edit: I checked on my own 55mm, and the surface of the crown is identical to the case.
As The case is of Nickelplated brass and has a satin-matt finish, I guess the crown is also Nickelplated.
I could not see if there is brass underneath, as it is not damaged anywhere. I do not have a weak magnet to check the crowns magnetic properties.


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

crown indeed should like this one


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

you are right, its just at the same spot 

I dont want it this way, you are sure to get in problems. We have a lot of burglaries here from the nice eastern european states, poland, latvia, russia, bulgaria etc. etc. They will scan your home, and when you are gone..... your belongings are gone as well.

I second that opinion; it all sounds very suspicious to me. It's also extremely ironic given the quantity of fraudulent watches that are coming out of Russia and the Ukraine. I can't believe that eBay doesn't do something about it. These unscrupulous sellers make all kinds of crazy claims for watches that have been 'created' using old watches cases with new, terrible quality dials. Sadly when you look at their feedback scores, there are a lot of people being burned AND they don't even know it.

By the way, where is Holland? I hear it's next door to the Netherlands, is that right? ;-)[/QUOTE]


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Thanks for your reply. I will have it serviced for shure and will be on the look out for the good crown, as you proofed me wrong. I will not change the hands, unless they can be done with radium as how they came original. 

I disagree on the glass, if you look at the drawing that mike supplied below you will see that the glass goes a little bith angled up than it goes over in the curve. Im looking to get a good camera within the next month or so, but will try to make a pic of the glass.

Im not angry on the person who sold it to me, it have checked the pics and I found it original and complete.

What do you guys do on the cleaning, you do it yourselves, or do you have it done by your watchmaker?


Regards,
Rogier


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Rogier, do not attemd to do anything yourself!
I can recommend that you send it off to Laco in Pforzheim.

Why?
Their Master watchmaker is very good
They might have the parts that you need (probably have)

Costwise, they are very competitive. And, they can supply an "ID" for your watch.

I did that, that is why I know that my example is fully correct, all original.

Rogier, personally I think that you should reconsider the hands. Nobody in the world can do a Radium lume, it has been banned for many years.
The old lume material crumbles, and pieces/dust will make the Dial dirty, and maybe get into the movement.

Yes, my relumed hands do not look vintage any more, they look just like your Minute hand, but I was prepared to accept this for the sake of future preservation of the watch.

I chose to only have the dial cleaned gently.










As I have been thinking about this thread a few days I would say that your crystal is original. You mention that it has been scratches and is polished. Which tells me it has been sitting on the watch for many years - original!!


----------



## StufflerMike (Mar 23, 2010)

Another expert on WW II B-watches is Meister Buse in Mainz/Germany.g


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

stuffler said:


> Another expert on WW II B-watches is Meister Buse in Mainz/Germany.g


I know, heard his name on a german forum before. I dont know if he still has a lot of "stock materials" though.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> Rogier, do not attemd to do anything yourself!
> I can recommend that you send it off to Laco in Pforzheim.
> 
> Why?
> ...


Thanks for the input. And your watch looks very nice!

I will consider the above once I know whether or not the deal will go through. I had contact with them before, do not know what it was again, I think to know whether they could check. As for the hands, I will think about this. Have they also done this at Laco? Also did you do the dial as well, to match? I still do not know if my hands are relumed. The minute hand looks very crumbled , and in the corner it is orange as the hour hand.... I will see if I can get a picture of that. Also both dont lume in the dark... only the hour hand very very vyer little and weak and for short period of time.


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Skim41 said:


> . Have they also done this at Laco? Also did you do the dial as well, to match? I still do not know if my hands are relumed. The minute hand looks very crumbled , and in the corner it is orange as the hour hand.... I will see if I can get a picture of that. Also both dont lume in the dark... only the hour hand very very vyer little and weak and for short period of time.


Everything was done by Laco.

The Dial is only cleaned. I requested that they did not touch the printed white or luminous parts on the dial, only a very gentle clean. Yes, there is a discrepancy in the look between the Dial and the hands, but it does not look bad, in my opinion.

The work they did was the following:
Relume the hands
Clean Dial
Take apart movement, clean and oil.
The Springbarrel was replaced.
Adjust to chrono specs. It runs about +-3 seconds a day now, which I think is fantastic.

Master Buse is good, I have heard.
Be aware of that a "normal" watchmaker might do some silly misstakes, unless you give him very detailed instructions.
This is also needed with Laco's master watchmaker (and I guess with Mstr Buse too?)
I send them the watch, and requested specified quote.
On my watch, Laco also wanted to Relume the dial, replace the strap and change the crystal, which I did not.

Over the years, I have seen some horrible over- restorations.
I have seen:
Black painted and re-lumed hands
Polished case, (gloss brass)
Polished and bright nickelled case
Reprinted/repainted Dials

Do not forget, that your watch is in an largely untouched state.Small details are wrong (crown), the hands are not the same colour, and the movement is dirty.

But, frankly speakig, this is not that difficult to fix. Better to have a dirty movement that one that has been butchered.

I understand you want to sell it, but maybe we can change you mind? These watches are increasing in value. Sometimes itis better to keep a watch, and save for the next project, than sell.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Janne said:


> Everything was done by Laco.
> 
> The Dial is only cleaned. I requested that they did not touch the printed white or luminous parts on the dial, only a very gentle clean. Yes, there is a discrepancy in the look between the Dial and the hands, but it does not look bad, in my opinion.
> 
> ...


I just sent them an email stating what I wanted. I speak German as well so no problems there. I do not want to sent it to a normal watchmaker. I was merely looking for alternatives. I forgot a little that they also do revision works, as im intending to sell.

Indeed I understood that Meister Buhse is indeed very good, but also very expensive. But I can not back this up or not. I will normally try to give as much instructions to do something as i can and know, but sometimes you have to trust on the manufacturer/ repairer that his opinion is right.

These things are indeed easily solved, and depending on the outcome of Ebay I will certainlly opt for that, whether I will sell or keep. Thing is however I set my mind on a 60's speedmaster as I can wear that more easily each day ( I have a LE speedmaster already) as this watch is very nice, but very difficult to wear especially when wearing a suit.

I know about the keeping, although I really like it my wife thiks Im crazy already with this large watch. Yet alone stand two expensive watches....


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

I took me 20 years to educate my wife that my little hobby is very important for me!!

I do not remmber the cost of the work Laco did, but I remember it was less than I expected.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

hahah

problem is that I have too much expensive hobbies.... we will see what their quote will be. I remember last time they came back within a couple of days.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

oke tried to get some better pics, hope it worked.


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Good pics! So good, I can revise some of the things I wrote before:
Movement is nice & clean, but will need a service and a tune up, of course (unless other repairs needed)
I think the crystal is original, but difficult to see.
One of the screw that keeps the movement in place, the one on the top pic, at 1 oclock of the pic, needs to be replaced

Strap looks original, except the follower I see on pic number three which is new.

Minute hand absolutely definitely relumed/repainted. 

A very nice B-uhr, in other words!!! A tiny bit of work will improve it hugely!

Where did you find it, do you know its provenance?

Yes, the Nickel plating has been damaged, and this is a quite recent damage, as the brass is not oxydized yet. Easy to do as the nickelling is soft, and the brass even softer.
I understand it works? If it has not been serviced, or you do not trust the previous owner (I would not) I do not reccomend you fully wind it to check the power reserve. If you have it serviced, (Laco or Buse) they should advise you if the mainspring is OK, or weakened and need to be replaced.

Just a thought: I wonder why a Russian buyer is interested? There must be several B-uhr on the Russian market. Many of these pieces were left behind on the Eastern front, together with cars, weapons, etc etc.


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

I was hoping to see a better picture of the crown, but it's good to see these fresh pictures.

Janne, did you ever post detailed shots of yours? I don't recall now...


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

Yes, but I do not remember in which thread.
My pics are far from the quality Skim has posted.
All pics taken before it went back to Laco.
I took some of them to help with the work on the WUS LE










This one shows the Blueing, and the old radium lume:










And this one shows which indices/markers and numbers are lumed ( matt surface) and painted ( glossy)










Movement before clean, lube and adjustment (plus a new mainspring)



















The original strap was shortened many years ago, and you can see the very simple retainer. When I bought the watch, the strap was bone dry. I applied many layers of leather food before it regained the softness.









The scratched case.


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Excellent stuff Janne! :-!

Of course you know that I'd like to see some "after" shots now!


----------



## Janne (Apr 16, 2007)

I will need to take them. 
In fact, I need to o a photo session with my latest buys!


----------



## Uwe W. (Jan 7, 2009)

Janne said:


> I will need to take them.
> In fact, I need to o a photo session with my latest buys!


I can't wait; but post them in a new thread... they'll deserve that at the very least.


----------



## Skim41 (May 3, 2010)

Indeed this screw caught my eye as well. But I didnt bother with it. But if it goes to Laco they can change it as well. The crystal is exactly as the print from the RLM, also it has some "cracks" in them from aging/drying overtime. But these should be able to polish out.

The strap is a replica from Juergen at S parts.

The minute hand still lits, the hour hand barely. The dial not at all. 

The brass is indeed damaged and looks fresh, it didnt happen when I had it, so maybe the previous owner. Or the owner before that one?

I bought it from a guy in southern France, I do not know were he got it from. But also in France a lot of this has been left behind.

I have worn it a couple of times, and indeed it works. It has some difference throughout the day, but cant remember how much it was. Time reserve was 36-48 hours or so. To me indicates that the orignal maltezer cross is still in there. As these are swapped alot as well.

Laco service is back on the 10th of January, we will then know what it costs to service it etc. 

Also from the russian buyer I dont understand, indeed a lot were left behind. But maybe they are now getting scarce. 

As for the crown, couldnt get it on photo properly, but its not genuine. I do wonder from which watch it came.


----------

