Buying Enicars from China or India?

fredlind

New member
Sherpa
I have been interested in watches to some degree my whole life, but only in the last couple of months have vintage watches registered on my radar. For some reason (I´m sure you guys can think of a million of them) Enicar is the brand that has caught my eye. If I had been a millionaire, I no doubt would be starting my collection of their really exceptional chronographs, but my starting point will have to be much more modest. I think there are many beautiful, quite inexpensive Enicar models, but the question is where to get them. I read somewhere that Asia was a big market för Enicar, so it would not seem unreasonable to think that there would be quite a substantial supply of more inexpensive models to be found there.

I have come to understand that the ones coming out of India in many cases seem to have repainted dials (and most of the dials on the Indian ones I see at E-bay certainly seem to be too good to be true). One thought would be to buy cheaply from India enjoying them for what they are, knowing that the dial is reconditioned, but I guess you experts would see those watches as more or less destroyed and devoid of value in the true vintage watch sense.

At least some of the Chinese Enicars, however, seem to have dials with a patina that seems reasonable. Furthermore, many Chinese listings show pictures of what I, as a complete newbie, think look like genuine crowns, case backs, movements and dials. China is, however, a country producing a lot of watches, not all of the brand they claim to be. I´m also a bit concerned that it would be quite easy to send me something else than what is in the pictures (or a brick), and it would be more troublesome for me to dispute the fraud.

Do you have any experience of buying Enicars from Asia and could you give me advice on how to avoid at least the most obvious mistakes?
 

jbcollier

Member
Enicaristi
Sherpa
Research, research, research. Familiarize yourself with the various movements, dials, hands, etc. Several sites have catalogs from the 50s, 60s and 70s, and there’s the Enicar book.

Many problem are obvious: incorrect logos, sloppy printing, incorrect hands. I say “problem” as they usually come from humid, hot climates which take their toll on watches. They then get repaired and “restored” with whatever is to hand.

Should you buy Suspect Watches? Well, that’s up to you. If it interests and fascinates you, why not? The early collectors of legitimate Enicars were also doing it for love as they weren’t worth much compared to other brands. Though keep in mind while collecting as yet unloved brands may well reap significant financial gains, fake watches will never make you rich.
 
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