Sherpa Graph Ia up for auction on June 11th

[Joe_A]

Let's start with a photo:



It looks to me as this watch did not start off life with skeletal hands.

Either the luminous material is original, was added very early on, or a true 'artiste' added the luminous material to make it look as though Kenneth Branagh is Hamlet and did not merely play at being Hamlet. He could have been Hercule Poirot as well!

Only a couple of photographs . . .









I make the serial number out to be, clearly, 272##5. Looks like 272635 to me.

I have written the auction house for a clarification.

They mistakenly listed the brevet number as the S/N, but they will put it right.

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[JimJupiter]

It’s 272.635 and I guess the lume was added earlier in its life. You can clearly see the radium At the top of the hands.
Seller contacted me half a year ago. Watch comes from an estate of his friend. Got this pics back then.
All in all a nice one. With a a dent at the lug (or lost stainless).

Nico

 

[mgernhar]

It’s 272.635 and I guess the lume was added earlier in its life. You can clearly see the radium At the top of the hands.
Seller contacted me half a year ago. Watch comes from an estate of his friend. Got this pics back then.
All in all a nice one. With a a dent at the lug (or lost stainless).

Nico

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where is it on auction. it looks nice to me. what do you think its worth... maybe 11-14 k?

 

[JimJupiter]

The auction is linked in Joe‘s posting. Pricewise we will see. Last one with Vasa provenance was sold for around 20k €. I can’t say how big the vasa bonus was. My guess, not so big.

Nico

 

[SteveHarris]

It will be an interesting one for sure as we are living in interesting times, which may cut down on the number of potential bidders. If I were to guess (and I am usually wrong on these things ) this could be your best - and possibly last chance to get one of these at a 'reasonable price'.

 

[mgernhar]

where is it on auction. it looks nice to me. what do you think its worth... maybe 11-14 k?

Hi Jim, are the 1a sherpa graphs more value with the skeleton hands, with lume, or without any lume?

 

[JimJupiter]

Well, I guess most guys prefer the gladium hand version over the paddle one. Both are legit and known in equal numbers In this reference. It’s just that the paddle were used till 1966/67 and the gladium ones are unique to the Mk1a.

if you ask me, I think the gladium hands were originally never lume filled. They were lumed for better night visibility later ( it doesn’t meant they never had lume at all. The radium lume is on the top edges of the hands if you look closely ).

since it’s easier to remove wrong lume than adding correct one, this shouldn’t affect the price IMO.

Nico

 

[Joe_A]

In the very first photo at the top of this thread, I do not see any evidence of the "rust marks," lol that would indicate that there ever was radium on the tips of the minutes and hours gladius hands. On the contrary, I note that the lume material in the hands matches the lume of the hours plots. The luminous material has a bit of black discoloration at the edges and there is a bit of black in the plots more visible at the 3 o'clock plot.

I don't have any doubt that Nico is correct that a number, perhaps most, of the Ia watches had no lume within the space of the gladius hands and that my own Ia was skeletal originally, but the watch above? I believe it always had lume on the hands in the absence of more concrete information to the contrary.

Now it is possible that this watch:



And some others had no lume in the gladius hands originally, but I am agnostic on the subject.

I'm happy for the watch and the owner either way!

Cheers,

Joe

Edit: I just noticed that the Enicar logo appears to have been colorized. I doubt that the factory added the color, so this watch was probably 'modded' color-wise.

 

[JimJupiter]

Hm, I can't agree with you Joe. The Radium is very obvious,..at least at my screen:






Regarding the watch of Vintageur I maybe have shocking news for you. The following is the same watch...before same Italian Lume Voodoo master did his job:







Best Nico

 

[Joe_A]

I see the lume in the tips of the Vintrageur watch before and after butchering, but not in the subject watch, first image.

The before colorizing photo is much better.

I don't subscribe to "orange is beautiful" except for pumpkins (zucca.)

 

[JimJupiter]

Ok, if you don’t see it by the color, than probably by the shape. The triangle of the minute hand close to the tip would be sharp. But since there is some soft paint over it, if isn’t

Nico

 

[JimJupiter]

Maybe this makes it more clear

 

[Joe_A]

I now see that the shape tells us that some substance has been applied to the hours hand at the "V" and that it results in a bit of a bulge and I am prepared to agree that it's likely radium that may have been covered.

You may be completely correct Nico, it's just that I don't think it is all that clear whether this watch started out with luminous material within the hands or not.

I'd accept it for what it is without worrying over it.

It is one of those things we may never know to a certainty. Even a Geiger counter may not help unless it were to indicate that all of the radium has been removed and replaced with some other material.

I'm enjoying the mystery though . . . and the search for truth.

 

[tsugua]

I started some light bidding and it seems there is some interest for this watch

 

[vintageanimation]

Yes its already up to CA$8,500 from a starting bid of CA$3,500.

 

[JimJupiter]

Hm, at my live auctioneers account its still at 3.500can $ ?! What page are u using to track it?

edit: Found it, at the "real" auctioneers page (there is also a short Video of the watch):

Enicar, Sherpa Graph Mark 1A Chronograph

Swiss. 1960 Stainless steel case and band. Serial number "272635" marked on caseback. The unpolished case features sharp edges. Original crosshatched crown and band. A rare first-edition "Mark I" survivor example. Utilizes the iconic Valjoux 72 chronograph movement. Enicar's Sherpa Graph model...

live.millerandmillerauctions.com

 

[vintageanimation]

If you go to the auction house website.

Enicar, Sherpa Graph Mark 1A Chronograph

Swiss. 1960 Stainless steel case and band. Serial number "272635" marked on caseback. The unpolished case features sharp edges. Original crosshatched crown and band. A rare first-edition "Mark I" survivor example. Utilizes the iconic Valjoux 72 chronograph movement. Enicar's Sherpa Graph model...

live.millerandmillerauctions.com

 

[Joe_A]

I've been thinking of putting in a bid of $100,000 US as my maximum bid, but I'm afraid that the same guy who bid against me last time will put in a bid of $99,500 as his maximum bid.

What should I do?

 

[vintageanimation]

I am interested in the watch as well. But I don't think I can compete with the big boys.

 

[Joe_A]

I am interested in the watch as well. But I don't think I can compete with the big boys.

Just to be clear, my post above was meant to be seen as humor, or humour if one prefers.