| Author | Message | ||
     Star_ohio New member Username: Star_ohio Post Number: 1 Registered: 01-2010 Rating: N/A |
Hi Zaf, I am new to vintage watches and getting off on the wrong foot. I have read through the forum about any info that might pertain to this Maker and have learned quite a bit. Unfortunately a little to late. This is all the information I could find inside the watch and out. Wadsworth Pilot, 25 Yrs., 3361267, Alecoultre Swiss, 15 JLS, 3 ADJ, 1/20-12K Gold Filled, B/R Patent Pending, Numbers written inside the back cover: 2012, 9862 (and looks like a cents sign after the number), S6325, MS693, 42505, PaBSAM13t38 or maybe this one is PaBSANBt38, and 26272H. Maybe one of those numbers is the number for the movement. It is likely that most of the numbers are from having maintenance done on it. All of these numbers are hand scratched inside the back cover. The name E. Blancpain Fils is stamped inside the watch. Also, I believe it dates back to before they started using model names from what I have read in the forum. I think you might be the only person who can help me. I know there is some damage to the watch but I need a value for the watch if the crystal wasn't broken, the face wasn't damaged, and the minute hand wasn't broken. It's a long story why. A friend of mine found this watch and was going to sell or auction it. She needs the money very badly to pay her bills. She let me take it home to research history, info and the value of what the watch is worth (it's obvious it is very old). While examining it, and taking the front cover off (to see if more info could be found), I am the one that damaged those three things on the watch. I never should have touched it and I wish I hadn't. I make jewelry and collect gemstones, do beading and very tiny work so I am used to handeling things delicately and things that are delicate. This watch was apparently the most fragile thing I have ever touched. Trust me, now I have alot of respect for these special timepieces. So, I need to know the value of what it was worth before I handled it so I can buy it from her since I damaged and devalued it. I feel so horrible about it and need to make it right with her. I want to be fair and pay her what it was worth. She is very despirite for the money and deserves to have it. Big lesson I have learned and one that I will have to pay for. I am 51 yrs old and should have known better! Anyway, I hope it will have a good value and you can let me know more info about it if there is any. One good thing though, it wasn't passed down to her from family or anyone. I couldn't have lived with that. I am honesly very ashamed of what I did to this wonderful piece of history. Maybe someday in the future I can have it restored because now that I have done a bunch of research, I find myself interested in vintage watches. I kinda feel responsible to fix what I damaged. Thank you for your help and knowledge. | ||
| Gregb Intermediate Member Username: Gregb Post Number: 190 Registered: 10-2006 Rating: N/A |
Sorry to tell you that the watch is worth very little (even before you damaged it). These 1930s A.LeCoultre watches are not really related to the modern LeCoultre and JLC watches at all, according to the factory. Rather, the A.LeCoultre watches were manufactured in large volumes during the 1930s by Blancpain (Swiss) and imported into the US by jewelers where they were cased up in US-made cases (Wadsworth, your case maker, was one of many). The gold-filled case is a case with a thin layer of gold sandwiched around a thick brass core. Not much gold content and these were basically the budget cases of their time. There are still thousands upon thousands of these 1930s A.LeCoultre watches in circulation and they are quite common. They typically sell at auction in fair working condition for $25-$100, depending on how fancy they are and the condition. | ||
| Star_ohio New member Username: Star_ohio Post Number: 2 Registered: 01-2010 Rating: N/A |
Gregb, Thank you very much for your reply. From what you told me relieves my guilt of the damage I did, but I am sure my friend will be quite dissappointed as she was counting on getting some money for it. Since I broke it I am still going to give her 100.00 for it so it might help her at least a little. To me, the watch is still of value and interest just because of it's age. To imagine what it has seen and been through in it's lifetime makes it interesting and worth keeping. It is definitely the oldest item I have. You can be assured if I ever run across another old watch that I will not touch it but will take it someone authorized and experienced to handle it. Live and learn. Thanks again, Debbie |