Yes, they do sell for a lot. In 1968-69 I bought a Heuer wristwatch since I
was getting into roadrally back then. It was a Carrera model with three
small dials. One was the second hand for the watch, the other two measured
the stopwatch to 12 hours. I also ordered it with the decimal minute dial
which was a nice touch for rallyes.
I paid about $170 for the watch with a stainless steel case and a leather
band. Replacement leather bands alone now sell for about $300!
After years of use it started acting up. I stuck it in a drawer and just
about forgot I had it. I moved into disposable watches like Timex.
Back in 2009 I decided to sell the Heuer on eBay. It actually still worked,
but the crystal was cracked and it certainly needed a good cleaning. I took
it to a jewelry store and was told it would be $600 to $800 to restore the
watch. That prompted me to sell it. (I could buy a car for that!)
The bidding was heavy, and I got over $600 for the watch that needed at
least that much in repairs. I do miss it, but financially I couldn't afford
to keep it.
Allen Hefner
Norristown, PA
*Current:*
2006 Chebbie
*Former:*
1963 Sunbeam Alpine Series III
1967 Triumph TR4A IRS
1964 VW Type I
1967 VW Type II
1967 Rover 2000TC
1977 MG Midget
On Wed, Jan 2, 2013 at 9:32 PM, Dean Hedin <dlh2001@comcast.net> wrote:
> Thanks all to those who responded.
>
> BTW, It is amazing how much these rally watchs sets sell for.
>
> Original vintage rally watch sets go for big bucks. Understandably so,
> they are pieces of racing heritage.
>
> There is also an outfit making them new but they want big bucks as well.
>
> Finally you can go on ebay and try to cobble together a stopwatch and
> pocket
> watch combo yourself. This will still cost you big bucks. Seems there
> are avid swiss stopwatch collectors who have an interest outside of rally
> usage.
>
> I thought it would be a cool accessory to have on my dash. But I think I
> might have to settle for some surplus Russian watches, or, god forbid,
> something from China.
> ------------------------
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