Reply With QuoteVery cool Colin, well done!
Well, imminent is a relative term as I won't see it until next year :( But I do have some seller's photos and hopefully my mate who will be holding it for me will augment this post :wink:
On the original leather, matching numbers, recently serviced and keeping +1s/day! At the risk of starting something I truly do have to say "Thanks Crusader" for helping me out on this purchase.
Very cool Colin, well done!
Superb!
Eddie
Whole chunks of my life come under the heading "it seemed like a good idea at the time".
Congratulations, Colin. That looks an excellent sample. Nice click.
Best wishes,
Bob
A beautiful example! Congratulations :D . Thank you for posting the photos-it's great to see these great works.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder? :wink: (suppose it may not count as such if you've never 'met'?)
Best wishes,
AP. :)
Glad the deal worked out for you, Colin! :D
Enjoy a true piece of history. 8)
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
Wonderful Beobachuntsuhr Colin! Actually one of the best examples I've seen so far!
Congratulations!
I'm not as think as you drunk I am.
Great Colin! That's quite something to look forward to!
Cheerio, Frank
What a mevvellous watch, I love that movement pic! :)
F.T.F.A.
Blimey Colin, a Lange.
Very nice historical purchase, congratulations. :)
Cheers,
Neil.
Thanks gentlemen. I'm very excited for obvious reasons. This one was brought back from Germany after WW2 and the owner gave it to his brother (a watchmaker) when it 'broke'. It was never repaired, sat in a drawer and was sold off with the watchmaker's estate by his son-in-law. A few collectors made offers, mine was the highest and, although I advised him that he could probably get a higher price selling in Europe or on eBay, he chose to sell the watch to me.
After many years in this hobby, it's only been the in past year or so that I've noticed a trend of watches 'finding me'. I've often wondered how it happens and I have to say that it always seems to be down to mates making referrals. This is a verbose way of saying that I have all of you to thank, in a way.
I hope to make my own photos of this watch someday and will post them here of course. I'm imagining a WW2-era 'furball', with ATPs and WWWs surrounding a B-Uhr. I don't want to Photoshop it though, so it's going to take some doing.
Congratulations Colin. Forgive my ignorance, but what size is it?
Humongous! :lol:Originally Posted by davide
55mm. I wore my Laco once last year, right after I received it. Went out for a pint and had to drink with my right hand :lol: It actually didn't feel too bad, but then again that's me saying that. The guy who wears a Ploprof and a DN at the same time. OK, wearing a B-uhr is ridiculous. But as a WIS, it feels wonderful!
After that one time, I only ever wore it to bed. The engine is better than a lullaby :wink:
It will be nice to see your photos of it too, Colin, since you always do a top notch job!
Nice one Colin :)
When you look long into an abyss, the abyss looks long into you.........
Superb Colin. I wore the Buhr shopping,,, I got a few of those 'looks' you get from middle aged ladies who disaprove... but It felt good to be wearing it. :)
Congratulations Colin. That's one of the most collectible watches out there. The beauty and purity of that Lange movement never fails to astonish and move me. I always wonder how they managed to produce such an exquisite movement during wartime austerity. If it was mine, it would never get used - I'd always have the back off so that I could continually admire the movement.
strange name . what does it mean ? craig :)
Which one? "Beobachtungsuhr"?
A Beobachtungsuhr or B-Uhr for short is a highly precise navigation watch for astronavigation in aviation and shipping. (It is a navigator's, not a pilot's watch :wink: ).
It's functional equivalent on a ship would be the deck watch.
The Germans strapped them on their arms, the Americans put pocket watches into spring-loaded boxes on board planes in WWII.
The Mark 11 would fulfill the same function for the RAF after WWII.
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
cheers martin , regards craigWhich one? "Beobachtungsuhr"?
A Beobachtungsuhr or B-Uhr for short is a highly precise navigation watch for astronavigation in aviation and shipping. (It is a navigator's, not a pilot's watch :wink: ).
It's functional equivalent on a ship would be the deck watch.
The Germans strapped them on their arms, the Americans put pocket watches into spring-loaded boxes on board planes in WWII.
The Mark 11 would fulfill the same function for the RAF after WWII.
Excellent!
Holy crap...what a find. Lange B-uhr! :D
Oppps, I missed this thread......too much time in the boys room forum I´m afraid:D
Congratulations Colin, awesome piece 8) 8) 8) I´ll be waiting for those pics
What a gorgeous B-Uhr.
Forgive my ignorance, but is it an actual WW2 example? Any idea what year? I ask this with a certain degree of awe, rather than doubt. And amazement, I suppose, at the maker's marks inside the case-back: the font looks so modern for the 1940s. Which is perhaps a reminder that the war wasn't as long ago as one sometimes thinks...
Congratulations, Nalu, on a beautiful piece.
1940/1941. There is no exact date, just pre-1942. These early watches were made by Lange and finished and timed by outside firms - this particular one probably by Fischeru Trabandt, Pforzheim. The later and simpler models were completed in-house.
john
THIN is the new BLACK
Colin, incredible watch, far better than the Steinhart.... :wink:
Thanks gents. I expect it to arrive at the watchkeeper's residence in the next two weeks. Then it'll be a matter of getting him to post some photos for us to enjoy :wink:
Wow Colin, you are a very lucky man and yet another superb watch for your collection :wink:
That's a real beauty Colin :) Your collection is extra drool worthy now mate!!
Sanj
Feb '09 will time for another SOTC photo I believe. Should be quite the project!
Congratulations Colin, that is one wonderful piece, and surely one to treasure. Enjoy. :)
A question if I may. How come you won't get it until next year? Your current posting ends then? I think I'd find it hard to wait that long for something that special.
Best Regards - Peter
I'd hate to be with you when you're on your own.
Yes, I don't get back to the real world until next Jan. I do get mid-tour leave in Sep, but I'm using it to travel :wink:
A great watch. All good things come in good time. Anticipation I rather find quite a good part of the enjoyment, as well as the fulfillment with 'meeting' with it when arrived.
Best wishes,
AP :)
The Lange has arrived and we have 'met' via some photos taken by a mate (some will recognise the background here).
And my fav photo so far, showing the blued hands and thickness of the lume on the dial.
I did find a few more of the seller's photos:
Very nice, Colin, and a real great example of the watch!
May I ask which numerals are lumed? I have seen many variations of the lume pattern (lumed/unlumed hour dots, and every, or every other, or every third minute mark/numeral lumed.
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
Thanks Crusader - twice! Your quick help during the internet outage here was invaluable in making this deal happen.
The watch is in NYC unfortunately, so I'd have to guess based on the same photos you're looking at. It looks to me as if the whole minute track is lumed, the arrow at 12, the 10-20-30-40-50 numbers (every other) and the dots on the hour track. I suspect a UV light will be needed to get any sort of lume photo done.
And in the vein of the discussion on the SHOM thread, what is the luminous material on the B-uhrs? Is it H3? Radium? Something else?
That's actually a very interesting question, Colin ... I have found in the internet literature both references to Radium and to non-radioactive materials (as German warplanes in WWII had a standard mount of UV lights to illuminate the cockpit instruments).
One thing I have noticed on many B-Uhren I have seen, including your photos, is that the dial appears to have aged differntly from the hands. Two sorts of lume?
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
Is there any detail on the strap-as to it's age, and any interesting aspects to it at all?
Best regards,
AP :)
It's original, but from the photos it looks as if the silk lining is gone. Looking for advice on care and feeding if anyone has some...
.
Apart from the fact that it looks (bloody) gorgeous ...
... what does one do with a watch such as that?
john
THIN is the new BLACK
Well, probably what it was built for: get in a plane and bomb London. :twisted: Duck. :P :wink:
Cheers,
Martin ("Crusader")
This chap changed his mind ... :roll:Well, probably what it was built for: get in a plane and bomb London. :twisted: Duck. :P :wink:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/a ... ge_id=1770
... and he wants his watch back. :P
john
THIN is the new BLACK
1. An idea I got from you John - sleep with it under my pillow :lol:
2. Wear it. I've worn my Laco (yes in public!) and I'm sure I'll wear this one.
Fantastic looking watch! Congrats.
I look forward to your hairy wrist shot and to hearing more about your impresion of the B-Uhr. Though an old warrior (the watch, not you!) might I suggest you wear anoher watch considering your current location.....
Take care.
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