Reply With QuoteI’m guessing that watch has been heavily restored. Don’t really know enough about the brand, but the crown and pushers look brand new. If the dial has been restored it does look a good job. Why not ask the seller.
Hi all,
I am not an expert in vintage watches but have been keen on getting a Gallet chronograph for a little while now. I also care a lot about condition so has been quite hard to find good condition pieces from the 50's and 60's unsurprisingly.
So I am just looking for some advice on a piece on Chrono24 (link below) from a well rated seller in Japan that looks nice atleast on the face of it... The condition looks too perfect and so I assume it is either has a lot of replacement parts or at the least is a redial? I am not against the idea of refinishing something, but any thoughts on whether to steer clear or consider it?
https://www.chrono24.co.uk/gallet/ga...id25433240.htm
Thanks!
Gallet 4.JPGGallet 6.JPG
I’m guessing that watch has been heavily restored. Don’t really know enough about the brand, but the crown and pushers look brand new. If the dial has been restored it does look a good job. Why not ask the seller.
Some thoughts
I do not recall seeing an original that is an exact match to this. Doesn't mean there wasn't one, but it is interesting, in terms of a specification, with blued hands, no lume at all, 3.6 and 9 minute hashes and yet round pushers.
The sub-dial hands are not a set. the central boss is differently sized on each (as well as different shapess).
The main H and M hands are matched, but not quite long enough to be convincing to my eyes (the M hand mostly).
The dial print is very nice, but the SWISS is perhaps too close to the minute scale (almost touching), it makes me look for other details as a re-print.
Not many re-prints are this good, I am struggling to find any problems with the fonts and numeration. Maybe slightly indistinct ends to the 4 of 40, and alignment not quite 100% for the 20, but it is excellent really. The serifs on the GALLET are good, and the main numerals very crisp
I am sure the crown is a later replacement, it is a non-matching colour to the case.
Does this help? Probably not.....
Everything looks too fresh. Even for a NOS. And wasn't it the Venus 175 that was sold to the Chinese? Too many coincidences.
"The whole purpose of mechanical watches is to be impertinent." ~ Lionel a Marca, CEO of Breguet
Think you're all confirming my thoughts. Agree it is way too fresh to be original. And yes, I cannot find an equivalent model from my research.
I did ask the seller and he said he received it like this and wouldn't be surprised if it has been re-painted, which is pretty unhelpful. Given they don't even know the provenance of the watch, feels like one to stay clear of...
I think with your search you need more context, perhaps do some google searches and see if you can find any watch forums discussing them that might include pictures and also check google images to see what’s out there. There is bound to be a collector out there who owns a decent example and that will give you something to compare. The art of vintage is research, research and then more research…
Very pretty watch that. Right up my street @ 35mm too. The providence question could be nigh on impossible here.
Id be dead keen at £1000 given the look of it but when things get up above £1000 its beyond a punt in my world.
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