NOS VINTAGE PROTOTYPE RENIS GENEVE VALJOUX CHRONOGRAPH WORLD TIME DIVER WATCH NR
Item History & Price
For auction at no reserve is something not for the faint hearted. It is a juggernaut of a watch in terms of dimensions and presence on the wrist. The listing says new old stock as I am confident based on the sharpness of the case, the crispness of the bezel, and the bright colors on the dial, subdials and hands as well as the tritium lume plots that this watch has never been used. The listing also says prototype, but to be honest this is my personal guess as there are... some very strange points to note on this watch. What leads me to believe this are several factors 1) while ALL functions are perfectly working the button on the left hand side of the watch has no function (Swiss watches never have a function that does not do anything) 2) Never seen a world time bezel that has effectively skipped two continents and does not list any city in either of the Americas and 3) Back of the watch, amongst other writing says "Patent Pending + Mod Dep" for Modele Depose or Registered Design. Whether it is a prototype, a test watch, or an incomplete project for this microbrand I do not know but it certainly is a legacy of the damage the Quartz Crisis caused for smaller Swiss watchmakers in the 70s. If anyone has any information I would love to hear more as I have not really come across anything after much research. I purchased this watch from a personal collecting friend who purchased a warehouse full of odd watch bits in France and this was one of them. Put it on a 16mm color matching NATO strap, wore it once, and have not worn it since. So it must go to a new home. As such selling as is, and for no reserve as I have not found anything to compare to.Please feel free to contact mewith any additional questions or details not listed below:Case: Dimensions are 42mm x 48mm lug to lug , and 12mm thick so it is huge. Unpolished with visible chamfers throughout. Vibrant yellow and black diver/world time bi-directional bezel moves with the right tension, with no scratches visible. Sticker still applied on the back Dial: Panda type dial with silver sunburst outer color and greyish brown chronograph dials. Dial has not been redone or touched. Tritium lume plots at the hour markers are perfectly placedMovement: Valjoux 7733 chronograph movement in new old stock shape consistent with the rest of the watch. It is unsigned by the maker as expected of the microbrands of the era. All functions of the chronograph in perfect working order with start, stop, reset buttons working (checked up to 30 minutes). Time keeping is also precise within 3 seconds of a digital watch in a 24 hour period. When you use any of the functions you'll see how crisp the clicking is for the buttons, and how perfectly the chronograph functions reset. Button on left hand side of the watch does not have a function.Strap: 16MM NATO strap colors matching the bezel. Happy to remove $20 if the buyer only wants the headPaperwork/Boxes: None Shipping will be from London, UK, and will be done 1 day afterpayment using express, signed, tracked, insured shipping. Free within theUK, $20 in Europe, $35 to the USA and Canada, and $50 to other parts ofthe world. If you prefer FedEx shipping please let me know and I can provide aquote.Returns will be accepted if itemis not as described only, please ask all questions before bidding and good luck!
