84 November 2019_Esquire
N
early all the value in a vin-
tage watch lies in its prov-
enance. The box, papers,
service history, and correct
serial numbers will add greatly to
its worth. But buy a watch on eBay
and you are positively begging to
be ripped off. Nothing is ever quite
what it seems in cyberspace.
And among the wares from hon-
est and scrupulous eBay dealers
lurk thousands of watches whose
sellers—either knowingly or
not—are offering you a bastard, a
Frankenwatch, with parts shunted
together over the years by fixers
just to keep them going (honest)
or to deliberately drop in an incor-
rect movement (dishonest).
Look for big brand names or
iconic models and you might as
well be throwing your money
away. There are far safer avenues
through which to find your dream
Submariner or your Monaco.
That said, if you’re seeking
something very specific and you
do your research, you can find
new-to-market collectibles at
good prices. As with most things
on eBay, the less known a model or
brand is, the more likely you will
score something interesting. Al-
ternatively, if you approach eBay
with an open mind and an eye for
the esoteric and you set realistic
expectations and sensible price
limits, you can also find great con-
versation pieces. —N. S.To eBay
or Not to eBay?
WHERE TO GO FOR THE
ODDITIESWatches of the YearRADO TRUE
THINLINE LES COULEURS
Twenty years ago, Rado was the first watch
brand to perfect the use of ceramics, a complex form
of material science, still in development even
now. The most challenging thing of all is creating
novel colors. So the new True Thinline Les
Couleurs Le Corbusier watches, re-creating hues from
the legendary architect’s theory of Architectural
Polychromy, are a bold leap forward. The
watches are slim, hypoallergenic, and scratch
resistant. $2,100 each; rado.comChasing Unicorns
My Mount Rushmore: The Tornek-Rayville
RARE WATCH, COOL BACKSTORYIt’s sobering to think I will never own a Tornek-Rayville TC-9 00.
“A what the what?” you might ask. It’s a name still relatively
unknown except to aficionados of dive watches. Made in two
short runs totaling around a thousand pieces in 1964 and 1966,
it was designed for U. S. military divers to strict government
specifications. The military wanted a Blancpain Fifty Fathoms
and had already tested it. But thanks to the Buy American Act,
it was not permitted to purchase foreign brands. To circum-
vent the ban, Blancpain’s enterprising New York importer, one
Allen Tornek, added his name to Rayville, a registered brand
name of Blancpain since the 193 0 s. Sneaky! Many of these
watches were reportedly later destroyed by the U. S. govern-
ment, which makes them even rarer than they might have been.
With an estimated thirty to fifty survivors, current prices hover
above $1 00 , 000. Oh well, maybe I’ll just buy a 911. —N. S.