1016 " space dweller " at auctio

[linesiders]

Originally Posted by baumare

Nice that all started here from an innocent comment,
Good job TuRo for "feeding" the Shark ...(Josè)

TuRo Chumming the water

[TimeLord2]

This forum is chock full of Sherlock Holmes and Watsons! I am always amazed at the depth of knowledge on TRF and the willingness to share out of pure interest and passion. I have seen an article on Hodinkee, this https://www.hodinkee.com/articles/fi...he-end-of-2023 that talks about this Space-Dweller. Comments at the end of the article are fun to read! Looking forward to Perez article!

[MrBlobby]

Maybe it merits its own thread but here is the article
https://perezcope.com/2023/12/24/spa...space-dweller/

[Dom9]

Amazing research and thoroughness, Jose! Fascinating read! Can you trust auction houses to put any work into researching their lots these days?

[The_Walrus]

Originally Posted by Dom9

Amazing research and thoroughness, Jose! Fascinating read! Can you trust auction houses to put any work into researching their lots these days?

I don't think anyone with skin in the game can be trusted.
Look at Ben Clymer's own Space-Dweller - the evidence is overwhelming.

[MrBlobby]

If you had a space dweller dial wouldn’t you put it in to an appropriate 1016 case?

[TimeLord2]

I do wish Jose would do the "somewhat" definitive guide on Tiffany stamps. I know mine is real as my dad is definitely a self-proclaimed snob and purchased from Tiffany but no provenance at this point. He didn't care about the stinking box and paperwork… (Mel Brooks, Blazing Saddles reference. Kind of anyways.) Such is life. Well done Jose! I love the attention to minutiae, very impressive and so true on the "if they want to sell you something" angle.

[rootbeer7]

The definitive facts: They exist in small numbers. They would appear to be real. But were never officially put into watches. The remaining question is why they were produced I guess.

[MrBlobby]

Whilst it is unlikely I’m not sure how we can say for certain that these dials never appeared in any watch.

Also I get the point about the space dweller name and the Explorer 2 but these dials do look like they belong in an Explorer case.

I also don’t see what is wrong with putting a loose dial in to an explorer case. I accept that it is wrong to do this and then pretend that it was how that watch started life, but it has to be more interesting than a normal 1016 or a 1016 with a service dial.

Hopefully more clarity will come over time.

[PL4444]

I doubt these dials are even real to begin with. What objective evidence is there that points to them being real? The Space-Dweller font is slightly different from the rest of the dial, and that floating R at the end is questionable (actually the whole DWELLER isn't quite properly aligned). And there's obviously something wrong about putting a dial into an old case when it suddenly makes it sell for 100k more, this shouldn't even be a question, especially given the uncertain authenticity of the dial. If there was an old Singer catalogue, test run, paper trail of any kind to confirm those dials are in fact real, then sure, case them and sell on, provided you're honest about how this watch came to be. But this whole Japan fairy-tale is just ridiculous. Are we to believe this watch was so unpopular it sold in the double digits over several years?

[offrdmania]

The dial plates themselves may be real and we know there are quite a few places out there who can do major restoration to dials to make them look just as good as the companies who originally printed them.

[cardiel]

Can Jose turn his attention to the Commando next?

[330ci]

Originally Posted by cardiel

Can Jose turn his attention to the Commando next?

He could, but there isn't too much controversy surrounding those. There are plenty of fakes, but far easier to discern than this space dweller mystery.

[cardiel]

Originally Posted by 330ci

He could, but there isn't too much controversy surrounding those. There are plenty of fakes, but far easier to discern than this space dweller mystery.

good point, but I would be keen to hear whatever he can dig up......were they only available at the PX? Did they really sell excess stock at Abercrombie & Fitch.....separate the myths from the facts....that kind of thing.

[TuRo]

One small step....a space Dweller lands in Burlington @ £125,000..is it one of those in Jose's write-up...up pezezscope !

https://www.watchpro.com/rolex-space...wn-in-mayfair/