Internet Horology Club 185
Expensive WWI Phantasy Piece

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https://ihc185.infopop.cc/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/990103944/m/4391012921

April 11, 2008, 15:21
Jim Hester
Expensive WWI Phantasy Piece
Big Grin Big Grin That one is funny. I especially like the part where the swastika that is held in eagle's talons in the real Nazi emblem is 'cleverly located' directly under the center of the dial so it will not be visible so it conforms to the current Ebay rules that forbid the posting of photos of objects with this marking. I can just imagine what terrible things would have happened to anyone back in the day if they were to deface this emblem in such a way on real Luftwaffe equipment.
April 14, 2008, 11:17
Greg Crockett
I suspect the watch this was made from might have been interesting before it was defaced.
June 09, 2008, 08:00
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Kreis-watch-Eigentum-Der-Fliegertru...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem looks like a nice watch to show off with and the details are getting better..... buy it now option.... very tempting ...NOT
June 09, 2008, 14:21
Jim Hester
I like where he touts 'The watch restored, checked, adjusted by master in 2008' while the second to last photo shows the balance spring as being in a disturbing configuration. I'm thinking his 'master' watchmaker must have spent days of his highly skilled time twisting that hairspring into that incredibly 'artistic' shape as he restored, checked, and adjusted this one. Eek

I'm thinking what he really means is a master forger spent some time manufacturing/altering the dial and the caseback to add the fake markings to fool uninformed buyers while the watch movement itself was just dunked, whole, into an ultrasonic bath for a couple of minutes then sprayed with a bit of oil.
June 20, 2008, 04:33
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-WWI-F-W-KREIS-Prussian-AIR-TRO...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

and 16 bidders (id protected... the same watch was for salebefore with a buy it now price. The trick here is that it is being bid up probably by the seller himself, ironically to the same level where the buy it now price was..... they are getting better.....
June 20, 2008, 11:39
Jim Hester
Thanks, Oliver. I wonder if any of the bids are by anyone other than the seller.
June 23, 2008, 09:39
Oliver Wulff
Mens 1939 ZENITH Vintage RARE OFFICER'S GERMAN Watch
ORIGINAL MILITARY WATCH, STERLING SILVER CASE w/ EAGLE
can't get this here but am sure it is as fake as the other one as Zenith never made this one for the navy as far as i am aware... also ukraine the one with the fliegertruppr is now being bid for by real money it looks.... attracted by other bidders i presume....
June 26, 2008, 06:37
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-1915-ZENITH-Vintage-MILITARY-W...QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Very creative, assume this is for the imperial hungaro-japanese underwater navy tank pilots..... it basically shows that these days one should stick to known types with known markings, preferably from known sources/with provenance as these guys are creative and good at what they do
June 26, 2008, 11:11
Jim Hester
Thanks Oliver. Look at this from the positive side - at least he is not claiming he personally shot down Manfred von Richtofen during the war and took this as a souvenir from the dead body. Big Grin

I really think Ebay is enabling crooks like this seller when they allow auctions where the bidders are kept secret. I can think of no honest reason to permit this practice.
July 21, 2008, 04:23
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-ORIGINAL-1916-OMEGA-WWI-TRUE-M...ksid=p3286.m14.l1318

take an old omega pocketwatch with a slightly soiled movement.... add some lugs reset movement and drill some holes into the lid and bingo you discover a long lost unique military watch.... shame about thoes holes obliterating a cote of arms but i guess the silver must be worth something..... once it is turned into genuine roman coins..... ;o)
August 14, 2008, 10:15
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Junghans-Aviator-Laco-Luftwaffe-WWI...imeout=1218723335835

you've gotta hand it to him.... he is getting better this one looks like a rare find ;o) most certainly unique.... a genuine, handcrafted and therefor very rare.....phantasy
August 14, 2008, 10:20
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Historical-Type-WWII-German-Pi...imeout=1218723550444

whilst I am at it here some of the text.... you get what you see that is true so don't bother reading ;o)... ''Satisfaction guaranteed. No reserve. All pictures are actual, you receive what you see. 30 days money back guaranteed.
Offered here is a WWII period wristwatch. All parts original, but the dial was restoration in 2006 (have original Metal Basis). Overal Very good condition.
Very interesting historical Piece: one of the reparation Glashuette ( war repayment stuff taken from the Tutima/Glashuette factory to Moscow). It was made in the 1930-40'th at "First Moscow Watch Factory" on the captured equipment of Glashutte factory which was taken out from Germany''
September 04, 2008, 12:56
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Doxa-Eigentum-Der-Fliegertruppen-Lu..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14 at it again and Ebay power seller on top.....
September 12, 2008, 11:44
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/Doxa-Eigentum-Der-Fliegertruppen-Lu..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14
September 17, 2008, 21:57
Jim Hester
Mad U-Boat Watch Mad So far he has '25 bids' on this phantasy. I note that he has made the bidders secret so we can not see how many are shill bids - my guess is all of them.
October 20, 2008, 13:20
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/DOXA-FLIEGERTRUPPEN-WWII-German-Pil..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14

now if this isn't immelmanns personal wristwatch

http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-ZENITH-Vintage-MILITARY-WWII-A..._trksid=p3286.c0.m14

and its lvely how nicely decorated the french flew

... am still waiting for the wwi quarz watch ;o)
May 28, 2009, 06:07
Oliver Wulff
http://cgi.ebay.com/ZENITH-SPE...7C293%3A3%7C294%3A50

here we go again... 99% positive feedback... add lugs and a home made dial to a Zenith pocket watch and you have a truly unique piece
May 29, 2009, 16:42
Jim Hester
This guy seems to have a number of phantasy watches and they always seem to have a great many bids. I can not believe there are so many collectors who are willing to pay those prices on obvious instant creations and who know so little about watches on which they are bidding. My only guess is there is some funny business going on in the bidding and the secret identity of the bidders reinforces this feeling. If this is the case and the guy is selling the watches to himself then he could be giving himself perfect feedbacks, and then sometime a few weeks or months later put the watch back up for auction. In such a possible process, once in a while an unknowledgable person might get caught up in the excitement and actually bid on and 'win' one of these phantasies which would make it worth the effort of the seller to operate in this way. I have no proof that this is the case, but I have a hard time believing people are really falling for these things.