C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

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gatehealing
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by gatehealing »

asqwerth wrote:I don't think the 2011 FLE sold out for some time.

Also, I seem to recall reading that there were a few members who bought it then returned it for various reasons. And there are quite a few blanks in the thread with the owners' list. So in terms of NN 2011 FLE, there could have been a few.

Yours isn't NN, though, but a prototype. I think there's no harm selling it, but it should have been clearly described as a prototype rather than one of the actual FLE watches.
What is the thread with the 2013 FLE owners list? I'll add myself
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by Jammy Devil »

gatehealing wrote:What is the thread with the 2013 FLE owners list? I'll add myself
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/vie ... 52&t=10092 :thumbup:
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by gatehealing »

Jammy Devil wrote:
gatehealing wrote:What is the thread with the 2013 FLE owners list? I'll add myself
http://www.christopherwardforum.com/vie ... 52&t=10092 :thumbup:
D'oh! I misread this. I have the 2013 FLE, not the 2011. hmmm. .. perhaps I should. . . .

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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by mibby »

You guys don't know you're born. :D I have an Ocean Chronograph, a re-issue of a 70's watch originally made for Soviet Navy officers, and used by Cosmonauts on some Soyuz missions. It looks like this:

Image

The original watch went out of production in the 80s, around the time of the Quartz revolution. The re-issue was commissioned by a Spanish forum, when it was thought that the Poljot 3133 movement used in the original was about to cease production. Mine is labelled "Final Edition 2011" and "166/300"

BUT the original 300 were all sold to forum members three years ago, and mine is brand new! :? So there was at least one further edition of 300 (they sold well, and as it happened the 3133 never went out of production and is still made.)

PLUS there are identical watches available labelled xxx/999, so at least one further edition of 999.

AND there is a version without the rotating inner bezel. AND a version with "Shturmanskie" on the dial instead of "Okeah"

I knew all this before I bought it - but if I was one of the original 300 buyers I would be pretty **** off!

So, one or two non-numbered "extras"? Pah! :lol:
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7ee
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by 7ee »

A couple of questions.

How many prototypes are there for each model or does this vary? Wondering if there can be more than one prototype of a particular model sold on to the public, or only ever the one.

Which leads me to...

Do CW Towers not keep the/a prototype of each model produced for themselves?
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by Kip »

Do CW Towers not keep the/a prototype of each model produced for themselves?
Chris used to keep all number 1's except the FLEs'. The production prototypes were also kept by Chris or sometimes sold off or dismantled into parts watches. The preproduction prototypes faced much of the same fate, but were rarely sold.

Preproduction prototypes were usually no more than 1 or 2 depending on the model. These were used to identify issues good and bad or to determine certain looks etc. and sometimes for photos. Production prototypes usually have 0000/0000 numbers and are what comes off the line first to make sure everything is as it should be. The quantities depend on the issues, if any, the size of the run and sometimes the frequency of a run. Many times minor changes are made during the lifespan of a model so these runs get a preproduction prototype.

I/we we have no way of knowing how many pre-preproduction or production pieces are built, kept or destroyed, but they are considerably rare.
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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by Macca »

Bit rubbish cw limited editions should be just that, but they seem to have extra one crawling out of the woodwork all of the time...

Hope this gets resolved


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Re: C9 FLE With NO Serial Number

Post by akirk »

it is no different in any other sphere - buy a ltd ed. car (e.g. ferrari) and it will be 1 / 300 etc. - but there will have been prototypes / pre-production cars as well - generally they are not sold, but it does happen - it isn't really considered an issue in that world as there is generally a difference - also in books, a preview / trade edition though not for resale is often sold, I have a number - they don't detract from the value of the first editions - in fact they are considered less valuable - though often more authentic to the author's wishes...

the only issue I see here is that it wasn't described accurately on the website - but the purchaser seems happy, and could no doubt return it if not - I don't see that it changes the value of the others at all...

probably my favourite FLE so far - though I sold mine as someone wanted that serial number...

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