The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

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The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

Well, this Ebel BTR(Back To Roots) Perpetual Calendar has been a long time grail of mine..manufactured in 2007, it retailed for $31,000.00 in those early, slightly Pre-Recession, days..I'm sure retailers back then would have gladly accepted $20,000.00 or so for them..we're not sure how many of these Ebels were brought to market then, but there were white and black dial SS versions, some skeleton dials, and some solid gold case versions..the numbers 20 and 200 are seen on the web to this day..regardless, there aren't many out there, to be sure..until RDenny(WUS) gets back to me, I'm guessing the number 20 refers to the gold cased versions & the SS versions were not limited editions...on my SS black dial version, there is no Limited # on it to be seen..

Ok, for some specifics now..the brushed SS case(w/ polished bezel) measures 44.5 mm in width..the Ebel strap is black croc..for the really good stuff, the movement is the then in-house 137 calibre w/ a Duprois-Depraz calendar module added..this Ebel calibre 288 is twice COSC certified..once, w/o the added DD module...and again, w/ the DD module added.. it consists of 436 parts..the crown screws down & it has a WR of 100m..on each side of this brushed SS case, there are 2 'correctors' to help set the counters..it keeps track of hours, minutes, small seconds, 7-day counter, astronomical moon counter, 31 day counter, 48 months and year counter, and a chronograph keeper of seconds..

Around 2013/2014, the Movado Group gathered up all the unsold(must have been nearly all of them!!) from retail dealers and sent them back to the Movado Group Stores..these are shops typically located in Outlet Malls that sell Movados, Concords, Ebels and fashion watches that they couldn't sell otherwise...they went from $3,200.00 to the mid $4,000.00s..I missed out on these sales(but picked up other nice Ebel autos!!)..Rdenney & WWll70 at the WUS forum did in fact pick these up at these price points & WWll70 picked up two of them..he was gracious enough to let one of these BNIB go(he let me pay a few hundred $ a month on it for a few months) for $3,500.00..so, this is something of a grail for me as I've been an Ebel lover for decades..yes, the dial is hard to read..yes, this isn't an 'everyday' piece of wrist wear..still, while it's not an 'every day' selection that one will just strap on to the wrist, it is, nevertheless, a high quality made mechanical perpetual calendar at a relatively affordable price point that I could obtain(thanx WWII70!!)..some pics follow, though I know to do better!!.
Ebel BTR Perpetutal Cal Cal 288(1).JPG
Ebel BTR Perpetual  Calendar Cal 288(2).JPG
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Soporsche »

Thunder, very happy that you were able to finally acquire a genuine grail.
The backstory and history of the watch make an interesting read thank you.
It must be very satisfying indeed, wear in good health and enjoy.
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by H0rati0 »

Chuck, you sure know how to buy cool watches. More power to your elbow!
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by timeonourhands »

Nice little review. Thanks Thunder.

The question now is what’s your new grail? :thumbup:
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Amor Vincit Omnia »

You had me there, Chuck! I was expecting a story about the return of a stolen watch – how very clever of you! :D

Anyway, congratulations on acquiring such a highly individual and seemingly rather rare grail. :thumbup:
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

Soporsche wrote: Fri Aug 14, 2020 11:52 pm Thunder, very happy that you were able to finally acquire a genuine grail.
The backstory and history of the watch make an interesting read thank you.
It must be very satisfying indeed, wear in good health and enjoy.
Thanx Stephen..I'm still on Cloud 9!!. :D
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

H0rati0 wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:27 am Chuck, you sure know how to buy cool watches. More power to your elbow!
Well, thanx!!..now if it only had a Power Reserve indicator, right?.. 8)
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

timeonourhands wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:32 am Nice little review. Thanks Thunder.

The question now is what’s your new grail? :thumbup:
Probably a GS or something German...I'll know it when I see it, though!!.. :problem:
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

Amor Vincit Omnia wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:57 am You had me there, Chuck! I was expecting a story about the return of a stolen watch – how very clever of you! :D

Anyway, congratulations on acquiring such a highly individual and seemingly rather rare grail. :thumbup:
Well, thank you, Steve!!...I'm still in the 'honey moon' phase w/ this one.. :)
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by gaf1958 »

That is a beauty Chuck, it’s also one of the most complicated dials I’ve seen - do the chrono pushers do double duty setting subdials? If not, then there must be about 6 different pullout positions on the crown!

Will you be keeping it on a winder when it’s not worn? Having set it once, I imagine you’d like to keep it going so that all the settings remain current.

I think there must have been quite a bit of the “thrill of the chase” with this one, plus a great deal of anticipation while waiting for it to finally be yours...
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by monkeymax »

That looks like a great watch - nice work on tracking one down. Not sure why it wouldn't be everyday wear though... It does everything! :lol:
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

monkeymax wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 1:34 pm That looks like a great watch - nice work on tracking one down. Not sure why it wouldn't be everyday wear though... It does everything! :lol:
Good day, there...thanx!!..I just mean we often just want a simple, clear dial to read for our wrist wear...I just know that there's just something to be said(worn?) for both approaches.. :)
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thunder1 »

gaf1958 wrote: Sun Aug 16, 2020 10:01 am That is a beauty Chuck, it’s also one of the most complicated dials I’ve seen - do the chrono pushers do double duty setting subdials? If not, then there must be about 6 different pullout positions on the crown!

Will you be keeping it on a winder when it’s not worn? Having set it once, I imagine you’d like to keep it going so that all the settings remain current.

I think there must have been quite a bit of the “thrill of the chase” with this one, plus a great deal of anticipation while waiting for it to finally be yours...
Morning, there, Gary..I'll have to take some more and some better pics of it soon..in these terms, I just can't compete w/ your pic taking skills!!..well, the 3 crowns function as normal..the central, screw down crown, is used to set the hour & minute hands, as well as wind the watch...the other 2 crowns just start, stop, & reset the chrono functions, as normal..

There are 4 'buttons' on the side of the case that my pics don't show..the watch came w/ a 'corrector stylus'..the button near the 10:00 mark changes the date by pushing in this button w/ the stylus..pushing in the button near the 8:00 mark sets the day of the week..the button located between 1:00 & 2:00 sets the month & the button between the 4:00 & 5:00 mark sets the phases of the moon..

BTW, congrats on your Seiko !!!..I'm a big fan of that particular dial pattern...while I don't have that one, I have a few others like it..a very nice snare on your part!!..
Ebels are a lot like women that lack a lowcut dress that zips up the side..neither gets the love that they deserve..
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by Thegreyman »

Congratulations again Chuck, it does seem you got a great bargain for a NOS watch. I was just thinking (and I see Gary has asked you the same question) that if ever a watch needed to be on a winder, and I have never used one myself, this would be it. Not exactly a "grab and go" :lol:
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Re: The Long Arm(wrist?) of the Loyal Finally Catch-Up W/ The Perp..

Post by H0rati0 »

Thunder1 wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2020 9:12 pm
H0rati0 wrote: Sat Aug 15, 2020 12:27 am Chuck, you sure know how to buy cool watches. More power to your elbow!
Well, thanx!!..now if it only had a Power Reserve indicator, right?.. 8)
Well, only so much RE, so horses for courses and even I can forgive the lack at times!
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