Pulsar Pulse/Time?

[abem]

Hi.

I recently talked to a guy who is looking for a Pulsar Pulse/Time. A while back he bought a P2 from me and I offered to post his inquiry to the forum. I warned him that the chances of finding one were slim and that they run several thousand dollars at least. So, anyhow, if anyone is interested in talking to him, send me a note and I'll put you in touch.

-abe.

p.s. He says that he's interested in the rarer Pulsars. Perhaps he'd like one of these (see link below). I wonder if it even exists. The single amazingly beautiful and detailed photo in the listing is Archer McLean's photograph which was taken several years ago and is readily available online (the photo, that is, not the watch ):
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Time-Computer-P ... 2ec9945a66
The seller feedback doesn't inspire confidence:
http://feedback.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d ... ckAsSeller

[PG101]

Hi Abe

I've no idea about a Pulse/Time computer, but re- the P1 you linked to:

This is all
The same watch sold 0n 25 February for 7750 GBP (Roughly $11890 US).
Besides using the same photograph (now removed from the February listing), the new seller has even used the same text as in the previous auction: "The P1 was the worlds first solid state digital LED watch, hailed in 1972 as a "Time-Computer" using "Space-Age" technology, and the first new way to tell the time in 800 years of time keeping. Only a limited number were sold with film stars and TV celebrities all to be seen wearing them including President Nixon, Gerald Ford, Sammy Davis Jnr, Elvis, Shah of Iran, Sonny Bono, Yul Brynner, and many more. As any LED collector knows, the world premier of a LED watch being used in a film was James Bond using a P2 in Live and Let Die 1973."

Link to February auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/140921661391;jsessionid=65E5431F9A33A7DE9AB39F8C4CB7F793?ru=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3D140921661391%26_rdc%3D1

Link to the auction on DWF:
http://www.newdwf.com/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=6215

The newly listed photograph is however not water-marked, whereas the text in the February auction clearly stated that the photo's were credited to the seller.
The watch that sold in February had a serial #754-280, so it would be pretty easy to check if it's the same watch.

The new seller has agreed to local pick-up (in one of 3 countries), so it sounds legit, but I'd be reluctant to pay someone $14000 more than what they paid 5 months ago! That's a serious mark-up!
Everyone to themselves I guess

What a stunning watch though

[Diginut]

Hi Abe, Patrick,

I wanted to clear up some facts about the slightly misleading P1 for sale on ebay at present.

The seller is the interesting character who bought my P1 back in Feb, serial #280, and it was a very nice used P1, but not mint.

*However* .. the photo being used is of #336 which I sold in 2009 and that was mint, but its NOT #280. The collector who bought #336 will probably never part with it. I have published that photo in the past, which is why it can be found all over the net …

280 is not in the same condition as 336 and does have quite a history to it. It has often been rumoured to be the Yul Brynner watch, but this all stems from faked claims by a well known rogue former owner who falsified an authentication certificate and photoshopped loads of spare P1 magnets to go with it (go check it out, its easy to spot ..). I sold the watch as a nice P1 and did not state who may have previously owned it as there is no proof. But as we all know, many pop stars / politicians / business leaders etc, back in the day, were all to be seen sporting P1's.

I would hope any prospective buyer knows what they are buying before handing over any spondulies.

Arch

[PG101]

Hi Archer

Thanks for the detailed response. I think I had put in a bid on your watch in February for somewhere around 6000 GBP, and was disappointed to see it get snatched up so quickly from the BIN option My loss, but I couldn't afford much more anyway, so it's neither here nor there.

I just hope that nobody pays that kind of money for this P1, irrelevant of it's celeb (or not) status, because it'll then surely secure my fate of never owning one!

Take care, and thanks again.

[bruce wegmann]

It really pains me to see something as rare and beautiful as a P1 being tossed about like a hot potato or a grenade with the pin pulled. This guy isn't the first to ask 25 grand for a P1; there was the other one a couple years back that the owner thought was a "prototype", but I bought that one for less than $8K.
The use of pics that are not of the specific watch being sold puts the seller's motives in question, for me at least, though it seems clear that he does actually own a P1. There isn't a chance in the world he'll get any offers remotely approaching the asking price (like the $27K 18K Calculator that has been languishing on eBay for the better part of a year now). Until now, I thought this flipping-for-a-profit nonsense was largely confined to the real-estate market...

[Seer Taak]

I'd like to believe most P1's are in the hands of genuinely appreciative owners, not speculators, but then who knows what this sellers story for selling so soon after purchase really is!

As a matter of interest, what kind of ball park prices would a more common mint 18k Pulsar go for these days?

[bruce wegmann]

Watch alone, not working, US$6-8K, working, US$7-10K. Inner box, add US$1-2K, outer box, another thousand. Setting magnet, add US$300-500. Properly-restored specimens are on essentially a par of value with original examples (but, that is a value judgement that can only be made by the buyer) Complete package...working watch, magnet(s), boxes, manual...US$15K or so, depending on the exact condition of all the individual components. In my estimation, the P1 sets the "ceiling price" of any Pulsar collectible...nothing is worth more than a P1. I say this with all due respect to Uli's 18K calculator, which is a $7-8K watch, tops (the Calculators actually ARE numerically rarer than the P1, but here collector demand determines the greater value; if you have 8K to spend, I think most would rather wait and buy a P1, which is by far the more interesting and significant watch). As for speculators, I can't think of a field where they don't exist; in this case I doubt the seller's efforts will be significantly rewarded.

[Seer Taak]

Wow, that's a tidy sum of money to spend but considering the rarity, historic importance and intrinsic value, not to mention the simple beauty, it's worth it for those that can afford it. Thanks for the information Bruce.