4-watch auction, 0 bids

[redled]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-synchronar-digital-LED-Watch_W0QQitemZ160072020089QQihZ006QQcategoryZ31387QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Why no bids? (I am not the seller)

[retroleds]

a)All who are so inclined, have already taken a shot at cracking open a Synchronar. b)his starting price is what he paid, but the reserve hasn't been met. Maybe one at a time he can off them to some gamblers and save his butt; otherwise, he needs to suck up the lose and move on in life.
Shouldn't play high stakes poker if you can't afford it.

[redled]

Well, I guess you know where he got them etc. I've been out of circulation and was just surprised to see 4 Syncs in one auction, and no bids. Has the bottom fallen out on the market for these lately?

...and to answer the first part of your response last....not everyone :D

[retroleds]

Hey, I understand about wanting to try...I picked up several of these myself. Insane

[redled]

Did you document the saga, or is it too painful to relive?

[retroleds]

The quest for knowledge wasn't that painful...I have documented(photographed) the insides of the 4 I have got working(roughly 1 out of 8+), with the intention of revealing these when I decide to sell them. As a courtesy to Howard Riehl and because I think it will take a while for these unopened pieces to work their way thru the LED collectibles market, I am not selling any for at least 1-2 years. Opening the black or stainless bottomed ones is the worst, the reds are much easier. Opening a 1.5 cm tall Lexan plastic box, without destroying the very fragile contents, sounds so easy until it is in your hand. Like cracking an egg - the yolk is perfect while the shell is intact, but you can't crack it without risking the yolk. The only downfall(IMO)to this wonderful timepiece.

[redled]

Well, ive got two black ones, I think with red bottoms. Will you help me at some point with tips etc. when i'm ready to take the plunge? It probably won't be very soon.

[retroleds]

My #1 tip - DON'T TAKE THE MODULE OUT OF THE TOP! There is no need to as all components are accesible from the bottom except the solar cell. Aim for leaving it in there, rather than risking pulling on the solar panel and/or the wire bonds as the gel sticks to the case. And yes, the potting gel is a f'n mess.....tweezers, wooden toothpicks and a lot of patience. Christmas time reminded me of the perfectly analgous substance - pine tree sap. Except the potting gel has no known solvent.

[redled]

Thanks. My only interest in opening them is to get access to the batteries and replace them. I will disassemble as little as possible to make that happen.

[Synchroserious]

If you have a red bottom/back you most certainly can use the leave the guts in the top method, especialy if you are just going for a battery and or Q,C change.Several different methods were used to connect the batteries over the years and only the ones with wire leads can be accessed from the bottom.Many MK IV and MK III,s had a wrap arround Tab that would have to be cut out in order to leave the board clung to the top.Also you cannot work with the Solar Cell,reed switches,or the display at all using this method on ANY Synchronar.

Ed you must not have seen these type with the ones you have experimented with.

As for the market value of a non worker it really has not changed too much with new bidders everyday. However selling in bulk seems different.
BTW the seller is Roger Riehl Jr. Can,t blame him for selling a few items of his inheritence,although multiple item auctions like this may have simmered down the overal ebay avg.You can never really loose and sometimes people just want one only and it doesn,t need to work because it is still a historical timepiece linking to alot of history.Others may fare better leaving them unopened for 10 years.Worse case you have valuable parts,case,internals etc.

[retroleds]

Howard:
I haven't seen the wrap-around tab yet. But I have successfully replaced two reed switches from the bottom....there is plenty of room compared to many soldering jobs. And plenty of room for getting probes in there to test. I figure the display to be a moot point, since they are either fused with something hard,or fused with potting gel. Either way, I'm thinking even the mighty Zanoni couldn't fix those displays. Solar cells - ok, but unless you have a replacement, not much to see. :(.....testing can be done from below.

[Synchroserious]

Whatever the case may be Ed.I suppose you could somehow snarl the reeds out and solder some in upside down and it may do some temporary majic .But all reeds are soldered down from the top and trapped there buy a ridge. Unfortunatly nothing is really moot when it comes to you or I wanting to give tips.Sometimes I feel reluctant to disagree with anyone because it is a no win situation.But we should not forget I made 500 of these watches and have seen all the different insides and all I want to do is give my best shot at some free inside info.Trust me if you try to pull the bottom out on some it is more dangerous on the insides.and difficult to work with.

Why don,t you just come down here with a camera and we can doccument it all smoothly.I know you have a busy schedule but the offer stands.While your here you can checkout the first L.E.D protype from 1969.

[retroleds]

Howard:
You have definately have more knowledge on what one might find inside any particular Synchronar. I was only stating it as a possibility and a warning to the overly curious that until they have determined they NEED to pull the module out,leave it be....particularly on the ones with very wet potting gel. The dry ones slip out nicely. Your tips are always appreciated and taken into consideration- no offense was intended.

[richard_uk]

his starting price is what he paid, but the reserve hasn't been met. Maybe one at a time he can off them to some gamblers and save his butt; otherwise, he needs to suck up the lose and move on in life.
Shouldn't play high stakes poker if you can't afford it.

BTW the seller is Roger Riehl Jr. Can,t blame him for selling a few items of his inheritence,although multiple item auctions like this may have simmered down the overal ebay avg.You can never really loose and sometimes people just want one only and it doesn,t need to work because it is still a historical timepiece linking to alot of history.Others may fare better leaving them unopened for 10 years.Worse case you have valuable parts,case,internals etc.

I'm confused :?

[retroleds]

Richard: You have a right to be confused. I assumed that the seller was someone who had picked up 4-5 off Howard's brothers, and had then chickened out after trying to crack one open(this has already happened with at least one of those transactions). Howard has corrected us on that - it's Roger Jr. doing the selling.

It will be nice when all those "eggs" have been cracked open - at least then we won't wonder about whether their "yolk" is still intact. :? Whole thing has confused the market on what a working(or nonworking)Synchronar is worth - IMO. 12-14 months ago you would be outbid mercilessly at $500+ for one that was cracked open and very dead.

[Synchroserious]

Yea that guy with the opened up non worker was one of the luckiest ones.Generaly there is a range from $125--$700,sometimes just because of several nice pictures like a member here got almost $700 6-8 months ago and the next week they were back to the normal avg.In all my observations and listings sent to my father it has generaly been $150.00 for SW,s and $250.00 for Synchronars.Like I said it has probably lowered slightly in the last 6 months.

Can anybody name an electronic product that sells for more than it,s sticker price of 1979??....of course this is for ones that don,t work as new.I have seen some cover more than inflation,how could the owner go wrong on his investment.Basicly a 25 yr free lease.

[jdexter]

Salutations:

Anyone by chance have the seller's email address?

I think I might be interested in a non-working unopened model if I could get in touch with him/her somehow.

Cheers

[richard_uk]

You can email him via the contact link on the ebay page, not sure you'll get one though as if you click the "relisted" button you'll see he sold them next time around.

[edit] worth a try though as he might have more.

[jdexter]

You can email him via the contact link on the ebay page, not sure you'll get one though as if you click the "relisted" button you'll see he sold them next time around.

[edit] worth a try though as he might have more.

Found it.. thanks..

[your_man_in_Hamburg]

Can anybody name an electronic product that sells for more than it,s sticker price of 1979??....of course this is for ones that don,t work as new.I have seen some cover more than inflation,how could the owner go wrong on his investment.Basicly a 25 yr free lease.

Quite a number of LED-watches should fit that bill. Prime candidates are the HP-01, the Girard Perregaux "Casquette", and, quite likely, the model James Bond flashed for a few moments in one of the B.-films.

[Synchroserious]

Hey I may be wrong,but show me some figures on then and now.We really can,t count ones made of Solid Gold or one that a celeb ownes/wears in a movie.Heck the sky is the limit on them.We are talking about the value for ones due to rarity and the electronics inside.

More correctly I should add the years 77 & 78 as well.Was the Hp-O1 from 79?
Nice to chat about something else with you.... just in fun of course.

[richard_uk]

I think most 70's LED watches have turned out to be a good investment, I've seen Timex etc go for over £200, and they cost around £10-20 back then.