Oftentimes these days when you finally do come across a Jones calibre, it is
without a case and may even be in unworking condition. Yet, somehow, it is
still hard to pass on. When you see a nice one, you really want to save it! So
goes the story with this early Jones pattern "R" that surfaced not far from my
home here in Colorado. The case long gone, possibly sold for gold content, the
watch was still ticking and in still decent condition
after all of these years. And the dial, although with some fine cracks on the
bottom edge, still had the beautiful enamel glow and the equisite, hand-
painted signature, numerals and indices. Such a fine example of IWC's original
calibre deserved to be overhauled and re-cased and re-imagined as it may have
been in its former glory. I needed help so I turned to one of our esteemd
collectors and a man who I greatly admire for his love and devotion to these
magnificent jewels, Mark Levinsohn. Although I was able to enjoy this
beautiful movement and dial as it were, without a case, Mark helped me realize
the value of having my movement restored and offered to help find a case and
connect me with a fantastic watchmaker friend of his, Jeroen Blonk. Well I
knew that finding a case that was a good fit would be difficult, but with
Mark's help, I was really quite optomistic and ready to commit to the project.
And off went the movement on another journey accross the Atlantic ocean. Here
is how the naked pattern "R" looked before I shipped it off:
