Introduction and timepiece check

Hi Everyone.

I am not much of a collector, mainly buying a fiddling with pocketwatchs since COVID. Doing my best to get some old-timers back up and running.

There is one old silver pocket watch in my collection, stamped JWC. I like all the between war type of stuff.

However, that watch isn't the reason I came here. I have recently been very tempted by an online auction of a gold Caliber 89. I have a bit of a suspicion about it and am looking for some guidance.

I know that there is a huge variety of the cases and dials, but I haven't seen lugs quite like this in my online searches. Also the second hand is missing, posssibly by some unprofessional watch butcher.

I did ask the seller, but he said he bought it not working, and he hoped it would start??? He claims not to know how to open it and wants sell as is, with no pictures of the movement.

Would it be ok to share a pic here of the dial and case to see if it is indeed a fake?

Thanks Tonny.

Here it is. The band is a bit small and of course the missing seconds hand is a major concern.

My heart tells me yes and my brain tells me no. 😀

Hi Markco,

i am skeptic about the watch. The dial is reprinted from my point of view. The case look not authenthic to me also. There needs to be for sure a center seconds hand for a Caliber 89. Without seeing the inside of the caseback i would not take the watch into account. The right upper lug looks off. We say "when it seems to good to be true, then it most probably is"

br Cromagnonman

Oh wow. The seller has had the back off and what a mess....

A friend of mine had a similar experience with a questionable vintage watch. They were drawn to an online auction for what was advertised as a rare piece but quickly noticed some red flags--missing parts, unclear photographs, and a seller who claimed not to know how to open the watch.

After doing some research, they discovered that the watch had reprinted dials and an altered case. Their instincts were right: " If it seems too good to be true, it probably is." This realization saved them from making an expensive mistake. Sometimes, it is better to trust your logical side over your emotional attachment to a potential find