VIRTUAL POCKET WATCH MUSEUM, Cal 98 Ref 123

The beautiful cal 98 with dial used on some Ref 325

Beautiful, classic, iconic design, Antonio.

Does this watch also have the 'amardillo'?

Regards,

Adrian,

(alwaysiwc).

Hi Adrian. The Armadillo was the hallmark used for non-precious metals. The
hallmark for a 18k gold would have been a Dragon's Head. This watch,
however, was sold directly to the then Portuguese colony of Sao Tome e
Principe, and did not go through any of the Portuguese assay offices.

This watch has an interesting story, though. It was originally sold to a
Menezes, who may have been the owner of a jewelry shop with the same name.

The Menezes' of Sao Tome are descendants of Sephardic Jews from Portugal. In
1493 two thousand Jewish children were taken from their parents and sent there
to be raised as Christians to populate the islands, along with African slaves,
criminals, desterrados (banished), and other indesej aveis (undesirables).
These children were later forced to marry African slaves. Not Portugal 's
proudest moment.

Many of those Jews later returned to Portugal or went to other countries, but
their descendands may have remained in the islands. A former president of
the independent Republic of Sao Tome e Principe is Fradique de Menezes, who
may be related to the initial buyer of this watch.

Below are the halmarks in use in Portugal at the time.

Magnificent watch and incredible history

Thank You for posting Antonio

Very nice timepiece with providence.

i look forward to seeing it in the metal one day.

Thanks, Antonio,

That is what I would call a watch with a history.

Even Mark L. could not improve this.

Adrian,

(alwaysiwc).

I rarely have the opportunity to wear a pocket watch in my retirement and even
less a gold one. It was a shame to leave this elegant design inside a drawer,
so I decided to extend the usefulness of this Ref 123 and gave it an
additional life as a wrist watch, in a dignified setting and maintaining her
integrity.

I know that this is controversial, and some you will disapprove, but now I
wear it as a wristwatch frquently and once in a while as a pocket watch.

Definitely ingenious (and handsome)!

Best regards,

Bob

High crimes, Antonio;)

It does look fantastic - as long as you have the option to restore it as it
originally was configured, I have no issue.

Thanks Ben, your approbation is very important to me. :)

The cal 98 stays mainly as a wristwatch and is a regular on the wrist as a
daily watch. It looks and feels like a Ref 325 but without the worry of any
mishaps.

The Cal 98 goes back to its original gold case once in a long while. I
learned how to it myself but my watchmaker has offered to do the switch free
of charge. I suspect he does not trust my watchmaker skills. ;)