3800 1/a - good, bad, ugly - ADVICE

[DonQuijones]

Hi frens,

I have an opportunity to pick this up from a family friend at €15-20k. 1985 with all original paperwork etc. Clearly needs to go in for servicing and perhaps some polishing etc, but wanted to ask your collective opinion in terms of good/bad/ugly as a deal here? 1st in house PP movement, on a Nautilus, bought from original owner etc etc etc, but what am I not thinking about??

[huncho]

uh are these not worth more than twice that?

it's a watch i wanna own some day but the prices are insane. not sure what's going on here but at that price it'd be a no brainer ...

[~JJ]

If you pass, please send me a DM!

[agsstructures]

Buy it

[vliberman]

It is a mid $50k watch

[ts3]

Make sure you like the size on your wrist. A former colleague was wearing a 3800 every day in the early 2000s but he was a midget. On my 6.6 inch wrist the 3800 looked too small due to its tiny dial (much smaller than the dial of my 34mm 3998P Calatrava). Back when I tried on the 3800 it was a 10k to 15k watch and those days may well return I think.

[ts3]

Just to add, the 335 movement used in the early 3800 was retired for the improved 330 after a few years of production. I don't remember exactly what the issues were but I have read quite a few times that the 335 (just like the 310) doesn't have the best reputation.

[srvrf]

If you like a vintage watch at 37mm go for it. Hopefully the family friend knows that they are giving you an exceptional price (maybe a $25k USD discount). Because if they don't know and start to look at other prices such as on Chrono24 I feel it would cause a lot of problems.

[gm58]

seems like a bargain at that price!

[Mk2rick]

what a beauty ! Buy it!

[Bartolo]

It's not very high on my list for a Nautilus that I would otherwise chose to own or wear.

What's the ultimate strategy if you buy it?? Buy it, sink a little more money into it for service . . then what? Keep it and wear it?? Flip it??

If it were me and it was truly a "family friend" I would help them maximize their return on THEIR item . . . and would not buy it for much less than its actual value because (presumably) they don't know how much it's really worth. Especially if you're just going to flip it. But that's just me and how I treat MY friends.

[fsprow]

I’ve been in that situation with friends, though not with watches, and come back saying I think it’s worth more and name a price perhaps 15 to 20% below market price (what the friend could likely realize selling to a dealer). Looks like a fine watch and I intend to acquire one at some point.

[Tbird]

Even thebox interior looks fantastic, like a dried up seabed...

[Bartolo]

Originally Posted by fsprow

I’ve been in that situation with friends, though not with watches, and come back saying I think it’s worth more and name a price perhaps 15 to 20% below market price (what the friend could likely realize selling to a dealer). Looks like a fine watch and I intend to acquire one at some point.

Paying the friend what they could have gotten selling it off to a dealer certainly is very fair for them, and a good deal for you.

[Ristretto]

it is a great deal and an elegant watch, go for it.