Explain this watch scam to me

[Huntsman]

So this watch, I presume, is what most watch-geeks would call a Frankenwatch -- it is not what it purports to be, and parts may be incorrect. I also suspect that it is a pocketwatch with poorly cast lugs poorly brazed to the case (who would wear a 50+ mm wristwatch? Even back in the day). My question is why would they do that? The watch itself, I presume, is authentic? Or at least mostly so? And if so it is still a repeater and thus worth a little money for that alone, right? So why make such an abortion of it? Will it really garner more money when its been destroyed and misrepresented? Or is the whole thing a fake (how/why would you go through the trouble to fake something like this -- seems like too much work for the money). http://cgi.ebay.com/Mens-XIX-Cent-HU...item27ad04b1c6 ~ H

 

[Godot]

I think your right about this being a pocket watch with married parts. The watch in original used condition might be worth a couple of hundred. Lugs & other replacements, another hundred or so.
Now as a kind of fake Chronoswiss, it's at $710 with 22 bids and 5 days to go. Sure it's worth the guys time. This is going to come out at about $50-$100 an hour profit or an ROI of $4.00 per dollar.
Bad Karma, but clever.

 

[Corniche]

Originally Posted by Godot

I think your right about this being a pocket watch with married parts. The watch in original used condition might be worth a couple of hundred. Lugs & other replacements, another hundred or so. Now as a kind of fake Chronoswiss, it's at $710 with 22 bids and 5 days to go. Sure it's worth the guys time. This is going to come out at about $50-$100 an hour profit or an ROI of $4.00 per dollar. Bad Karma, but clever.
The sphere and some parts of the mechanism look new...suspicious man. I love the dial, I got it in an old IWC that I bought, quite similar who also had new pieces on it. I was a rookie then but I got it cheap.

 

[Godot]

Just checked the auction and with 4 hours to go it's at $1075 and has 30 bids. To the seller I can only say

 

[DocHolliday]

I'm no watch geek, but browsing the listing made me assume it was being sold as a Frankenwatch. It's up front about the "new custom made" case. I would assume that the appeal is that it is a Frankenwatch, offering a certain unusual styling that can't be had elsewhere. Or am I missing the objection?

 

[LawrenceMD]

this is like people modifying old cars with hydraulics and a fuel injector for the engine. it kills the old stock charm of the vintage but does add some novelty to it. the more sneaky "vintage" on ebay is the old officer's watches which are pocket watches with welded on lugs for a band. often times they are marketed as vintage and authentic (which some officers watches are), but they can just be $30 pocket watches that were had lugs recently added on. granted the way the watches look on a thick band is very cool looking, but its kinda dangerous (for the watch and wearer) to be wearing a huge pocket watch that isn't shock proof and has fragile glass/plastic crystal. then again those gaudy panarai are glorified pocket watches for the wrist...