Ferrari F355 watch question.

I've found out this watch was made in editions of 50 for each type of F355, but I know nothing more about it. Was it made for a dealership to give out to the buyer, or just a neat accessory to sell? Anything anyone can tell me would be gratefully appreciated.

It has a Valjoux 7750 automatic movement, which is a good quality Swiss ETA chronograph movement, and a see through back.

George
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I'm a watch guy, not a car guy. I actually have this one for sale, but not advertised yet. Given the quality of manufacture of this piece and the use of the 7750 movement, I'd rate it at about an $800-$900 watch. That's what I'm planning to sell it for on the watch boards.

I'm looking for info to answer buyer questions, since it appears to be quite rare. The thing's very well made, on a par with your normal $1500-$2000 stainless steel chronograph from the mid-90s, which was when this one was made, but not overly fancy. That's one reason I think it was a dealer thing for F355 buyers. You get the car and the watch that matches it. I was given a copy of a picture from a German Ferrari magazine that showed the F355 Spider edition of the watch and the fact that they were made in limited editions of 50, but no other information.

The dial's quite complex, built on three levels and done with what appers to be red lacquer. If you don't know watches, that's a bit of a special dial treatment.

I've had it cleaned, oiled and regulated to around +5/day, which is chronometer specification. Quite an interesting piece. Since watches are my hobby, I like to learn as much as I can about them. This one's a mystery.

George

 

Campbell - Dead on. The 7750 is quite ubiquitous, but that's because it's so darn good. Great motor, as I'm sure you'll agree. Because of the see-through back, I can tell you the only real decorations are engraving on the rotor: "Water Resistance 30m" and "25/50". The value here is in the watch as a whole and the rarity, not movement decoration. I'm pricing it as a standard 7750 chrono, however.

Paul - I didn't even know the watch EXISTED. If you count up the versions of the F355 made, then multiply by 50, you have the number of watches made. That's an incredibly small amount in the watch world.

George

 

Scott: The watch exists. That's a picture of it at the bottom of my first post. Please look.

Actually, this is my fourth post trying to get information on it. The other two were on TimeZone and Military Watch Resource. The latter not as strange as it seems, by the way, since a huge number of experts like James Dowling hang out there. I happily invite doubters, trolls, etc. to come lurk at MWR; it's fun and informative. I also hang out at Equation of Time's Ultimate Dive Watch Forum and that's also fun. Come on over.

Yep, I want to sell it. I got the watch as part of a trade and it's value in the trade matched what I want to get out of it. I'm into dive watches and sport Omegas, so I want to flip this watch and put the money into an Omega. If you aren't familiar with mechanical watches, $800-$900 is not an unreasonable price for a good chronograph. The GP you mention goes for three times that.

I've posted what I know about it, but neither the case nor the movement give an original manufacturer. Since this is not uncommon for specialty runs, I figured I'd go to the folks that might be familiar with Ferraris and their associated gear. Yes, I'd happily sell it to someone in this community because you guys would probably appreciate it more, especially if you have an interest in the GTS.

I'm going to post this watch on the boards in the next couple of days, but I've been holding off. I'll be putting a croc strap and deployant clasp on it today, and I didn't want to put it up for official sale until it was fully dressed out. Kind of like putting new tires on a car you want to sell.

Anyhow, I want to thank the character that implied I was some kind of a crook. He brought this thread to the top where people would see it.

George

 

Thanks, Bubba for spreading a little factual info in my defense. Scott, I respect a gentleman who, when he finds himself wrong, has the character to say so publicly.

Oh, and a lot of Panny movements are based on the 7750, including their three handed divers. Panerai has got proprietary movements, but they aren't used throughout the line. In fact, I'm not entirely certain if the Ferrari watches use Panny movements, ETAs, or both.

George

 

Here's the animal in question in its new real alligator strap and deployant clasp. Looks better in real life. I'm a lousy watch photographer.

George
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