Black Synchronar.

[ledwatch]

Ive seen the pictures of a matt black Synchronar on a website from Japan. Does anyone have one of these?? How many were produced?? In what years?? Any other info would be much appreciated. Thanks....

[fronzelneekburm]

I personally don?t have one, but as far as I know Roger Riehl produced these in the late 70s...

I don?t think that many have been produced, probably much less than 1.000 pieces... I suppose the black version is one of the rare ones...

[ledwatch]

Interesting, thanks for the reply, is that 'less than 1000 peices' a guess or based on anything?

Anyone know how many Synchronars were made in the '70s in any colour?

[fronzelneekburm]

the "less than 1000" was just a guess, but based on the knowledge that the black version practically never appears on ebay, the gold and stainless models more often, sometimes several times a months, sometimes theres 2 or 3 month no Synchronar to see...


From 1971 to date, over 50,000 Sychronars were sold ? about 20,000 with the Ragen name. In the late 1970s, the mail order company Starshine also sold about 8,000 watches. Riehl Time themselves sold over 12,000. Over the years, about 60,000 modules were actually made.

By 1981 already over 3000 pieces had been sold to japan.

In the Ragen era, the watches cost about $500 for a stainless steel case, $650 for gold plate, $1200 for solid gold, and $550 for a black ceramic coated stainless steel (That?s the black one we talk about).

By the end of the 1970s, the prices had dropped down as low as $129.95 for the stainless steel via mail order.


That?s probably why so many had been sold. Today I wish I had a few "129 $ models"...


:)



The article is at Guy Balls website. :)

[ledwatch]

Thanks for that fantastic reply my friend. Very helpful.

Ive been using eBay for over four years and I cant remember ever seeing a black one, theres no pic on Guy's site either. Maybe they've been listed and I missed them.

Thanks again.

Lets keep the thread open.....anyone got one of these??

[fronzelneekburm]

There is also a very rare rhodium plated version and pendant watch models. All probably pretty rare...


I found the pic on Mr. Frequencies Website...

[Mr Frequency 32768hz]

Well spotted fronzelneekburm......... i have that scan on my site, and did'nteven spot the rhodium plated version ?? what is rhodium plate ??

www.theledwatch.com

[fronzelneekburm]

Rhodium is like platinum a very expensive metal... looks like on the pic...

I never saw the black or rhodium version on ebay - and before I saw the scan on your brilliant site I didn?t even guess that there existed Synchronar pendant watches...

If anyone had shown me one I?d said it?s a damn fake someone built from a synchronar with missing bracelet...

[dot matrix]

I had a rhodium plate sunwatch. Rhodium is basically chromium - very reflective. The case was base metal, but with the flashy plate job. I think this was a lower cost version than the SS.

[fronzelneekburm]

From the material it should be more expensive than the SS or Gold plated version as rhodium is more expensive than gold...


However I didn?t find any vintage price lists with the rhodium model, so I don?t know for sure.

[dot matrix]

Rhodium might be more expensive (I don't know, but I'll take your word for it.) But the watch was cheaper because the case itself was base metal, instead of solid Stainless Steel or Gold-plated stainless steel. Base metal is basically brass or something, I don't know. But I do know it's cheap.

However, as I said, mine was a Sunwatch. If the Rhodium Synchronar was anything like the black ceramic Synchronar or the Gold-plated Synchronar, it could also have very well had a stainless steel case beneather that plating. In which case, it was probably priced around the same as those two versions.

[redled]

Well I have two black Syncs but alas both non-working.

[fronzelneekburm]

Do you sell one?

:P

[redled]

Do you sell one?

:P

I would consider it.

[fronzelneekburm]

If you make me an offer I?ll definitely think about it.

:D



Better a broken Synchronar than no Synchronar at all... :wink:

(I can?t afford a working one)

[redled]

If you make me an offer I?ll definitely think about it.

:D



Better a broken Synchronar than no Synchronar at all... :wink:

(I can?t afford a working one)

I don't know, I wasn't really thinking of selling them. You can make an offer it you want.

[bitfiend]

I talked to Roger this morning about several things. He seems like a really nice guy, and he doesn't sound very old at all. Very sharp, seemed like he'd have talked with me for quite awhile if I'd had the time.

I asked him about the Black Synchronar (I have one, NOS :^) and he confirmed that there were less than 1000 made out of the 60,000 or so Synchronars and Sunwatches produced.

He also said the Mark 5 is very close to completion, he was looking over some of the final "artwork" and it is going to be in production soon.

He was reluctant to take an order from me, and was very straightforward about delays. (I told him I'd heard some horror stories about long delivery times) Although he assured me that the multi-year delays are in the past, I decided that even if it does take me several years to get my watches, I had to have a couple of the new ones.

After all, how often can you talk to the man who invented the watch you are buying, and is very probably going to hand-build it himself? Especially an icon like the Synchronar. Roger has to be a pretty cool guy to stubbornly refuse to stop production of his invention, even improving and updating it 20 years after anybody else producing anything similar totally abandoned their products (and support for them.)

I'm sending him a check tomorrow for 2 new Synchronars, one in 14k solid gold, and one in stainless .

[embelton]

I?m with bitfiend,I would order one also if I could afford one.

[fronzelneekburm]

Nah, I wouldn?t spent a 1000 bucks on a watch that arrives in somewhat between 5 years and never... :(

[embelton]

I would trade (nearly)all my watches for one Synchronar(not sunwatch),
that would be worth more than what it costs in cash(I think/hope).

I dont think its a overpriced watch its just that I never pay that kind of money for any watch.
I guess have a little trouble about saving dollares,I burn it all to fast :D

[dot matrix]

I'm sending him a check tomorrow for 2 new Synchronars, one in 14k solid gold, and one in stainless .

You mean he accepted your order? You're lucky - the last time I spoke with him, I wanted to order a new Synchronar but he wouldn't let me. He said that since I had two in for repair (been waiting maybe 5 years or so) I should be getting a new one when they're ready.

But I'd feel better about it placing an order anyways.

I have just seen a black synchronar on ebay, it looks so good it actually hurts me to look at it, anyone know what I mean? Its working aswell, ouch.....

Anyone want to buy my liver??, a lung??, Id sell pretty much anything for that synchronar....

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 4911308297