Some buying advice please?

[Scylla]

Hi all

I bought my first LED just before Christmas; an NOS Novus which I love despite the fact it seems to gain about 30" a week.

I now want a Pulsar, and have a budget of about ?350. I am torn between one of Barbie's Sport models that crop up regularly on eBay, and a P3 Date Command in SS. The Sport models seem like they're very-well put together and would be reliable (I've read the report from OldPulsars) but I love the P3. I'm currently negotiating on one - the seller wants ?370, it looks perfect and he's offered me a money-back guarantee.

Is this reasonable money for a NOS P3? Also, can anyone tell me if the links are solid or hollow, like on my Novus?

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers

Scylla

[bruce wegmann]

For a bare watch [no box or papers], US$650 is pretty pricey [I could do a fair bit better than that]. The P3 is by far the more sought-after, collectible, and recognized model [it was, after all, Time Computer's flagship model, and probably the watch most people visualize when you say the name "Pulsar"]. Clearly, the European and US markets and pricing structures are different. But, the best advice I can give here is...be PATIENT! I would never buy the first thing I saw that I thought I wanted, unless the deal [both condition and price] was really good, or if it involved something exceptionally rare, that you probably won't see again for many years [to those who would point out that I have acquired three P1s in just under a year, I simply offer myself to you as living proof that there is such a thing as pure luck, and I did pay much more for the first one than the succeeding two...no regrets, though, trust me!]. Keep your eye on the big three eBay sites [US, UK, DE]. Wonderful bargains still occasionally pop up. Another thing any serious collector will tell you is, "Buy what you like". That, and keeping within your budget, is good insurance you will never suffer from "buyers' remourse" [I would never want to be sorry I bought something I was going to see almost every day].

[bruce wegmann]

Additional note on the P3 bracelet links, they come both ways, hollow links over solid in the majority of watches by about a 5-to-1 ratio. Solid link bracelet is more flexible, durable, and heavier [also my personal preference; my cherished, first Pulsar...a SS P3, has solid links]. I'm not sure it adds any specific amount of value to the watch one way or the other; overall cosmetic and working condition are the primary considerations [and make sure you get a setting magnet; in about half of all P3s, they seem to be missing..."C"-shape carries a slight premium].

[Scylla]

Hello Bruce

Many thanks for your replies. The seller tells me the watch has solid links.

I've been watching eBay for about six months, but this is the first SS NOS model I've seen. I'm particularly keen on getting a watch with solid links, too. It has the magnet, but in the photos it looks like a D-shape dark grey piece of metal.

Do you or anyone you know have a similar watch for sale?

Best

Scylla

[Diginut]

Bruce - if you'd like to average down your investment in P1's, please let me know off list :)

With only 26 left on the planet, I dont think you should hoard them !

[digibloke]

I would definately go for the SS P3 - It's a great watch - especially with solid links (they're fairly splendid with an original leather strap with a magnet compartment in the buckle too) :D

If you're going to spend that amount though make sure that it's guaranteed to be working and keeping time before you part with the cash (not the same as guaranteed to be working until it's posted to you). Also for 350 quid without boxes and papers you should be getting an original untampered-with watch. And it should be REALLY, REALLY nice.

Also does it have to be NOS. A good condition used watch will be a lot cheaper and you'll feel a lot more comfortable wearing it.

(I think the D shape magnet is correct for a P3)

Bestens DB.

[Scylla]

Hi Digibloke - thanks for the reply :)

It doesn't HAVE to be NOS, but I'd sooner pay more for something really nice, than a bit less for something that might kick the bucket at any time..

The seller appears to be a genuine collector/dealer, and he's guaranteeing the watch is NOS, never sold, original module... and I suppose with the money-back guarantee he's offered, I don't have a lot to lose.

What worries me is where this will end. I swore the Novus I bought before Christmas would be the first and last LED I'd buy. I can see me and the wife surrounded by stunning watches and eating fish-head stew every day

[Diginut]

It wont stop at two or three ... collecting LEDs is addictive and contagious.

Seek help now before its too late.

[bruce wegmann]

It's already too late; probably for him...certainly for me. Just over two years ago, finding the Pulsar I had bought in 1974, then tucked away and forgot about for over twenty years, got me started. Since then, I have [seriously] lost track of how many tens of thousands of dollars I have spent on Time Computer products... If someone had told me three years ago how far it would go, it would have been impossible to believe, or if I believed it, I would have started worrying about my ability to think rationally. But I don't think a passion for collecting [anything] is necessarily a rational process; we collect because we enjoy it...there is the fun of the search, and the thrill of the find, and the opportunity to share our discoveries and knowledge [which, unless I'm very mistaken, is what this Forum is all about]. So much for the excursion into philosophy; the "D"-shaped magnet is also correct for the P3...the general rule, in fact. And I do occasionally have Pulsars for sale; PM me if you have a specific want in mind...

[Majestyk]

Don't expect a Pulsar will be anymore reliable on the time, unless the seller says it is. In fact the P2's and P3's are usually pretty off due to the older quartz crystals.

MJ

[Planet-LED]

Scylla,
As far as making a decision between the P3 and the Sport, I would tell you to consider arm size. I am a bodybuilder with big forearms and the Sport doesn't really look right on me. It fits my wrist fine, but it looks too small on my forearm. I am telling you this, so you have one more thing to consider.