18 Nov 2013, 02:35
Nothing terribly exotic about this...it simply means this was one of the last P1s to return to the Lancaster facility for re-fitting a new module, and so got the later 201-2 (P2) circuit board. According to the best info I have, about one in four returned P1s got the later electronics (it is known that some of the last P1s to be built left the factory with the 201-2 board, exact number unknown; it's a good bet that none of those had to go back to Time Computer). Many fundamental questions about the factory recall, such as, how soon did watches begin failing in the field (it's even possible one or two died in the jewelry store, even before being sold!), how many came back before the recall letter was issued, and how many came back at all (there are several P1s with the original E/D module still inside)? The one person who could have answered all these questions (indeed, ALL P1-related questions), Jean Wuischpard, is no longer with us, so we are now left to struggle along as best we can (some of those original records may still exist, but have not been forthcoming).
On the current offering, the present asking price is actually pretty high, considering Uli paid only about $7000 for it from "Noah's Toy Box" on eBay a few year ago, but in the current market, it's still about 10-20% too high. The bracelet clasp shows somewhat-higher-than-average wear, and the distinctive dent on the case back between and below the "H" and "C" drops it out of the "superb" condition class.
The big gripe I have here is the continued nonsense of blocking the serial number! It serves no useful purpose to do so, and actually creates problems when you try to figure out how many P1s are actually out there (when non-serial-specified watches change hands several times, it artificially inflates the number of owners; the bizarre notion that public knowledge of the existence of a particular serial number somehow places the owner at risk is such a palpable absurdity I simply will not debate it further). This watch is serial #503; it was when it left the factory, and it will be #503 forever; I don't intend to make any contribution to fueling this owner paranoia. Until this stops, we will never be able to get an accurate count of known P1s (until proven otherwise, I do think an estimate of 50 is a good one). A couple months ago, for the first time in almost a year, a "new" P1 (that is, one previously unknown to collectors) came to light, serial number 454.
Last edited by
bruce wegmann on 18 Jan 2014, 21:42, edited 3 times in total.
