Re: Interesting eBay Auctions
Posted: July 19th, 2020, 11:12 am
There is some cool history in that article states about Francesco Ferretti (old Panerai collector and strap maker) selling 190 of these SF240 movements to Panerai (run by Dino Zei at that time was struggling, before Vendome group bought them) ... there's a receipt and he sold all those movements for PEANUTS!!! 
... Dino Zei paid him in Pre-V watches, instead of money. Ferretti had bought the movements from a seller that had acquired them from an Angelus liquidation sale (most likely these were final non-alarm SW movements that were slated to be used in Angelus, IMHOF and Tiffany clocks and globes). Further reading talks about Panerai actually making significant modification to the barrel bridge plate (for one cosmetic change, that little hole is missing in the 240 barrel bridge plate in those Panerai 203's). They then added extra jewels ?... however, they kept their promise to keep the movements as vintage 240 by keeping the 15 jewel engraving on the train bridge as original ... and kept it brushed finish as original.
if you look at original Incabloc SW 240's that come in clocks ... you see that little hole in the BB plate. However, when Panerai got all those movements, you see the little hole is gone, among some other plate features are missing from original condition, so it lends that Panerai machined whole new BB plate (same as we see in Chileanantiques made BB plates).
welp, looks like I hijacked this thread for some 240 history
... Dino Zei paid him in Pre-V watches, instead of money. Ferretti had bought the movements from a seller that had acquired them from an Angelus liquidation sale (most likely these were final non-alarm SW movements that were slated to be used in Angelus, IMHOF and Tiffany clocks and globes). Further reading talks about Panerai actually making significant modification to the barrel bridge plate (for one cosmetic change, that little hole is missing in the 240 barrel bridge plate in those Panerai 203's). They then added extra jewels ?... however, they kept their promise to keep the movements as vintage 240 by keeping the 15 jewel engraving on the train bridge as original ... and kept it brushed finish as original.if you look at original Incabloc SW 240's that come in clocks ... you see that little hole in the BB plate. However, when Panerai got all those movements, you see the little hole is gone, among some other plate features are missing from original condition, so it lends that Panerai machined whole new BB plate (same as we see in Chileanantiques made BB plates).
welp, looks like I hijacked this thread for some 240 history
Yoda wrote: ↑July 19th, 2020, 10:35 am
Interesting observation, never thought of that particular detail.
I think that many/most of these converted movements are only marked Angelus on the balance cock and therefore it hasn't been an issue.
I think that the Panerai movements only had Angelus on the balance cock as well, but now I am only guessing.
