I have to admit: There is something very likable about Parma.
This is our second time to the ‘Fiera die Parma’ where collectors can enjoy everything collectible from vintage watches, to art deco furniture, old sculptures, art and vintage Louis Vuitton trunks.
There were some pretty cool watches this year, in my view much better than last year. Lets get started.
It was a blue sky day in Parma and it is always difficult to go into stuffy halls packed with people when the sun is shining.
But there were some awesome watches on display this year. Lets start with one of my favorite-the 6238 predaytona from the 1960s with rare silver dial on 18k gold. The bracelet is a rare version without the ‘normal’ endlinks and is from the 1950s.
The movement of this 6238 was perfect. Valjoux 72B. Clean as a whistle and even the gold hallmarks on the lugs were visible (bottom left and top right).
The caseback was no less perfect. No service marks just the Rolex stampings of 750 gold and model number.
The watch looks just perfect on the wrist.
The nice thing about Parma is that when you get bored of watches – there is plenty of other things to do.
Like look at old Louis Vuitton trunks. The man I trust here is none other than Alessio Lorenzi. I have bought from him before and like his quality. The middle trunk is a dream – dated circa 1900 and has a special colour only found on such early trunks.
Lets continue with watches. The same dealer Pasquale Russo & Matteo Monticone showed a nice 6542 bakelite GMT.
The dial was superb (would have preferred a white seconds hand) – the bakelite was intact – but for me personally it lacked some color strength.
We move on to Daytona again from Russo & Monticone, a superb gold Daytona with original papers.
Here a Tiffany big red Rolex Daytona. Whoever said that Tiffany signed dials are rare – they are certainly not rare in Parma.
Almost every stand had a Tiffany signed dial – some stands had two or three of them!
Here another Tiffany signed 6239 early Daytona.
I love Explorer watches from Rolex especially the early ones. This 6610 is still acceptable (I prefer 6150 and 6350) – and had a nice dial.
On another stand I saw again a nice predaytona 6238 with a silver dial.
This was no ordinary 6238. No. It was a FAP or Fuerza Aerea Peru (Peruvian Airforce).
Lets move on to Tempus run by Father and daughter Elvio and Maria (who thanks to another blog is now a celebrity ).
I must admit I thought Tempus had some great watches. Lets start with perhaps the star of the entire Parma show – the very early 6239 Daytona.
As you can see the dial is not perfect. It has spots and shows its age. But for that it has one thing. Patina. Tons of it.
The dial itself turned cream with time and the sub registers have turned brown. I have rarely seen such great colored dial! Depending on the light the dial turns a different color. Almost pinkish in tone. Look below.
Why is this watch such a marvel?
Well it is one of the earliest Daytona’s ever made from 1964. Not only is it a 6239 – but it among the first 6239 with full hashed bezel including ‘275’ which is hyper rare.
Secondly it is an underline dial which are only found on the very early 1964 examples. Third it is a ‘double swiss’ signed dial. Fourth and last it is signed by Tiffany & Co. For a Daytona lover this is as good as it gets. The only very small drawback I can find is that the hands are most likely replaced.
Not only does the lume on the hands not match the lume on the dial but the hands should be thinner – and longer. For more on the early 6239 – please see the excellent post by my friend Ben Clymer of Hodinkee here.
Lets see it on the wrist. Fits like a glove.
Another beautiful Rolex was seen at Tempus.
Its the rare triple calendar Oyster 6062 – this time with spade dial. The watch was in good overall condition from what I could judge and has the English calendar which is always nice. Dial was clean and showed a nice even patina.
Lets see how it looks on the wrist? Why does vintage Rolex have to look so good. Frustrating indeed.
Last at the Elvio & Maria Tempus stand was this wonderful early gilt dial Explorer- this one a ref 5504.
Lets move on to another great brand. Omega. There were a few speedmasters – even an early 2998-1 with 1000 mark bezel.
The coolest Omega however was found at Luca Musumeci’s stand. It was a dream. The bracelet was made of mesh gold and felt like butter on the wrist. So soft. It was like you were wearing a piece of leather. A very very cool watch for a reasonable price.
On my way out I grab a parma ham sandwich to go like every year. It melts in your mouth. The store is conveniently located near the exit.
I look forward to attending Parma in October later this year. For our report of Parma 2015 please see here.
