Comments:
Blancpain Tornek Rayville Nr 14.
Another one I could see in person, with a case in not so good condition ( polished ) but a cool dial:
The crown is not the correct one, it has to be the smaller one.
The crown is not the correct one, it has to be the smaller one.
As always, the case back tells the story of this watch.
Best,
Nicolas
Let's forget about the case and crown: the dial is nice!
And this T-R US branding is full of charm!
Of course,
given my poor knowledge I don’t fully grasp how much a legend it is, but I definitely understand the appeal.
That really is a stunning looking Blancpain Tornek Rayville Nr 14.
I believe these are incredibly rare as after they finished being service watches most were destroyed by the US Government due to the radium lume and the potential health hazard if not handled correctly. It seems such a shame now but I am sure it must have made sense back then.
Marc
Well, it is not totally right... The lume of the dial was made with Promethium... Whose life is 2, 5 years ( from memory ), but the hands were in radium.
Thanks I did not know that and apparently it is slightly less harmful than Radium but I suppose both are bad and is why they were destroyed.
Marc
They did the same in the French Army with the Type 20, and Panerai a bit before, too...
I think the beauty of tr-900 are all the different conditions. I have the correct crown if the owner needs one. Brian