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Make: Caravelle Model: Unknown Movement: 17 jewel hand wind movement Dial: Silver Complications: Material: Stainless Steel back, base metal case Crystal: Plastic WR: Unknown Width: 33mm Height: 10mm Lugs: 17mm Lug to Lug: 40mm Date Purchased: July 28, 2007 Purchase Price: $10 (plus $20 for a new crystal and crown) Source: Flea Market Status: Got it, wear it

Sagle Swap. That’s where this little gem came from. It’s a swap meet a few miles south of Sandpoint, Idaho. It’s about a 30 minute drive up to the flea market, which is not too bad. We had a close call on the way back: a grass fire had started near Athol on the way back, we drove right through it (with the rest of traffic) but about 10 minutes after we went through the road was closed for 4 hours. Traffic southbound (our direction home) was being re-routed, so we still would have made it home, it just would have taken a bit longer. Those poor souls heading north were stuck on the highway for just over 4 hours, in 95 degree heat!

Anyway, for the most part, the flea market was a dissapointment. There were not as many vendors as we had seen there in the past, and most of the stuff offered was junk, to be honest. I did come home with one watch, however.

I found this Caravelle among a pile of crap. Not literally, it was in a box of junk on a worn out expandable bracelet. I gave it a couple winds and it started right up. I took it to ask the seller what they wanted. He asked me if it was a “self winder”. I said no, it’s a handwind. He looked at me like I was his developlently disabled second cousin, the one that drools on everything. “Winding it won’t do no good,” was his response while he shook the watch up by his ear. He looked at it with a sense of triumph when he saw that it was running. “It’s running because I just wound it.” Ignoring me, he asked his wife what was on the dial, I answered instead and she replied with the same. He asked her if it was a self-winder. She held it up to her ear and asked him, let me hear yours. I finally just asked again, what’s the price? The guy could have had a vintage Blancpain Fifty Fathoms and he wouldn’t have known what he had. Then again, he could have just had a rock and been in the same boat. I paid $10, he wouldn’t budge on the price.

I sent the watch off to Duarte of North East Watchworks who does some light repairs and customization work. Really top notch stuff, and he’s a great guy on top of that (met him at the PMWF meet in 2004). He replaced the crystal and the crown for me and it looks top notch now. And it runs great to boot. The movement was clean much to my pleasure. Sure, these days it’s a bit on the small side, but it’s still a real looker.