Camel Trophy Adventure watch collection

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Masterpiece

Collection

Mondaine number given (after 1993): 136.880-889
Date of manifacture:   Ca. 1994/96
Functions: Hours,Mins.SC - Date - Chronograph 1/10th - 2x Rotating Bezels
Movement make & model: Gold plated ETA 251-262
Number of jewels:   27
Movement Type:   Quartz with 5 step motors
Water resistant:   20 ATM
Case and back plate : All Stainless steel
Battery:

Notes on this Watch Type: This watch is/was the flagship of the "Camel Trophy Adventure Watches" range from around 1994 This high qualtiy watch was made in very limited numbers. It is the only CT fitted with a Sapphire glass (that I know of)

Personal notes: My guess is that is that it was made in two series like the Team Professional, 001-099 and then 0001-2000 (TBC)

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Watches ID (last 3 numbers):      ?

Serial Number    0431


This watch:
I was very lucky to become the owner of this Masterpiece as quite by chance a very nice man from Spain asked If we could come to an arrangement concerning some watches I was selling. Of course I was interested but I already had this very model so I was a bit apprehensive about acquiring another. We came to a agreeable deal and as "lady luck" was looking down on me I asked Daniel G if he could collect it for me as he lived close to where the watch owner lived.   This was all done (with a small hick-up from my side). We decided not to send the watch over the Christmas period for obvious reasons. Early January the watch arrived with a smiling postman saying "A late Christmas present from Spain?" I said with a big grin "Yes!"

This watch came from: Spain, Dec 2011

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Watches ID (last 3 numbers):      ?

Serial Number    1156


This watch: Story: This watch took me/us (Us being Daniel G from Spain) 9 months of much correspondence, travelling, negotiating to finally hold in my hand!
It all started when just by chance somebody sent me an e-mail saying he had seen 2 Masterpieces in a shop window in Spain when he was on holiday years ago! I told this story to Daniel and said he would try to find them! A "long shot" but he only lived around 120km from where the shop should be. He phoned around trying to find out if the shop still doing business but to no avail. As he is Spanish he was not going to just give up (I now know where the saying comes from "take the bull by the horns") and drove to the village where the shop was after work one night! The shop was gone, well empty anyway. He walked around and tried to get some information from the locals. Eventually he found somebody that said the shop is a seasonal shop and is only doing business in the Holiday season. This was around October (I think).

Still not put off we waited for the Holiday season to begin. As soon as it started Daniel was back on the road to see if he could find the shop…. Yippee FOUND IT! And the seller still had the watches for sale!! Daniel had done it! Due to the rather expensive price we could not buy the watches straight away so the shop owner demanded €100 deposit on each watch and he would hold them until 1st July.
The day finally came and Daniel once again travelled down the long road to collect the prised pieces. I got an sms saying "I have 2 Masterpieces in my hands" we were both very excited (especially Daniel as the hunt was almost over)
Pictures were made and sent to me so I could show my wife what all the fuss has been about over the last 9 months (Thanks to both wives for putting up with us)
Shortly after the German postman came and insisted he must give the parcel to me in person (Not my Daughter) and made me sign a very official form to say I had received my 2nd Masterpiece!!
These watches are very rare and to finally own 2 is beyond my wildest dreams!

I would like to thank Daniel G** for his persistence in getting these watches we must be the only 2 people (Collectors) that both own 2 of this very Limited Masterpiece.

This watch came from: Spain, July 2010

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Watches ID (last 3 numbers): 884

Serial Number: 1912

This watch: This watch is/was the flagship of the "Camel Trophy Adventure Watches" range from around 1994 This high qualtiy watch was made in very limited numbers. It is the only CT fitted with a Sapphire glass (that I know of). My guess is that is that it was made in two series like the Team Professional, 001-099 and then 0001-2000 (TBC)

Story: : I searched long and hard for this watch! I finally found it in a Swiss Newspaper/Magazine that have the small adds on the internet. Everything was in French (which I do not understand! Thanks google) After joining a Swiss/French web site that now keep sending me e-mails that I do not understand, I finally got in contact with the seller. He agreed to my offer but he was on a business trip and would not be back for over 2 weeks! So I had to sweat and wait.
On contacting the buyer again he said he would only accept Swiss francs and did not have a euro account! this ment an international bank transfer which would cost around €30 (Switzerland is smack in the middle of Europe why so much!)

All paid up the seller sent the watch with tracking number which was fine until the watch got to the boarder. Customs checked it and passed it on to Germany. Then the tracking stopped and said there had been an "unknown incident"! Great! I thought I had lost the watch of my dreams. 1 week later I got a letter saying that my watch had to have tax paid on it. The post office did not have the watch and sent me to the local Customs office on Friday afternoon! - Customs was already closed for weekend so I had too wait some more!
Monday morning at the German "Zoll ampt" at 07:30 sharp with a pocket full of money so I could collect my long awaited Masterpiece! Here I had to prove what I had paid for the watch which I did using freshly printed bank statements direct from the bank. Here I was thankful of the expensive „Int. Transfer“ as all the details were on the statement. Finally after the Customs man had bashed away at the computer for 10 minuets he demanded 19% tax and a fee for the paperwork. I was then issued with a 4 page Tax Certificate (Einfuhrabgabenbescheid) and a very official receipt as proof I had paid duty on a second-hand watch! The customs officer then said “it must be collected from the store” I waited another 10 minutes thinking he could not find it… Then he came through the door with a smaller box than I had hoped for (would have liked the presentation box) and wished me good day.AT LAST I had it in my hand but, could not open it as I needed to get back as soon as possible so the inspector (my wife) could check out what all the fuss had been after over a year of searching! I/we were pleasantly surprised as the watch is very good condition and came with a spare Crocodile strap. It really has been worth the wait and if a silver Masterpiece come up at the right price I would do it all again!!

This watch came from: Switzerland, Nov 2009

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