Felco ETA Cal. 717 Chromed Steel Small Second 22x43mm Art Deco Tank from 1940s
Calibre ETA 717Condition — Unpolished chrome case, original dial with even green patina, original hands and crystal
Provenance — Privately bought and privately sold, the way the whole collection runs.
I like this piece for the dial - a deep chocolate brown that's gone slightly uneven with age, set against Arabic numerals and a small seconds subdial low on the right, with the Felco signature sitting just above centre. The hands and numerals still carry a warm, aged lume tone rather than anything bright or refinished. The case is the stepped rectangular Art Deco shape typical of the period, and I can see brassing starting to show through the plating at the lugs, along with light surface wear consistent with handling rather than storage. Inside sits the manual-wind ETA 717, a three-hand calibre from the 1940s - under the loupe I can see some staining on the bridges near the balance, which I take as proof it was worn and used rather than tidied up. I'd point this one at a buyer who wants a small, Deco-cased dress watch in unrestored, wearable condition rather than something polished back to a shine it never really had.
Buying from a stranger, in short. Every fault I know of is in the listing, and if you find one I missed, the return stands. Take the watch to a watchmaker of your choosing before you pay — I have never once objected. Fourteen days to send it back, for any reason at all.
Privatverkauf. Everything described above — case, dial, hands, lume, rate and service history — is agreed condition for this watch and I stand behind all of it. Beyond that, the watch is sold excluding liability for material defects, as is normal between private individuals for a vintage mechanical object of this age. That exclusion does not cover anything I have misdescribed or failed to disclose, and never covers injury or intent.
Fourteen days to return it for any reason — my own promise, not a statutory withdrawal right. Terms · How I describe condition
