Camel Trophy Adventure watch collection

< Go to last watch

Go to next watch >

Water resistant: 20ATM

Date of manifacture: Ca. 1994/96

Mondaine number given (after 1993): 136.880-889
This watch is number 1912

Functions: 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

Case and back plate : Gold and Stainless steel

Special notes: 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)

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!!

The ETA 251.262 is/was also used in the following watches:
Longines Hydroconquest Chronograph Quartz
Tag Heuer 2000 Exclusive Racing Chronograph
Chase Durer (SPECIAL FORCES 1000 UDT, SQUADRON COMMANDER, FALCON COMMAND, TRACKMASTER PRO RACING)
Porsche Design Flat 6 Chrono
Rado Sintra Sport Tennis Chronograph and RADO True Chronograph Platinum Matt (from 2009)
Breitling Avenger M1 (Basis)




This watch came from: Switzerland, Nov 2009