Alan “Hammer” Bloore began collecting 1:1 UK replica watches when he was a kid, saving up to buy his first Seiko diver. A lifelong sportsman, he was paralyzed from the waist down in the early 2000s in a boating accident. At the time, he was already a huge collector of vintage military and dive watches – a part of early collecting communities like “Paneristi” – but the accident only affirmed his interest in luxury fake watches.
“When I hold these watches, the last thing I think about is what time it is, but rather the stories they tell,” Hammer says. “Without my love of watches, I don’t know where I would find passion – it’s made me who I am, it’s taken me all around the world and brought me friendships that have changed my life.”
Now, the time has come for Hammer to sell his high quality copy watches. Beginning at Sotheby’s New York sale on December 7, about 60 watches from the “Hammer Collection” come under the auction hammer.
The bulk of Hammer’s collection features Panerai and vintage Rolex replica watches for sale, but you’ll also see a variety of Patek, indies, and other brands across Sotheby’s live and online catalog.
One of the biggest top replica watches is Hammer’s Big Crown 5510 made for the Australian Navy. Hammer is an Aussie, and this Big Crown is an awesome, honest example of a watch with military provenance. Beyond just the watch, there are all kinds of other goodies: it comes with an Australian Navy uniform, field notebook, even a cigarette case and nose clips. Forget box and papers, it gives a different kind of meaning to the phrase “full set.”
Of Hammer’s extensive Panerai collection, his best fake Panerai PAM21 watches might be the highlight. It’s a platinum, limited edition watch from 1997 that Panerai says used vintage movements, inspired by the legendary Rolex 3646 worn by Italian frogmen in World War II. It was the first watch released by Panerai after it had been acquired by Vendôme (now Richemont), and all 60 sold out in a matter of weeks.
There’s also his Panerai PAM360, a limited edition release to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Paneristi, and a watch that Hammer played a role in designing. He has Swiss made replica watches 1/300, also engraved “Hammer” on the back.
Beyond the story of the suepr clone watches wholesale, the story of Hammer is the real appeal of his collection. Bloore has been integral to the collecting community for the past two decades. Recently, he was on OT: The Podcast with fellow Aussies Felix Scholz and Andy Green, where he tells the story of his collecting journey. When he had his accident in the early 2000s, more than 100 collectors from around the world came to visit him, in what he says might’ve been the first real watch get-together. The community has meant so much to him that he even has “Paneristi.com” tattooed on his wrist. For anyone interested in Hammer’s story or vintage watches at all, the entire episode is worth a listen.
Even after Hammer’s accident, he’s remained a fountain of positivity, much of this thanks to the collecting community that he’s been involved with for more than 20 years. Hammer’s story is one of those that reminds us of the best parts of cheap fake watches collecting.
Stay tuned for more coverage of the New York sales later this week.
