Golf Timer?

[jazzbass]

Anyone have a theory on this one? Here's the auction: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=141107913268

At first it looks like a Timekeeper variant made custom for LL Bean - they put a divot tool in a regular Timekeeper. But look closer, esp at the 4th picture that shows the bottom of the knife. Notice how the scales don't sit flush in the cut out that all Timekeeper and Super Timers have in the front liner. This isn't a Timekeeper with a divot tool, this is just a regular Golfer Divot that someone put Timekeeper scales on, and you can see pretty clearly what it looks like if you don't have the correct top liner.

So here's the weird part - I bought this exact same knife a couple months ago from a totally different seller. Right down to the LL Bean logo on the back. The pictures in that auction weren't as good as the ones this seller posted, so I didn't realize until I got it what it was. I figured I got taken, threw the knife in a box with a mental note to fix the top liner cut out and give it to my dad.

But to see two knives modified in the exact same way? Not sure what to make of that. Mistake in Ibach? IMO the odds of Victorinox shipping something like this are astronomically low. LL Bean making their own models? Also hard to believe. Someone get some a bunch of surplus LL Bean Golfers and stick TimeKeeper scales on them?

Anyone else seen anything like this before?

[ColoSwiss]

Good eyes! 

Never seen anything like that before. All of my Timekeepers and Swiss Champ Timekeepers have the liner cutout. If it was only one I'd figure someone did some moding. Two, it feels like someone's maybe pulling a fast one.

[stressmaster5000]

Interesting! Any chance your seller lives close by or in the same town? Might be in cahoots with each other but it does really seem odd the same scale foul up on the same knife from 2 different sellers. Could very well be an L.L.Bean thing.

[jazzbass]

Interesting! Any chance your seller lives close by or in the same town? Might be in cahoots with each other but it does really seem odd the same scale foul up on the same knife from 2 different sellers. Could very well be an L.L.Bean thing.

RE: the sellers, that was my first thought as well  so I looked up who I got mine from. Turns out it was a State of Kentucky surplus auction. I'm pretty sure mine was a seizure and typical of surplus auctions not well documented - no "RARE!! VINTAGE!!! UNIQUE MODEL" kind of stuff you see from the more unscrupulous eBay sellers making their own mods and trying to sell them as HTF collectible models.

With two of the same knife sold on eBay, it's just odd enough to make me not want to dismiss it as a one-off fluke. For example, the LL Bean scales  - those are not common, at least ones with the printing on a rear plus scale. If you wanted to make some fake divot tool Timekeepers from Golfers, you could buy NIB Golfers on eBay all day long with plain rear plus scales.

[jazzbass]

3 years back from the dead...

ANOTHER one of these popped up today on eBay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/LL-Bean-Victorinox-Swiss-Officer-Timekeeper-Golfer-Knife-/322367104406?. Same deal as the knife I bought and the one from the 11/2013 auction I posted about:

- Golfer knife without special Timekeeper front liner cutouts
- Red timekeeper front scale
- Red rear plus scale with LL Bean printed on it.

All told this is the fourth one of these I've seen since 2013. All different knives, all the same details. I really want this to be a special run for LL Bean made by Victorinox, since they've sold a lot of knives through their store and doing so would make total sense. But... it doesn't make sense that Victorinox would put a Timekeeper scale on a knife without using the proper liner.

[ColoSwiss]

Maybe it was done by Victorinox North America for Bean, rather than coming out of the factory. Just a guess.   

[jazzbass]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/392029704389?ViewItem=&item=392029704389

Number 5! Again, same thing - LL Bean rear scales, Timekeeper scales on the front put on without the "correct" Timekeeper top liner with cut outs:



I'd love to know the back story on these.

[FolderBeholder]

Interesting that each one also has the Arabic numerals.

Edit: Thought I'd add a photo to show a proper fit.

[Myron]

Is the grooved corkscrew correct for this era Timekeeper?  Is the faceted small screwdriver in the corkscrew correct for the grooved corkscrew? 

These knives look fishy to me. 

[Syph007]

You could try asking the sellers where they got them or if they added the scales themselves since they are using the incorrect outer liner.

[sakwakky]

Just saw this now

I happen to have one, and I also have a basic GOLFER from the same era...so I thought I would post some pics of them side by side.

my opinion, since it doesnt seem like anyone has ever seen one without the LL BEAN logo on the back scale...(and mine has this also), it was probably a knife made for LL BEAN ....they still sell custom saks today

Ive had mine for many years but I did NOT buy it at LL BEAN

thanks guys, thats all I can add to the discussion

Dave Arnold