Tag Archives: 1950s

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale – Vintage Eska Valjoux 22 Spillman Chrono w/Stunning Gilt Sector Dial

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO ON THIS KILLER ESKA CHRONO

On offer this month of March is this rare and beautiful circa 1940s-50s Eska chronograph in Spillman case with amazing gilt sector dial, powered by the famed Valjoux 22 movement. A rather unheralded brand, Eska was founded as S. Kocher in 1918 with “Eska” being a simple phonetic version of those initials for the purposes of branding. Like a lot of mid-century manufacturers, Eska made use of the contract oversize Spillman waterproof cases and Valjoux movements to create aviator & military-style chronographs to meet the demand of the WWII and post-War era.

This example is notable not only for the large and sought after 37mm screw back Spillman case and Valjoux 22 caliber with 45-minute counter under the hood but, of course, the obvious superstar is the stunning black gilt dial with super uncommon and beautiful sector dial layout. This is one of the most sought after chronograph layouts in vintage watches, as made famous by Patek Phillipe in several of their most coveted vintage references. While I wouldn’t call this Eska inexpensive, this special piece will certainly set you back a helluva lot less than a period Patek version would.

Overall, this classic Eska chrono is in Very Good vintage condition with a stunning Very Good+ original gilt dial with complex outer chronograph scales, minute track and interior Arabic numeral sector layout for the timekeeping. The case has some wear and the lugs appear to have been given a matte finish rather than the typical polished finish seen on most Spillman cases. The venerable Valjoux 22 movement was serviced recently and is operating well, ready for years’ more faithful service for its lucky new owner.

The all-original and absolutely stunning glossy black gilt dial features complex outer calibrated Tachymeter & Telemeter chronograph scales, followed concentrically by a minute track and Arabic numeral sector dial interior for the standard timekeeping. Engine-turned sub registers for constant seconds at “9” and the 45-minute recorder at “3”, also with gilt numerals. This Eska sector dial represents beautifully on the wrist, often brightly reflecting the light when you move, and the gilt sector dial layout is absolutely stunning aesthetically, not to mention incredibly hard to find in the wild unless on a modern homage. 

There are not a lot of Spillman cased, Valjoux 22 chronographs out there and even fewer with nice black gilt dials. But a gilt/gloss sector dial Spillman cased Valjoux 22 chronograph has got to be the rarest iteration around. Make this very special vintage Eska chrono your today!

CLICK HERE TO CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO ON THIS KILLER ESKA CHRONO

RIP Sir Stirling Moss, 1929 – 2020

A Formula 1 season already delayed indefinitely by the Coronavirus pandemic suffered another heavy blow on Sunday as the legendary British motoring ace, Sir Stirling Moss, passed away peacefully at his London home at the age of 90. The New York Times obituary is here.

Widely considered to be one of the best racers of his or any other era, with some rating him second only to Juan Manuel Fangio in Formula 1’s golden decade of the 1950s, Moss won 16 Grand Prix and had 24 podiums between 1951 and 1961 but never managed to win the title. Moss famously defended his chief rival for the 1958 Championship, countryman Mike Hawthorn, from the stewards’ wrath after Hawthorn’s unorthodox recovery maneuvers following a spin during the Portuguese GP. That sporting gesture, not altogether dissimilar to Peter Collins handing over his car to Fangio at Monza in 1956 to enable the Argentinian great to win that year’s Championship, allowed Hawthorn’s second place points to stand. So despite winning four Grand Prix to Hawthorn’s one victory that season, including that fateful Portuguese contest, Moss was edged out by Hawthorn for the 1958 title by a single point. It is also widely acknowledged that Moss’s steadfast desire to race British cars in F1 most likely cost him other championships, as they were often inferior to their Italian or German competition during that era. But that same stubborn nationalism earned him a fanatically loyal and adoring following in Great Britain that remains to this very day. If you’re looking for Britain’s top heroes in their national psyche there is Churchill, James Bond and Moss.

A prolific winner in other classifications of motorsport at a time when the world’s top drivers tended to compete in nearly every high level event, Moss was also victorious at 1956’s 24 Hours of Le Mans driving an Aston Martin DB3S along with Collins and owner David Brown; he had two overall victories at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 1954 and 1957; and a 12 Hours of Reims win in 1953. Perhaps most famously, Moss and co-driver/navigator, the revered racing journalist Denis Jenkinson, took the overall victory in 1956 at the always treacherous Mille Miglia while piloting the stunning Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR. That victory, chronicled by jenkinson in the seminal motorsport article “With Moss In the Mille Miglia” was made all the sweeter in that it came at the expense of the second place Fangio, who so frequently bested Moss in Formula 1 for the ultimate prize — the Drivers’ Championship — throughout the 1950s. Continue reading

1950s Tissot Visodate Honeycomb

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — 1950s Tissot Visodate w/Beautifully Patinaed Honeycomb Dial

It might be August but no dog this lovely watch — on the contrary, this mid-1950s Tissot Visodate is a compact package packed with many of the special elements that make vintage wristwatches so unique & pleasing. Most outstanding, of course, is its beautifully patinaed honeycomb or waffle dial. The even, cafe au lait patina is elevated even further by the application of gold Explorer-style numerals and a framed date window with black & red “roulette” date wheel, the latter an extra nice bit of true vintage eye candy. 

1950s Tissot Visodate Honeycomb

Inside the classically proportioned 34.5mm x 44mm all-stainless screw-back case, which shows nary a polish with razor sharp chamfers to the sweeping lugs, beats an in-house Chs. Tissot & Fils manual wind caliber 27B-621with an exceptionally fine micro-adjustable balance wheel.  It’s a solid little 16-jewel engine and running strong.

1950s Tissot Visodate Honeycomb

On this wrist this Tissot Visodate is a real vintage charmer and proves once again that a classic watch needn’t cost an arm and a leg to deliver deep satisfaction to its owner. Priced perfectly for the aspiring vintage collector, as well as the savvy veteran, this Tissot punches well above its weight and is the very definition of ever-stylish bang for your buck.

1950s Tissot Visodate Honeycomb

Check it out now on the always hopping Omega Forums’ Watches for Sale section for many more pictures and complete condition report. But hurry — there aren’t many bargains left in the vintage watch world but a well-preserved beauty like this Tissot Visodate is certainly one of them!  SOLD

Rolex Joyeria Riviera 6284

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale – Vintage Rolex 18k PG ref. 6284 JOYERIA RIVIERA

There’s rare and there’s truly rare. That word is thrown around a lot these days in the vintage watch world but this sweet vintage Rolex definitely earns the honorific. Just one look at the double-name dial on this beautiful pink gold ref. 6284 will tell you why. Two little words — Joyeria Riviera.

Rolex Joyeria Riviera 6284

Click images for full size gallery

Back in the day Joyeria Riviera was a top Cuban jewelry retailer, the Tiffany’s of Havana if you will, and they were forced to move their operations to Puerto Rico when Fidel Castro and the communists took power in 1960. Therefore, finding a pre-Castro Rolex signed with their name is a major coup, much less a lovely pink gold semi-Bubbleback Oyster Perpetual in such wonderful condition. Click here for a great Rolex Passion write-up for further reading on the great history of Joyeria Riviera.

Rolex Joyeria Riviera 6284

Obviously the main event on this stunner is the original factory printed honeycomb guilloche dial with pink gold dial furniture that has aged beautifully and varies in tone from an off-white ivory color to an almost butter yellow depending on the light and angle. The oh-so-rare Joyeria Riviera signature is perfectly intact below Oyster Perpetual and on the wrist this amazingly warm toned double-signed dial in this lovely pink gold watch is an absolute knockout!

Rolex Joyeria Riviera 6284

As you can find out by doing just a little research online, a Joyeria Riviera-signed Rolex is a real blue-chip purchase with historic significance and the trajectory for these elite double-name watches has only been ever upwards. This is a special chance to add a genuinely rare watch to your collection that instantly commands respect from Rolex and non-Rolex aficionados alike. So don’t miss it, as these Joyeria Riviera Rolexes simply don’t appear that often.

Newly offered at an AMAZING CRISIS REDUCTION — Contact me for more info on this beautiful Joyeria Riviera Rolex  SOLD

CLICK HERE FOR MANY MORE PICTURES AND COMPLETE CONDITION REPORT

What we’re reading — Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman’s Visionary Record Label by Mick Houghton

If you’re a classic Rock fan with a particular interest in the 1960s like me then Becoming Elektra: The True Story of Jac Holzman’s Visonary Record Label by Mick Houghton is a must read piece of music history. As its long subtitle proclaims, Becoming Elektra is both a biography of legendary music executive Jac Holzman and also a testament to Elektra Records’ uniquely eclectic and pervasive impact on the popular music of the baby boomer generation. Houghton traces Holzman’s pioneering technical efforts and prescient eye for talent with admirable thoroughness from the Folk boom of the 1950s and early ’60s to the LA-based psychedelic Rock explosion of the late ’60s to the Soft Rock adult contemporary acts that came to dominate radio in the ’70s.

Most famous for signing The Doors, Holzman’s legacy is much more than that admittedly awesome feat. He comes across as a fascinating and driven guy with an unusually compassionate feeling for his artists, as well as something of a technical visionary and studio perfectionist with a super wide range of musical tastes. A native New Yorker from a reasonably prosperous family, Holzman returned to the city determined to make his mark in music after precociously forming Elektra while still in college. Like so many of his generation he found that the action was happening downtown in Greenwich Village, where he opened a record store in 1951 with a small recording studio in the back. Holzman’s soon realized that the sound on the records for the folk performers of the time was nothing like the richness of their live performances. So Holzman abandoned selling records and focused on seeking out unique new talents and then recording them to their best possible advantage. That became the Elektra signature throughout his years running the label.

The list of artists that Holzman corralled is nothing short of astonishing. In the folk era it included Village stalwarts like Jean Ritchie, Phil Ochs, Judy Henske, Fed Neil, Tom Paxton and Tom Rush, as well as reviving the career of Blues pioneer Josh White and discovering a young Coloradan with a big voice named Judy Collins. Continue reading

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — October selection

Just as the leaves change colors this time of year so too does vintage watch lume over time — one of the things that makes pre-Luminova 20th century timepieces so attractive & collectible. And to start October I’m offering one of the prettiest patinated watches that I’ve ever owned — this wonderful late 1950s Omega Seamaster “Special.”

With its original eggshell dial having acquired a lovely off-white cream tone from the years and the Radium-filled luminous markers and hands aged to a wonderful biscuity tone this classic Omega Seamaster checks all the vintage boxes.

Named the “Special” in Omega’s database perhaps due to an Olympic connection this example is the first of its line, as evidenced by the 2975-1 reference number, and dates to circa 1958 (an Olympic year, by the way). Inside is the excellent caliber 500 full rotor movement originally adjusted to 2 positions, an uncommon upgrade, and recently serviced.

If its perfect flowing lines and that gorgeous dial are not enough for you this beauty also comes on its rare original Beads of Rice bracelet with highly uncommon ratcheting clasp system for size adjustments without need of a tool, a very cool curiosity.

Throw in its desirable big logo caseback and beautifully proportioned all-steel case, this Seamaster truly lives up to its model moniker. For cutting edge vintage style suitable for any special Autumn event, what more could you ask for?

Check out the complete ad now with many more pictures over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Private Sales section. If you’re a patina love you’ll be glad you did.  SOLD

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — December selection

Didn’t get what you wanted for the Holidays? Stiffed by Santa? I may be able to fix that for you. Because I’m just now making this stunning classic Jumbo Seamaster available. This beautiful Omega features an ultra-desirable oversized 36mm steel case and handsome original sub-seconds dial highlighted by gold Arabic numerals at “12,” “3,” “6” and “9.” You might even say I saved one of my best for the last of the year.

Powered by Omega’s great in-house caliber 342 Bumper Automatic movement this big beauty also bears a cool double reference — 2494-4/2657 — and dates from circa 1950. Which is only fitting since the dial is pure mid-century elegance and style. But what’s extra nice abut this particular vintage Seamaster is that its relatively larger size still registers as perfectly “modern.”

It definitely makes a bold statement on the wrist, with its a mega-charming classic 50s layout made all the more striking by the large face, not to mention those long lugs. So after you’ve gone and bought for everyone else this Holiday Season why not treat yourself to a little something special? Such as this classic and uncommon Omega Seamaster dress watch that you’ll absolutely love wearing but that won’t break the bank after a season of giving. Best of all, you’ll be 100% certain you’re getting exactly the gift you want for once!

Check out the full listing with many more pictures and complete condition report over at the redoubtable Omega Forums’ Private Sales section.  SOLD

Classic Movie Watch — On Dangerous Ground (1952)

It’s far too facile to call Nicholas Ray’s stark 1952 classic, On Dangerous Ground, a film noir. It certainly starts out that way with hardened cop Jim Wilson, played by the incomparable Robert Ryan, violently working his way through tarts and hoodlums in his obsessive pursuit of two cop killers. But quickly we see that Wilson is no hero. His partners are finding it difficult to work with him and his superior has had to give him increasing warnings about police brutality. From the opening shots of the film we see that Wilson is utterly alone and has only the job to live for, while one of his two partners has a devoted young wife and the other more senior one already has a large family. Worse still for Wilson, he is beginning to hate his job and himself by proxy. As Wilson sneers at one point “everyone hates a cop” on both sides of the law and “garbage is all we handle.” It’s readily apparent that violent self-loathing is beginning to consume Ryan’s masterfully curdled Jim Wilson.

But although On Dangerous Ground begins in the grimy urban shadow world typical of film noir it doesn’t stay there. Having cuffed around one too many suspects Wilson is given an assignment out of town and far upstate until things cool down for the wayward detective. A young girl has been murdered in a small country town and Wilson is sent up to help the local sheriff. Suddenly the movie drives out of a crime infested, artificially lit city and up into the stark and pristine mountains, eventually arriving at a sparsely populated wintry outpost that has been the scene of a horrible crime.

There Wilson meets Walter Brent and his family, whose young daughter has been slain. Brent, played by the square-jawed and tough Ward Bond, familiar from so many John Ford Westerns alongside John Wayne, is consumed by the need for revenge and vigilante justice. He is resentful and dismissive of the big city detective when all he wants to do is find his daughter’s killer and blow him away. Nonetheless, Wilson and Brent join together to pursue the suspected killer after he steals a car in town, following him even further into the mountainous wilds until they crash their car in the icy conditions. Their quarry has also crashed his car and they follow his tracks as best they can to a remote house in a barren, frozen landscape. There they meet a blind woman seemingly living alone, Mary Malden, played by the always excellent Ida Lupino. And now the source of tension changes yet again, as the detective and the bereaved father wonder if the blind woman is hiding or helping the assailant and Wilson begins to wonder if he can open his heart to this stubbornly independent yet tender and kind woman.

Once the action has left the city and moved to the rocky terrain the tenor of the film also changes. Upon repeated viewings there is a distinctive existential aspect to the manhunt and its implications, becoming almost an allegory. All of a sudden Wilson is the one upholding the law and trying to keep Brent from pursuing extra judicial action. It’s almost as if Brent is the ultimate extension of Wilson’s increasingly judge and jury approach to law enforcement in the city. In seeing it in another man he experiences a similar revulsion to that of his partners at his own over-the-line actions. And can the blindness of Mary Malden simply be a plot device or is there something more profound being implied there? After all, the famous statue of Justice is blindfolded and once Wilson comes into contact with this isolated blind woman his own angry defenses begin to soften and he begins to want to trust in the process of the law again over simple retribution.

It all makes for an extremely strange and intriguing police drama. Ray’s sense of story is inventive and never bound by the conventions of genre. The black and white cinematography is dark to the point of cinema verite with the vast outdoor spaces seemingly even more claustrophobic than the inky, densely packed city streets of the first third of the film. The tense mood is consistently heightened by the pulsing score of the great Bernard Herrmann, Hicthcock’s favorite composer. And the two stars are top notch. Ida Lupino, with her lovely eyes and husky voice, was always such a fascinating combination of tough and tender, a perfect foil for hard men, and never more so than in this brave and accomplished role. She was also a Hollywood groundbreaker as a female director at a time when that was almost unheard of and got her start in that pursuit by directing a few scenes in On Dangerous Ground when Ray was too ill to work.

But the movie’s center of gravity is Ryan’s hair-trigger Jim Wilson, a man drowning in his own exposure to the darkest aspects of human behavior, in others and those within himself. Made some 20 years before Dirty Harry, the cop in On Dangerous Ground is a direct progenitor of the kind of avenging urban policeman that Clint Eastwood portrayed so well. But whereas in Eastwood’s conception of Dirty Harry his vigilante violence is cathartic and necessary as a response to impotent bureaucracy in an increasingly chaotic and frightening world, for Ryan’s Jim Wilson the chaos is within and so the resort to violence is self-wounding and destructive of his humanity. His exposure to someone even more out of control, even more hungry for blood in Brent the avenging father brings him back to the belief in the power of and the need for the due process of the law. Of all the classic Hollywood leading men of the 1940s and 50s Ryan was the probably the least suited to that title. He was more like an anti-matinee idol, often specializing in heavies and unreliable neurotics. But there is not really another actor like him and his ability to channel an inner darkness was rarely matched. There’s just something about those jet black eyes of his that radiates menace even when he is a supposedly sympathetic character. That his Jim Wilson requires the help of a blind woman to save him from himself and that Ryan only grudgingly allows this redemption to happen makes this one of his most satisfying “heroic” roles in a career mainly distinguished by masterful portrayals of violent racists and psychopaths.

A final word on director Nick Ray, at least for now: Ray was undoubtedly one of the most interesting American directors to emerge from the post-WWII era. While trained to be a typical handler of studio projects, Ray constantly found ways of making routine material something more transcendent. Thus a movie like They Live By Night (1949) becomes a doomed romance rather than a simple crime spree movie. In A Lonely Place (1950) allows Humphrey Bogart to take his uncompromising tough guy persona to an unsavory extreme. Bigger Than Life (1956) is a seemingly typical 1950s domestic melodrama upended by James Mason’s frightening steroid-induced psychosis. The brilliantly stylized Rebel Without A Cause (1955) became the signature youth rebellion film of all time due to an intuitive grasp of a coming generational revolution and the absolutely perfect casting of James Dean, Natalie Wood and Sal Mineo as the teenagers. And 55 Days At Peking (1963), Ray’s last major film after being dismissed late in the production, is a period war epic that allows the often monolithic Charlton Heston moments of wounded humanity that he only rarely revealed in his other films. And there are several other great films to his credit aside from these like The Lusty Men, Bitter Victory and Johnny Guitar, all well worth seeking out.

Ray had an obvious gift with actors, getting them to delve deep and really expose themselves and also a rare understanding of interior and exterior spaces as emotional contributors and activators (not coincidentally he studied architecture with Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1930s). All of his best talents of mining hidden depths in conventional material and making the most of limited resources are on display in On Dangerous Ground, possibly the most unusual film noir in the canon. It’s truly a movie of deceptive complexity and beautiful playing that rewards multiple viewings and reveals new levels of understanding each time. It’s hard to think of a better compliment to Ray’s unique cinematic talents than that and it’s an ideal jumping off point for further exploration of one of the more idiosyncratic of the major “Golden Age” Hollywood directors.

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — September selection

As we leave summer behind and head into fall it’s a great time to break out vintage dress watches that can compliment the more sophisticated styles that autumn entails. And it doesn’t get much classier than this beautiful early 1950’s Omega Seamaster in classic “Beefy Lug” case. This lovely reference 2576 features a handsome original waffle dial with Breguet numerals at “12,” “3” and “9” that has aged to a very attractive ivory hue. Check out the wonderful patina on the original radium lume.

Also special, this Seamster’s all-steel water resistant 3-piece case doesn’t appear to have ever been polished. It’s rather special to see those handsomely chamfered fat lugs as the manufacturer intended them to be. Under the hood you’ll find Omega’s robust in-house bumper automatic caliber 344 movement, which hammers pleasantly when you move your wrist.

It all adds up to the complete vintage package: nicely proportioned, a super stylish layout and original, untampered-with condition. On the wrist this mega-charming classic mid-century Seamaster has unmistakable and timeless appeal. Whether you’re diving into a leaf pile or layering up with sweater and jacket for a night on the town this classy Omega will have you looking and feeling good.

Check out the complete ad over at the always hopping Omega Forums’ Private Sales section for many more pictures and complete condition report.  SOLD

Vintage Movado Sport

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — Vintage Movado “Sport” Cal. 125 in Steel

My lucky run of quality vintage watches for August just keeps on coming up aces with this gorgeous circa 1950s Movado “Sport.” This watch was part of a jeweler’s deadstock that he inherited when he purchased the business and it is in near pristine condition. It features a stunning original eggshell silver dial with elegant partial Arabic numerals and closed minute track.

Vintage Movado Sport

The beautifully designed 3-piece snap back all-steel case shows no signs of polish and the brushed and polished surfaces are pristine with razor sharp lugs. The outer caseback is marked for Stainless Steel and even has the original retailer’s price sticker on the back! This Sport is rather pleasingly over-engineered with an anti-magnetic dust cover protecting the movement. Can you imagine what a watch of this obvious build quality would go for if it said Patek on the dial instead of Movado?

Vintage Movado Sport

Powering this vintage Sport is Movado’s high grade in-house Caliber 125 manual wind movement with 15 jewels and a nice oversized balance for greater accuracy. This is just an exceptionally well preserved watch with classic mid-20th century looks from one of the great houses of Switzerland. It all adds up to an uncommon opportunity to buy a time capsule sort of piece from 50+ years ago that you just can’t find every day. But if you act quickly you can make it yours and wear it everyday!

Vintage Movado Sport

Check out the complete ad for this great Movado with many more pictures and complete condition report over at Omega Forums’ hopping Private Sales section.  SOLD