Tag Archives: Vintage Watches

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — June selection

Got a very cool one on offer this month: a rare original early 1960s Hamilton Ventura. This solid 14k gold watch is one of the iconic designs in the vintage watch world, so much so that the modern incarnation of Hamilton, part of the Hydra-like Swatch Group, makes about a million homage versions. But accept no substitutes — this here Ventura is the real deal with it’s then-cutting edge caliber 505 electrical movement inside the gorgeous body, an innovation that prefigured the tuning fork and quartz revolutions to come.

Ventura-move_edited-1

Ironically, betting the future on their proprietary electrical movement and largely ceasing conventional mechanical watch production essentially doomed the historic watchmaking company from Lancaster, PA. The electric movement, never a particularly precise timekeeper, was quickly rendered obsolete by the Bulova Accutron and the coming of the quartz age and by 1969 the company had ceased all US operations. But they remain one of the legendary names in horology history and the Ventura is a timeless classic. You might say it’s fit for a King.

elvisventura

Check out the complete ad with many more pics and full description of this rare all-original Ventura over at Timezone’s Sales Corner.  SOLD

Watch Collector’s Notebook — Tissot “Navigator” World Time

The advent of Rolex’s GMT-Master in 1955 was the culmination of a creative arms race in the Swiss watch industry to come up with unique complications for telling time in two different timezones. The newly-dawned jet airliner age enabled intercontinental travel to explode in popularity and created demand for this complication in a wristwatch . A dual timezone watch, therefore, became a tool for the sophisticated world traveling gentleman or international man of action and was marketed by the manufacturers to exactly that putative clientele. Among the most enduring alternatives to an extra fixed 24-hour hand was the concept of rotating time zone discs or bezels with the names of cities representing the world’s different temporal regions. And among the handsomest and most clever produced during this burst of invention was the original Tissot “Navigator” World Time watch, which debuted in 1953 and therefore predates the GMT-Master by a few years.

TissotNav-7_edited-1

Featuring an oversized 36mm x 44mm beefy lug screwed steel case (sometimes also found in gold top or solid gold) the Navigator achieved its dual time capabilities via an inner rotating world time disc that was calibrated to the 24-hour scale on the face of the watch. Continue reading →

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — May selection, Pt. II

The word “rare” gets thrown around a lot when folks are pitching vintage watches. But this circa 1952 Omega Seamaster definitely fits the definition: Jumbo 36mm case (90% are 34mm during this era), rare reference that is extremely hard to find (2521), solid 18 karat pink gold with screwed water resistant case, and Chronometer-certified movement and original signed “waffle” dial (very uncommon for a 1950s Seamaster, as almost all the Chronometers for Omega during this era are in the Constellation line). Run these attributes through the Google and you won’t find many matches. In fact, I’ve yet to see another 2521 in pink gold. So not an inexpensive watch by any means. But, as the old saying goes, find me another.

NOW ON SALE! Rare Vintage Omega ref. 2521 18k Pink Gold JUMBO Seamaster Chronometer — Click here for the Timezone Showcase ad with complete description and many more high res pictures. SOLD 

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — May Selection

Got another cool vintage beauty on offer this month: a 1960s Eterna-Matic KonTiki 20 with stunning blue dial. These Kontiki 20s with classic tapered lug case are terrific value for money: all-stainless steel case with screw down crown & back, good size at 37mm and high grade ETA-based automatic movement with Eterna’s own patented 5 ball bearing rotor mount (hence their logo) and date complication. This example even comes with its original hard-to-find brick link bracelet. All that for well under $1000 bucks? Adds up to an affordable and rugged watch that is frankly still undervalued and represents maximum vintage style for not a lot of money.

FS: Vintage Eterna-Matic KonTiki 20 w/ Beautiful BLUE Dial & Original Bracelet (click for the full Timezone Sales Corner ad with complete description & many more pix) SOLD

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — April Selection, Pt. II

OK, so I found something else to offer this month after all. And boy, is it a beauty — a classic 1967 Breitling Navitimer with gold plated case/steel back and beautiful original “Twin Jet” dial. Very hard to find this iconic pilot’s chronograph in such nice all-original condition, as these dials are prone to moisture damage from dodgy water resistance.

FS: Vintage 1960s Breitling ref. 806 Navitimer w/Beautiful “Twin Jet” Dial — Click here for complete description and many more images. SOLD

Watch Collector’s Notebook — Vintage Breitling 1809 “Jumbo” Cosmonaute

“Jumbo” is a relative term in the vintage watch world. For example, you can have “Jumbo” IWC dress watches at 36mm and “Jumbo” Omega Constellations and JLC Memovoxes at 37mm.  But in the (big) case of the first generation Chronomatic tool watches that Breitling produced in the late 1960s and early 70s, that adjective is well-earned, no air quotes required.

1809Cosmo-1 copy

Take one of the more attractive Breitling Chronomatic designs, the reference 1809 Cosmonaute. At 47mm x 47mm the 1809 and its standard Navitimer brother, the 1806, were the original inspirations for Breitling’s modern-era oversize watches. A true 24-hour watch, the 1809’s hands circle the dial once every 24-hours as opposed to the common once-every-12-hours standard. So when the watch is showing what we normally think of as 6 o’clock it is really indicating Noon. Designed with military time in mind, it takes some getting used to and this way of telling time is certainly not for everyone, as one has to relearn how to read a watch essentially. This limited appeal accounts for the somewhat small production of Cosmonautes over the years, as you can generally find about 10 Navitimers for every one vintage Cosmo. And when you come to own one, trust me, early on you will have to give several extra glances at your wrist trying to figure out the correct time. Continue reading →

tomvox1’s Watches for Sale — April Selection

Not a big selection actually as I am mostly keeping what I’ve got at present. But I do have this really handsome dress Tudor from the 1960s for sale. Very cool all-steel, Mad Men look on the wrist with its rare circular dial. Check out the ad on Vintage Rolex Forum’s Market and maybe you’ll choose to put this very stylish and classic vintage watch on your wrist.

ON SALE: 1960s Tudor ref. 7965 Small Rose Oyster-Prince w/ Rare Circular Dial — SOLD

Rolex collector’s site of the day — 5513mattedial.com

Vintage Rolex collecting, perhaps more so than any other brand of vintage watch and especially with regards to the Sports models, is very much about the minute variations in the details of a given model line over time. Very often these changes in fonts, for example, occurred in rapid succession as Rolex ramped up production of, say, their Submariner line in response to increased demand for their iconic watches. Therefore, one sees not only relatively big changes in dial printing, such as the switch from red SUBMARINER to white in the 1680 date model or the move away from gilt/gloss dials to matte/white writing in the later 1960s, but also extremely subtle shifts in the basic fonts and printing of otherwise very similar dials that are much harder to keep track of and difficult for the unitiated to see. In the end, a lot of the main factors of a Vintage Rolex Sports watch’s appeal and value come down to hard-to-spot minutiae.

And that’s where a new site like 5513mattedial.com becomes so valuable. Taking a magnifier to the Matte dial non-date Submariners that were produced from the late 1960s until the early 80s, the site’s author, longtime collector Beaumont Miller II, has catalogued the key evolutionary differences in that ultimate Rolex tool watch, the reference 5513 Submariner, during its long years of matte dial production. Now in one place we have a handy collector’s resource that makes clear the key characteristics of Maxi dials, Pre-Comex, and the early Meters-First variations, among others. And as a result of these comprehensive efforts you will see more variety in this “common” model than you previously thought possible.

If collecting Vintage Rolex is all about the details (and it is!), then 5513mattedial.com is an exceptionally handy resource to consult when hunting a white-writing 5513 and determining where its dial falls in the production sequence and if in fact the printing is actually legitimate. Written in an entertaining and self-depricating style, the site is as thorough and specific as they come and shows that by looking closely and analyzing seemingly random minutiae at length, a much greater mosaic comes into view when all the puzzle pieces are finally laid into place. It’s a job well done all around and I strongly recommend it to anyone interesting in collecting these iconic Submariners.

Watch Collector’s Notebook — Benrus Sky Chief

On the theory that you can never have enough cool vintage chronographs, here is another little gem that I have known and loved, the Benrus “Sky Chief”. Produced in the post WWII-era by the New York-based Benrus Watch Company and marketed with its evocative name to the aviation-mad public of the late 40s and 1950s, as well as the increased purchasing power of the Western world’s newly beefed up air forces and transatlantic airlines, the Sky Chief is a classic pilot’s chronograph by design.

SkyChief-1 copy

In its most common iteration, it has 3-registers for constant seconds, minute recorder and 12-hour recorder, the latter complication being a somewhat new development for a mass-produced wristwatch that came to be the standard for most fine chronographs going forward. The usual engine found under the hood was a Venus 178 well before it was adopted by Breitling for their Navitimers in the mid-50s. And a bit later, perhaps because Breitling sucked up almost all Venus production, Benrus used the ubiquitous Valjoux 71/ & 72 column wheel chrono ebauches that would go on to serve the watch industry for so many years. Different alphanumeric codes were engraved on the bridges to indicate which caliber was being used and none of these movements had shock protection at this early date.

Sky Chief with Venus movement

Sky Chief with Venus movement

Continue reading →

The Allure of Military Watches — Dodane Type 21

Aviator’s chronographs are among the most attractive of vintage military watches, as they tend to come in larger cases and have distinctive dial configurations for easy reading during missions. And hey, who doesn’t like a chronograph, right? Among the most storied pilot’s chronos are the Type XX and Type XXI, originally designed by Breguet in the 1950s for the French naval and air forces. Today, issued versions of those original watches, which Breguet produced in very limited numbers despite over a decade of manufacture, are among the most highly prized MilWatches out there and can routinely fetch $20k or more.

Early Breguet Type XX (Image from the excellent ablogtowatch.com)

But the “Type 20” and “Type 21” designations were more of a military specification than a proprietary one, so Breguet was not the only manufacturer to produce these watches for the French armed forces. Which is a good thing for the collector because the “off brands” that were supplied are just about as attractive and can be found in the $2500-3500 range give or take, a helluva lot easier on the wallet. Among the other suppliers (or at least producers) of “Type” aviator cronographs were Auricoste, Vixa and Dodane (Mathey-Tissot also produced what is essentially a Breguet clone but these are both super scarce and damn expensive in their own right). Click here for an excellent overview of French Military Type chronographs hosted over at FinerTimes.com.

DodaneType21-1_edited-3

Since I am the proud owner of a Dodane Type 21, I figure I’ll show it off and go into detail on this model in particular, although it is no better or worse a choice than any of the others in its price range. First off, one of the things that makes a Type 20 or 21 is a flyback feature added to the chronograph mechanism. Continue reading →