Let's See Your Watches! The Vintage Watch Thread.

[Babydoll]

The Mister got me this sparkly one for Christmas:

It replaced my 10 year old Timex:

 

[MB5]

My favorite is my Timex Expedition. It's missing a button and half the bezel has broken off, but it keeps great time. I just keep it in my pocket when I dress up.

 

[rongoms]

Mrs Rongoms is currently in wearing this little gem:

It's barely over $300, and just stunning with it's blued hands. My only gripe is that it's quartz. (but i don't wear it either.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

My favorite watch is my Napier Mickey & Co. pendant watch with Mickey Mouse ears. I get more compliments on it than anything I've ever worn.

I got it off Ebay.

karol

 

[Spitfire]

I bought my favourite watch 2 and a half years ago whilst in Europe and still love it:

Nice watch - I recognice the style :eusa_clap

 

[Smithy]

Nice watch - I recognice the style :eusa_clap

Thanks Søren, I saw your watches as well, very nice! Those RAF Omega's are rather pricey now. Every now and again someone over at the RAF reenactors forum will have one up for sale, so you could try there if you after one.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

My four favorites...

1.) My Dad's wind up Waltham c.1960
2.) My dress-up Michel Herbelin
3.) My Mock Luftwaffe watch by Phillip Stein
4.) My repro Benrus USAAF sweep second hand chrono

 

[Dixon Cannon]

On the wish list...

-dixon cannon

 

[Smithy]

-dixon cannon

Look at that price tag!!

Beautiful watch Dixon but I'd be buying an original Blower Bentley if I had that kind of spare cash lying around in the piggy bank

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Confusius say; "Man who owns more than one watch never really knows what time it is." What would Confusius say about one one million dollar watch! [huh]

-dixon cannon

 

[Smithy]

What would Confusius say about one one million dollar watch! [huh]

-dixon cannon

I don't think you could repeat it in polite company

 

[Orgetorix]

What makes a non-jewel-encrusted watch worth a million dollars?

 

[WEEGEE]

Only watch I own

Hamilton Ventura (modern)

 

[rongoms]

What makes a non-jewel-encrusted watch worth a million dollars?

in the case of the Blancpain....complications.

This particular little beastie has a nifty little device called a tourbillion, which allows the watch's mechanical movelment to be uneffected by earth's gravity, giving it tremendous accuracy in any position. (of course, the cheapest quartz watch from Wal-Mart is more accurate than any mechanical watch...but don't get me started on that)

I believe that it's also a perpetual calandar, meaning that it's not required to be reset after a leap year, among others.

Of course, the platinum case doesn't reduce the cost any.

My personal favorite complication-watch, and by FAR more useful than a tourbillon, is my Vulcain Cricket. It's a mechanical watch with three tiny gongs in the case...when the alarm sounds, you get a small harmonic vibration in your srist and the smallest, nearly inaudible chime. Many US presidents wear the Cricket for this feature. It allows you to know what time it is, allowing you to extract yourself from a conversation or such, without having to glance at you watch.

Complications are strange things in mechanical watches.....giving them an art-like quality. I could go on for hours about this stuff.....and hopefully i don't bore you guys with it....I have felt however, the a wristwatch, like shoes and a belt, is somethign of the finishing touch when a person is dressing. it's the little details, right? Like unique cufflinks, or a ladies scarf....or little ceramic roses on her garters.....umm.....uhhh.....right????

 

[Orgetorix]

in the case of the Blancpain....complications.

Yeah, but...a million bucks? $10,000, ok, sure. A lot of money, but I can see it. $100,000 for a watch? Ok, well, I could buy a house for that, but I can see someone who's really rich paying it for a luxury item. But a million bucks? Even for the world's richest people, that's a significant sum of money. For the rest, it's absurd. I understand how luxury markets work; Ithat the farther you go along the scale of luxuriousness, the more it costs to go even a little bit farther (principle of diminishing returns). Even so, the thought of a million dollar watch just blows my mind. Think about it--just the cost to insure the thing would itself be prohibitively expensive.

 

[DeSica]

What makes a non-jewel-encrusted watch worth a million dollars?

The metal used in making the watch (gold, platinum)

The amount of complications and complexity of the movement.

The available number of the particular model.

The name of the company or particular maker

The collective will of watch enthusiasts and speculators.

(Like clothing, there's a lot of mark-up.)

20 years or so ago the Swiss watch industry was in crisis. Then Swatch took off, and started buying up houses in distress. Eventually the desire and demand for elegant hand made time pieces started to pick up (think of your typical conspicuous consumption cigar smoker) and a renaissance of prestige watch production followed in the mid to late nineties.

You can still pick up older and vintage pieces for a good price. Don't have 15k for a Blancpain, get one from 30 years ago for a few grand.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

Here is a photo off ebay, auction completed, of my Napier pendant watch.

It dates from the 70's, evidently; I like that it is Mickey Mouse.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBay.ISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=300060157743

I don't wear watches on my wrists, just pendants. It is a simple thing and did not cost very much at all. Interestingly, I have worn it for several years now and, for some reason, have gotten more complements on it than any piece of jewelry I have owned.

karol

 

[Brian Sheridan]

Looking for New "vintage-looking" watch

I'd love to buy a new watch that has that vintage look. The only ones I see, however, are the cheapie $40 ones in catalogs like Signals.

Does anyone know of great looking, higher-end time pieces aren't all look and no substance.

Thanks for all of your help!!!

BRS

 

[NRay]

This site has a large number of watches that have a nice, vintage look to them here.
But the price is anywhere from $1,000 to $20,000.
There are some decent-looking Invicta watches here and some some Seiko watches here, both of which are at Amazon.com. However, even the more vintage-looking watches at both these links have a modern feel.
Anyways, I don't know how much this helps, but it might be a start.

Sincerely,
Nathan

 

[The D.A.]

I found an Altanus watch on the bay that I really like. If you do a search for "altanus" you'll almost always find one listed as a "pilot watch." I love everything about it: the black dial, the old-fashioned hands, the seconds hand at the 9 o'clock position, the Swiss mechanical movement. It isn't exactly "high-end," but it's Swiss-made, old-fashioned, and fairly unique in these parts.