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

[RJR]

I'm going with my 1915 Helvetia hunter case trench watch.

Movement shot for who's interested...

Very nice.

 

[cmoy]

Very nice.

Thanks RJR!

 

[viclip]

I'm going with my 1915 Helvetia hunter case trench watch.

Movement shot for who's interested...

I like this watch. Looks like it has a quality 15 jewel movement,
typically unadorned but reliable & accurate.

Perhaps this is a pocket watch that was re-configured at the
factory for use on the wrist due to wartime demand.

What's the protuberance at 6 o'clock? Is this a pin set model?

As an aside, I've always liked the Swiss pin set mechanism esp.
on open face watches which allows secure setting without removing
the bezel.

 

[cmoy]

I like this watch. Looks like it has a quality 15 jewel movement,
typically unadorned but reliable & accurate.

Perhaps this is a pocket watch that was re-configured at the
factory for use on the wrist due to wartime demand.

What's the protuberance at 6 o'clock? Is this a pin set model?

As an aside, I've always liked the Swiss pin set mechanism esp.
on open face watches which allows secure setting without removing
the bezel.

Thanks viclip! It's not a pin set movement. The button at 6 o'clock is to open the hunter case. The watch is pretty clean for it's age. I had it serviced recently. Keeps pretty good time. Check out the 4th movement from the bottom...
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/movements.php

 

[viclip]

Thanks viclip! It's not a pin set movement. The button at 6 o'clock is to open the hunter case. The watch is pretty clean for it's age. I had it serviced recently. Keeps pretty good time. Check out the 4th movement from the bottom...
http://www.vintagewatchstraps.com/movements.php

That's an interesting & unusual configuration!

 

[1955mercury]

A couple more. First one is a 1920's Trojan with a 6 jewel American Standard movement.

And a 1930's Fontain with a 15 jewel movement stamped Sorority. Fontain and Sorority were brands put out by Helbros.

 

[cmoy]

A couple more. First one is a 1920's Trojan with a 6 jewel American Standard movement.
View attachment 62432

View attachment 62433

And a 1930's Fontain with a 15 jewel movement stamped Sorority. Fontain and Sorority were brands put out by Helbros.
View attachment 62434

View attachment 62435

GREAT deco cases!

 

[1955mercury]

A friend from Spain gave me this little jewel. It was not working and after an hour here and 30 minutes there I got the last bugs out of it this morning. It's a 1938 Bulova Buckingham model. It has a 10AEcs 17 jewel movement. It's very small compared to today's men's watches.

 

[basbol13]

I love old watches especially the rectangular that were produced in the 50's. Com

A friend from Spain gave me this little jewel. It was not working and after an hour here and 30 minutes there I got the last bugs out of it this morning. It's a 1938 Bulova Buckingham model. It has a 10AEcs 17 jewel movement. It's very small compared to today's men's watches.
View attachment 64665

View attachment 64666

I love old watches and what you have are really nice. Myself, I like the vintage 50's rectangular ones that take 16mm band. I just think the smaller ones look better. I have 20 or so running the gamut from Wittnauer to Lord Elgin and a Hamilton or two thrown in. For my every day watches I usually wear 14K gold filled and when I go out 14k solid gold. I'll tell you, nothing in this world looks better than gold, and that's why I wear old watches. The new ones say "gold tone" but what you get is a brassy colored watch. I buy the old watches pretty regularly and wear them til they don't run any more. I consider them throw away, except the solid gold ones. For what it costs to repair a vintage watch ( I can do minor repairs), I figure it's cheaper to buy 3 or more vintage ones. That said, you've got great taste in watches.

 

[1955mercury]

I love old watches especially the rectangular that were produced in the 50's. Com

I love old watches and what you have are really nice. Myself, I like the vintage 50's rectangular ones that take 16mm band. I just think the smaller ones look better. I have 20 or so running the gamut from Wittnauer to Lord Elgin and a Hamilton or two thrown in. For my every day watches I usually wear 14K gold filled and when I go out 14k solid gold. I'll tell you, nothing in this world looks better than gold, and that's why I wear old watches. The new ones say "gold tone" but what you get is a brassy colored watch. I buy the old watches pretty regularly and wear them til they don't run any more. I consider them throw away, except the solid gold ones. For what it costs to repair a vintage watch ( I can do minor repairs), I figure it's cheaper to buy 3 or more vintage ones. That said, you've got great taste in watches.

I got interested in vintage watch collecting and repair as a cheap hobby that I really enjoyed after I retired. At that time if I fatally wounded one it was just a cheap learning experience and I could get another one for $5-10. I studied a lot of watch making books and gradually got all the tools I needed. Large bundles of parts were cheap then because there wasn't much interest in this obsolete technology. But that has changed in the last 10 years and prices now have reached the level of insanity. I may have to take up golf as my retirement hobby.

 

[basbol13]

I got interested in vintage watch collecting and repair as a cheap hobby that I really enjoyed after I retired. At that time if I fatally wounded one it was just a cheap learning experience and I could get another one for $5-10. I studied a lot of watch making books and gradually got all the tools I needed. Large bundles of parts were cheap then because there wasn't much interest in this obsolete technology. But that has changed in the last 10 years and prices now have reached the level of insanity. I may have to take up golf as my retirement hobby.

I know what you mean. Just to find a competent watch maker, who doesn't cost an arm and leg, is near impossible. As for the price yeah I agree. I troll eBay a lot and low ball every watch I like which may be 10 at a time. You'd be surprised at the amount who accept a first offer. Rather see you hobbying with watches, it teaches patience which sounds like you have it in abundance. I'd hate to see it waste on golf.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Vintage, but hardly Golden Era, a ca. 1971 Rolex Date:



Can't seem to get a sharp image from my phone. Anyway, it was purchased from an authorized Rolex dealer in Denver in Dec. 2000. I'd seen it in the "estate watches" cabinet for several months, with its original grey dial and on a black leather strap. Came Christmas week, and I was just getting over a cold. Said I to myself, "Self, drive on over and see if it's there, and if they'll deal a little for cash."

I did, and it was, and they did. The grey-dialed model went home with me. In '07 I had Rolex Dallas replace the dial with a blue one and service the watch, and then I put it on an aftermarket bracelet.

Given its age, it's just the sort of Rolex I wished my parents had gotten me for high school graduation. (Back then Rolexes were a little pricey compared to Bulovas and the like, but reasonable, around $300 I think.)

 

[basbol13]

It depends on what you consider "golden age"......I think it's a nice looking watch and it's a Rolex

 

[Benzadmiral]

It depends on what you consider "golden age"......I think it's a nice looking watch and it's a Rolex

It's terrific and it's very accurate. Yes, I'd like a newer model with the quick-set date -- but not enough to shell out the $$$, and I've got a long history with this one.

 

[basbol13]

It's terrific and it's very accurate. Yes, I'd like a newer model with the quick-set date -- but not enough to shell out the $$$, and I've got a long history with this one.

I agree, there is more to some watches than just springs and wheels

 

[Michaelshane]

 

[Michaelshane]

 

[Michaelshane]

Vintage, but hardly Golden Era, a ca. 1971 Rolex Date:

View attachment 64815

Can't seem to get a sharp image from my phone. Anyway, it was purchased from an authorized Rolex dealer in Denver in Dec. 2000. I'd seen it in the "estate watches" cabinet for several months, with its original grey dial and on a black leather strap. Came Christmas week, and I was just getting over a cold. Said I to myself, "Self, drive on over and see if it's there, and if they'll deal a little for cash."

I did, and it was, and they did. The grey-dialed model went home with me. In '07 I had Rolex Dallas replace the dial with a blue one and service the watch, and then I put it on an aftermarket bracelet.

Given its age, it's just the sort of Rolex I wished my parents had gotten me for high school graduation. (Back then Rolexes were a little pricey compared to Bulovas and the like, but reasonable, around $300 I think.)

That watch in 1970 was $900.00,anyway this one was....

 

[Fading Fast]

View attachment 65013
That watch in 1970 was $900.00,anyway this one was....

Based on the internet's handy dandy inflation calculator that is about $6000 today.

I don't remember getting a high school graduation present form my dad as his general opinion of things like that are it is no big achievement to graduate high school so no present, but you'd get a swift kick in the pants if you didn't graduate. Many things like that were inverted in my house - chores were expected to be done and I never, ever got paid or would even think of asking to get money; whereas, I had friends who got paid for doing some work around their house. I think it was just a different mindset.

That's my long way of saying there was no Rolex graduation gift or, well, any (maybe we went out to dinner, but I sincerely don't remember as, if we did, it would have been to one of the few modest places we went to for the "celebratory" events - i.e., it wouldn't have stood out).

 

[Benzadmiral]

No, I didn't expect such a gift, but my Date is the right age. As for the price then, I've seen vintage print ads for Rolexes in that period -- steel ones, now, not gold or gold & steel -- under $500. EBay has an ad for the Submariner from 1978 (the year my Sub came out!) listing it at $580. A 1977 ad has the Datejust in steel at $435. In 1966 a Sub started at $175. So $300 seems kind of reasonable for that time period.

In any case, Michael, your Rolex is a very handsome beast. That's one of their handwind models?