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

[M Hatman]

Here is another find...a 21 jewel Boliva "His Excellency"......1947. I really liked the copper tone dial and hands.....also has their advertised "basket weave" bracelet. Ads from the time show this selling from $52.50 with a leather strap to 62.00 and up with the strap I have.
M

 

[M Hatman]

Central watch company 17 jewel, "Curvex" type clone. Original wrist-strap, stamped "Genuine Sea Leopard", which upon looking up is a type of seal. Interesting it has no seconds dial. I would guess mid 30's.
M

 

[viclip]

Here is another find...a 21 jewel Boliva "His Excellency"......1947. I really liked the copper tone dial and hands.....also has their advertised "basket weave" bracelet. Ads from the time show this selling from $52.50 with a leather strap to 62.00 and up with the strap I have.
M
View attachment 114041 View attachment 114042 View attachment 114043

Very nice!

Bulova was a renowned watch company back in the day & manufactured their own mechanical movements.

The 1947 date reminds me of a largely forgotten good deed rendered by Bulova at the end of the Second World War. In recognition of the American war effort & the sacrifices made, the company created a watchmaking school targetting injured veterans suffering from permanent handicaps such as loss of lower limbs etc. Because of Bulova many veterans whose lives had been shattered by war injuries, were able to enter the watchmaking trade & pursue productive careers.

 

[GJH]

Illinois "Model 250" 1931
There are between 7-15 known surviving examples of this Solid Gold watch.

 

[viclip]

Illinois "Model 250" 1931
There are between 7-15 known surviving examples of this Solid Gold watch.

Thanks for posting yet another Illinois gem.

I particularly like those shadowed hour numerals, they sure knew how to spice dials up in those days.

 

[GJH]

1928 Illinois Marquis
There are only 2 known examples with the subs at 6 like this.

 

[MondoFW]

I'm not much of a watch wearer, but how difficult (or easy) is it to find these antique/bordering on antique ones? Particularly the watches GJH has been displaying on this thread.

 

[BobHufford]

There are only around 4 of these dials known to exist.

There are between 7-15 known surviving examples...

There are only 2 known examples with the subs at 6 like this.

I'm not much of a watch wearer, but how difficult (or easy) is it to find these antique/bordering on antique ones? Particularly the watches GJH has been displaying on this thread.

I'd lean toward very difficult...

 

[Fading Fast]

I'm not much of a watch wearer, but how difficult (or easy) is it to find these antique/bordering on antique ones? Particularly the watches GJH has been displaying on this thread.

BobHuffard's comment makes sense to me as it seems that GJH has an incredible collection - that I absolutely love - of very rare watches.

That said, if you like the general style of his watches but don't have to have the special, rare ones he has, then a lot of "similar" in style and look can be found for, depending on condition and other factors, $100-$500 dollars.

I have several and have never paid (most were gifts from my girlfriend, but I know the price) more than $300.

To get an idea, you can look on Ebay under sometime like "vintage watches 1920s" just to start to see the marketplace. There are other sites, stores and dealers, but with a little effort and patience, for a few hundred dollars you could find a "similar" (again, not the rare versions that GJH has) looking piece.

If you are completely new to this, keep in mind that these watches need servicing and repair from time to time which can run ~$100 - $300 or more depending on this, that or the other thing. So it's important to know the condition the watch you are buying is in (or you might have to put some money into it immediately), which usually means buying from a reputable dealer.

Good luck, with a little work it can be a fun thing to do for not a crazy stupid amount of money.

 

[Damienos74]

Freakin’ love this watch. Rolex 1675 Gilt GMT Master circa 1964 on a custom Whisky Shell Cordovan strap.
A forever piece...The only one getting old is me.

 

[viclip]

Freakin’ love this watch. Rolex 1675 Gilt GMT Master circa 1964 on a custom Whisky Shell Cordovan strap. View attachment 116633
A forever piece...The only one getting old is me.

Is your Rolex the one nicknamed the "Pepsi" model due to the blue/red bezel?

It's sure good looking in any event, I'll bet it keeps great time.

 

[GJH]

Hi folks...
I do have a very extensive collection of the Illinois watch brand. I show off some of the rarest ones as a treat. The brand itself was made in much smaller batches than the powerhouses of Elgin and Waltham at the time. The folks who collect them tend to hang on to them and don't really part with them. There are some out there that can be had, and the one guy who has a bunch and sells them is Fredric Friedberg (Just google him) Vintage watches can be a slippery slope if you are not sure what you are buying. Read up and get knowledge on whatever brand you are looking at. Keep in mind that these are old and need servicing with use (and I am not talking a new battery) Good luck with collecting, it is a fun hobby.

 

[Damienos74]

Yes, it sure does! It is a 'Pepsi'... and the only time Pepsi is better than Coke!

Is your Rolex the one nicknamed the "Pepsi" model due to the blue/red bezel?

It's sure good looking in any event, I'll bet it keeps great time.

 

[GJH]

Here is a VERY scarce Illinois. The 1918 "Ongard"
The ad has existed 100 years, but collectors have only seen
2 of them, and none had the "Good Luck" Horseshoe on the back.
Here is the Ad from July 1918:

Here is the watch with original band and Buckle:

AND HERE IS THE GOOD LUCK HORSESHOE

One other was recently discovered, but with no band or buckle, so there are 2 good luck horseshoes known.
A total of 4 Ongards out there that we know of.

 

[Blacktocomm]

Vintage Tudor 7965 from 1959. I was looking for something with a bit of warm patina and this happened to cross my path in somewhat rough shape. I sent it to my watch shop and it came back looking beautiful. I am loving it.

 

[Fading Fast]

I stumbled across this incredible watch on an Art Deco page, but there was no information on it nor was I able to find anything on the web about it (my Google Image search was a washout); hence, I thought I'd see if anyone here knows anything about it:

 

[viclip]

I stumbled across this incredible watch on an Art Deco page, but there was no information on it nor was I able to find anything on the web about it (my Google Image search was a washout); hence, I thought I'd see if anyone here knows anything about it:

View attachment 118567

Bulova produced such "jumping hours" or "wandering seconds" wristwatches in the late 1920s into the 30s. These Art Deco beauties came in a number of models & in varying versions eg. with analog hours/minutes coupled with wandering seconds. Your terrific find looks like a version of the "President" family based on the case design.

Try Googling:

"Bulova jumping"
"Bulova wandering"

These types of time indications were also known as "digital" as distinct from "analog" back in the day however, if you Google accordingly these days expect to find several trillion hits featuring Bulova quartz watches.

Let us know what you find out!

 

[Danijay1]

Vintage Tudor 7965 from 1959. I was looking for something with a bit of warm patina and this happened to cross my path in somewhat rough shape. I sent it to my watch shop and it came back looking beautiful. I am loving it.

That is an incredible old Tudor, friend.

 

[Fading Fast]

Bulova produced such "jumping hours" or "wandering seconds" wristwatches in the late 1920s into the 30s. These Art Deco beauties came in a number of models & in varying versions eg. with analog hours/minutes coupled with wandering seconds. Your terrific find looks like a version of the "President" family based on the case design.

Try Googling:

"Bulova jumping"
"Bulova wandering"

These types of time indications were also known as "digital" as distinct from "analog" back in the day however, if you Google accordingly these days expect to find several trillion hits featuring Bulova quartz watches.

Let us know what you find out!

Awesome - thank you - that worked. I had more luck with "jumping" than "wandering" with this site jump-hour being the best so far in my short search efforts.

Some info from that site ⇩



Bulova 1932 Jump Hour
4/10 votes

Model ID rating explained.
Model ID Rating:
3
Manufacture Year:
1932
Movement Symbol:
T
Movement Model:
13AT
Movement Jewels:
15
Movement Serial No.:
730870
Case Serial No.:
2106128
Case shape:
Tonneau
Case Manufacturer:
Bulova
Crystal Details:
Thin plastic film
Gender:
Mens
Additional Information:
She's temperamental but almost 100%

 

[viclip]

Awesome - thank you - that worked. I had more luck with "jumping" than "wandering" with this site jump-hour being the best so far in my short search efforts.

Some info from that site ⇩

View attachment 118607

Bulova 1932 Jump Hour
4/10 votes

Model ID rating explained.
Model ID Rating:
3
Manufacture Year:
1932
Movement Symbol:
T
Movement Model:
13AT
Movement Jewels:
15
Movement Serial No.:
730870
Case Serial No.:
2106128
Case shape:
Tonneau
Case Manufacturer:
Bulova
Crystal Details:
Thin plastic film
Gender:
Mens
Additional Information:
She's temperamental but almost 100%

View attachment 118608

"rugged as a battleship" ~ quite the selling point for an Art Deco wristwatch!

Happy hunting ... the Web is truly an amazing source of info that would otherwise be unavailable to us.

Incidentally, how is your "jump-hour" watch running?