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

[Edward]

I should give up being a detective and go into vintage watch repair; that would be the simpler life...[huh]

Of course, the boys from your old deaprtment would keep coming to you for advice on just one more old case they needed you to clear up, you know, long cold cases from the thirties and forties, the stuff that only you (due to your extensive knowledge of the period) could give the insight needed to solve....

I'm smelling a TV show here....

My dad has a bnuch of old pocket watches I must have a look at next time I'm over - half hunters and the likes. None of them are valuable ones, though - the good stuff (the sentimental ones, his grandfather's and great grandfather's pocket watches) was taken when we were burgled years ago.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I'm smelling a TV show here....

Actually, some folks already think I'm named after a television show when I tell them my middle name is Matlock. Yet that has nothing to do with the TV show, that was simply my Mother's maiden name. Still, its a cool middle name to have; I joke about going by it every once in a while.

LOL, and while it would be nice to think about other lovely folks in my profession coming to me to get advise; I'm still a rookie, seeing as I've been training in the detective biz for only two years-and I'm only a college student. Maybe that sort of thing will start happening in another twenty years or so...

 

[nightandthecity]

you have my sympathies too...

Just handed in my West End Watch co. Secundus, 1940s RAF issue, gold plated with original Rolex movement. Yes, I now feel half dressed and slightly agitated. I have several other watches but this one is my favourite.

I get the same thing when I take any of my boots or shoes to the cobbler.

When I was young there were plenty of good watch repairmen and cobblers about. A repair was typically an overnight job, if not same day. Nowadays the craftsmen are thin on the ground and it seems to take at least a week.

 

[DavidVillaJr]

I own an Oris that I am probably going to have to send back to Oris to be fixed. It's a 60's vintage manual winding watch that I love. It's not much to look at, but, well, you know....

Anyhow, the 3 shops in my area who advertise watch repair were unable to help. The part/parts that are broken/needing repair are apparently no longer available.

Dreading the cost, but perhaps it will be off to Oris for my watch.

dv

 

[Lancealot]

I'm there brother. Not vintage, but I had to send my Omega off a while back and I wonderd when/if/in what manner I'd see it back. Right now my broken Pelikan is awaiting a similar voyage.

I can sympathize with you. I have to send my Bulova, which is only ten years old, down to Atlanta every time I need it repaired and it always takes at least 2 weeks.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

You might try this guy next time - got the tip from another post on FL and the service was fast, reasonable and right.

http://www.pocketwatchrepair.com/

 

[BJBAmerica]

Have two, a vintage Bulova, with new band and a new Hamilton Ventura that my wife bought for me for Father's day a couple of years ago:

 

[ScionPI2005]

My favorite is my Benrus Dial-o-Rama; the watch in the upper part of the picture. It stuck out at me (for obvious reasons) when I found it in a watch repair store about three years ago. Worn it quite frequently since. It's sadly in the shop for cleaning and oiling; can't wait to get it back, I miss it!

 

[LocktownDog]

Hey ... I really like that Benrus. Don't think I've seen one like that before. :eusa_clap

Richard

 

[ScionPI2005]

Hey ... I really like that Benrus. Don't think I've seen one like that before. :eusa_clap

Richard

Before I found this one, I'd never seen one before either. The one pictured is circa 1958. It is a manual wind, yet the direct reads were apparently watch manufacturer's first attempt at a "digital watch". If I understand correctly, they didn't catch on too well at that time, causes manufacturing of watches like these to stop pretty quickly, so they can be kind of difficult to find.

 

[woodyinnyc]

My favorite is my Benrus Dial-o-Rama; the watch in the upper part of the picture. It stuck out at me (for obvious reasons) when I found it in a watch repair store about three years ago. Worn it quite frequently since. It's sadly in the shop for cleaning and oiling; can't wait to get it back, I miss it!

WOW! I have a very similar Benrus that was my grandfather's, and have never seen another one. Mine has a metal stretch band, and needs to go into the shop for a little TLC. My everyday watch is a Breitling SuperOcean, as I save grandpa's watchf or "special occasions".

 

[Teacher]

I never follow through with intentions to take pics for the net, so I'm "borrowing" one from SQLGuy on TimeZone (thanks, Paul!). The one that is the favorite among my watches is exactly like the fourth (second from right). Mine is on a dark tan, American-made water buffalo strap. It's simple, elegant, goes with everything, and it has the American-designed and -made 30-jewel Elgin 760 movement (only one of four automatic movements designed and manufactured in the US, all by Elgin). As and aside, I also one just like the second watch but with the 760 movement (this one has the 27-jewel 761) and slightly different markers.

My grail? Either the Elgin 50-millionth-movement anniversary movement (1951, 18k case with gold-plated movement) or the Hamilton Rutledge in platinum.

 

[Martinis at 8]

Rolex Submariner Date in stainless steel. It is now my everyday, everything watch.

M8

 

[Alan Eardley]

I got it back...

I have to report that my great grandfather's pocket watch has been successfully recovered (see above) and is adding stoutly to the cacophony of ticking that fills my study.

A 'narrow escape', but I regard this as a lesson learned. Normally, I like to do jobs on my 'things' myself, as I gain new skills that way, I am sure of the care and attention that goes into the job and if I lose it it's my own fault.

I 'chickened out' of this repair because I have never worked on a small fusee movement before. I should have had more confidence and done it myself.

Alan

 

[Baron Kurtz]

A dying art.

When basic repairs cannot be done at your local jeweller's shop. When you take a piece into a "jeweller's" shop and there is no employee who can decode the Hall marks. When a jeweller's shop employs no jewellers! We are in trouble when this is the case. Your watch is broken? Buy a new one!

When my father retires/dies there will be no watchmaker worth his salt in my town or in any of the neighbouring towns. There is a chap who thinks he knows how to fix watches but every piece he tinkers with has to be "cleaned up" by my father because this guy makes such a mess of things. He recently almost ruined the movement in a 1750s clock in for repair by "tinkering" while my father was out of the shop. They've looked into taking on an apprentice, but none of the lazy dossers at the high school are interested in earning an apprentice's wage for 4 years. (The argument that after this time they will be a skilled craftsman in great demand doesn't wash, apparently.) And in Britain it is almost impossible, financially, to do an apprenticeship after the age of 24 because the government won't help out with your wages so employers don't want you as an apprentice.

The retraining regime is perhaps the worst failure of the current "Labour" government. We were promised retraining for the guys made redundant from the heavy manufacturing and mining industries. What did we get? Retraining to work in call centres and McDonalds, when the trades are dying on their arses.

bk

 

[Gilbey]

Vacheron Constantin Tour de I'lle

This is my dream watch. If I could just have one watch in life, this would be it. The ultimate watch for an ultimate price (if you can afford this one). Price: $2,350,000.00

Brand: Vacheron Constantin
Style Number: 80250.000R.9145
Series: Tour de I'lle
Style: Mens
Case: 18k Rose Gold
Dial Color: 2 dials, both silvered 18k Gold guilloche
Bracelet / Strap: Leather - Deep brown alligator
Clasp Type: 18k Rose Gold Tang Buckle
Movement: Mechanical Hand-wound
Engine: Caliber 2750 (18,000 vph, 38 rubies)
Functions: Hours, Minutes, Subsidiary Seconds, Repetition (qtr, mins), Tourbillon, Power Res., 2nd Time, Moonphase, Moon Age, Striking Torque, Perpetual Calendar, Equation of Time, Sunrise, Sunset, Sky Chart
Crystal: Sapphire Crystal, glareproof
Case Diameter: 47.0 mm
Case Thickness: 17.8 mm
Caseback: Sapphire Crystal, Snap-in
Bezel Material: 18k Rose Gold
Bezel Function: Fixed
Water Resistance: Dust Resistant
Crown: 18k Rose Gold, Fluted with VC Logo
Calendar: Perpetual Calendar (Day, Date, Month, Leap Years), Perpetual Equation of Time, Phases & Ages of Moon
Power Reserve: 58-hour power reserve
Bracelet Length: 8.0 inches
Bracelet Width: 23.0 mm

Only 7 pieces will ever be made, the last few of which are still being manufactured. However, all pieces, including this one which may be purchased from Gemnation, have been spoken for.

This is the world's most complicated and spectacular wristwatch. The watch consists of 834 individual parts and took over 10,000 hours of design work. The Tour d'Ille won the L'Aiguille d'Or, top honors at the 2005 Grand Prix d'Horlogerie de Geneve. The watch also bears the Geneva quality hallmark. It is named for an historical site of Vacheron Constantin located next to the current Maison Vacheron Constantin on the Quai de l'Ile.

The watch bears a secret Signature at 12 o'clock (1755 - 2005). The winding stem has 2 positions. The second time-zone & moon-phase are adjusted using 2 correctors housed along the case. The perpetual calendar is adjusted using 3 correctors housed along the case. The sidereal disc is adjusted using a lockable push-button and crown.

This piece features a one-of-a-kind hand-guilloch?© motif on the back dial, guaranteeing its authenticity and uniqueness - none of the 7 pieces have the same guilloche pattern.

The bezel is equipped with 2 catches that are used to activate the striking mechanism by rotating to the right. The sky chart correction system is operated by rotating the crown. The caseback features a snap-in design and is of sapphire crystal, glareproofed on the inner face and mounted on a joint. The case is hand polished with fine fluting on the sides of the bezel and case-back. The soldered lugs are unique to the '250th anniversary' collection of wristwatches. The front dial features 18k gold roman numerals and applied hour-markers. The dial also features an 18k gold applied Poin?ßon de Gen?®ve logo. The hour and minute hands are inspired by a 1926 vintage Vacheron & Constantin model. The seconds hand is in 18k pink gold, baton-shaped, and mounted on the tourbillon carriage. The counters are in blued steel. The strap is hand-sewn alligator leather with a silky satin finish and large square scales with a pin buckle in 18k pink gold.

One is immediately aware of the off-center hour and minute hands. These hands complete their revolutions around an inner circle that has its origin at the 12 o'clock position. Instead of a 45-minute marking inside this circle, Vacheron have engraved '250', in deference to the manufactory's historic anniversary in 2005. The complications on the watch are nothing short of spectacular. The tourbillon, front and bottom center strikes the viewer immediately - not only for its unique Maltese cross design, but for its rather oversized presence. Yet it takes nothing away from the majestic and rather elegant dial configuration. The moonphase disc, situated inside an aperture at 3 o'clock, is on a blued disc and hand engraved. The engraving process takes over two weeks to complete. The minute repeater's winding torque is indicated via a blued hand on a circular dial at 1 o'clock. A 24 hour second time zone dial is located at 11 o'clock, and a power reserve crescent dial is located at 9 o'clock. The two repeater sliders are located on either side of the bezel.

The rear dial (in its unique guilloche design) features additional complications. Top and center are the months of the year in a circular dial. To its bottom left, the days-of-the-week subdial. To its bottom right, the date subdial. A tiny aperture at 1 o'clock displays leap-year status. The center dial display illustrates the equation of time. The time for sunrise and sunset are just below at 4 and 8 o'clock. The gorgeous sky chart emanates from a blue dial in an aperture at 6 o'clock. This dial also displays sidereal time as it occurs every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.1 seconds.

Words fail the observer when viewing such a masterpiece of horological engineering excellence. Never before have so many complications gone into the manufacture of a single wristwatch. One is left speechless by the audacity of the Vacheron Constantin master watchmakers to have even attempted such a feat. When one hears the quarters and minutes sounded off from the majestically sonorous repeaters, one is forgiven for mistaking the sound for the voice of angels - for a watch as sublime as this surely belongs in the angelic realm.

 

[A. G. Geiger]

How about a pocket watch without a vest. Marlowe's got a chain going from a belt loop to his pocket, in "The Big Sleep". No Vest. No Fob. Is there a watch or a wallet on the other end?

 

[Feraud]

How about a pocket watch without a vest. Marlowe's got a chain going from a belt loop to his pocket, in "The Big Sleep". No Vest. No Fob. Is there a watch or a wallet on the other end?

A house key I think.

 

[A. G. Geiger]

Of course, I'm sure your right.

 

[Edward]

I must be really cheap when it comes to watches..... there's no way I'd ever consider spending designer brand money on one. I do have a fairly classic looking (It speaks of Connery and the sixties to me, anyhow) "Rolex" - courtesy of a street market in Beijing lol - which actually isn't a bad watch. Ditto a "Louis Vuitton" watch which isn't a million miles away in style from the Luftwaffe watches. Thaty's my preferred style for daily wear. I also have a Russian Vostok, which I very much like - I'd be tempted to pick up more of those. Vostok was to the officers watches of the Soviet forces what Victoria Knox is to the Swiss Army and their knives. That was my first auto-winder. I wouldn't be bothered with a non-automatic mechanical for daily wear, but as I eventually would like to have a selection of watches for mixing and matching with different outfits, it's a big bonus if I don't have to shell out a fortune on batteries..... The Vostoks are also beautifully utilitarian - I love the aesthetics of them, plus they're so (relatively) cheap - mine cost me about USD50, so I never need to give it a second thought when I'm wearing it out. My dress watch is about my last remaining non-mechanical. It's a really nice watch - classy looking slim body (obviously it cam be because it's quartz), in silver with gold plate trip round the bezel and gold plate 'racing stripes' on the body. All very classy and tidy - I'm not normally a fan of gold, but this looks good. White dial. I think I spent about GBP150 on that one, twelve years ago or so. It's the watch I would at present choose to wear with white or black tie, or on a big evening out for a special occasion. If ever it requires replaced for those duties, I'll be going for something which is a mechanical self winder.

A lot of my watches, including the Vostok, are presently out of service because for some reason or another leather straps just don't seem to last with me. I'm in two minds whether to look for an alternative (like a metal bracelet) or to try a very expensive leather strap (in some cases, they cost almost as much as the watch did - could be worth it though if i got more than a year out of one!). I don't want to go too quickly to metal, as it would make a lot of my watches really rather samey...

My current daily wearer is an Alpha 1993:

I think it has a certain deco style:

Glass back:

Movement : AUTOMATIC 30 SEC Repeter
Case: Solid Stainless steel case
Strap: 25 mm wide genuine leather band
Glass: Sapphire Arch Crystal
Dial: Ceramic Black/Silver
Water resistance: 3 ATM Water Resistant (ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE)


Thus far I'm very pleased with it, and if I had some spare cash that I decided to direct towards watches in the future, I would definitely consider this brand again. I paid the equivalent of about USD 80.00 new (via eBay), and it's a really nice watch. Much classier IMO than the run of the mill, but equally not so expensive that I'd be scared to wear it lest it got lost, damaged or stolen.

My next watch buy will probably be a nice repro half-hunter pocket watch, again, nothing very expensive, something that can be worn fairly regularly whenver I feel a time keeping desire that a wristwatch can't quite fulfil.