Watches

Gaa! The pic is huge!

I'll find a smaller one......

Huge pic, cool watch. For what it's worth, we're going to try to keep the watches profiled varied--higher end, low-buck, car-related, etc. I guess I'm saying don't worry, they won't all be five-figure watches. You can have fun with some inexpensive ones, too.

I still have my original Porsche Design (the big black one) with the Orfina selfwinding works.

Porsche made a few of these available to us at Brumos in the late 1970's when they were so hard to get. Bob Snodgrass got our allotment.

I've had it totally overhauled once ($600+!) and see no need to buy one of the later "me-too" makes.

Speaking of watches, I put the Slava on a $15 rubber band (well, not a "rubber band" but a rubber band) and love it.

Probably the coolest vintage watches are the Hamiltons from the late 50's and early 60's. They featured unique asymetricial cases and many employed the first electric movements... it's very different to have an electric watch that you can hear tick!

The most popular models are the Ventura, the Pacer, the Thor, and the Everest, just to name a few off the top of my head. Many have been reissued with quartz movements in the last decade.

Here's a link to pics and the interesting story of the Hamilton Ventura. The home page for this site has pics of some of the other interesting Hamilton asymetrics.

http://www.hamiltonwristwatch.com/ventura.pdf

A small P.S.

Idiot me broke the rubber watch band this weekend.

count me in as a Hamilton Ventura fan. I loathe the very idea of watches in general (personal thing: I feel like they're my keeper) but those Ventura's have got some serious style (Ask Elvis!).

Quote: David Wallens March 26, 2008 7:22 p.m. Idiot me broke the rubber watch band this weekend.

How the heck do you break a rubber watch band? :grin: -Louis-

I don't know much about watches, but that Ventura is wicked cool.

Go perfectly with one of my other ideals of late-50s over-the-top styling, the Gretsch White Falcon:

I broke one of the little loops that secures the "tail" of the band when it's buckled. Mainly, I was rushing.

Hamiltons were made not far from me. You can now lease an apartment in the old factory building. :grin: I don't give much of a hoot about watches or clocks, but I was just reading in my local paper last night that there is a real shortage of people to fix them. This has actually been the case for quite some time. One of my customers last year was taking the course and he said it was pretty cool...I think he had to make a clock from scratch as part of his testing. Anyway, if any of you are looking for an interesting career, here is the link. The school and museum are not very far from me either. Horology

I think I fell in love with this last night:

We'll see what happens.

How about pocket watches? I have my grandfather's gold Elgin pocket watch. My grandmother bought it for him about 65 years ago. It runs fine and keeps good time. He would have been 100 this year.

I wear an $18 black plastic casio everyday. It's been covered in oil, underwater, dropped, stepped on, you can't kill it. Been wearing them 30 years now (former runner).

I have a bunch of old Russian Vostok watches, the Vostok dive watch's crystal fogged up and the hands got rusty just from sweat but it still works.

I also have a box of old Waltham's, Roemr's and a Rolex, but my best watch is a solar powered Casio, I paid $20.00 for. I've abused it horribly for years and it still works just fine.

Dave

I inherited the love of Rolex's from my dad. He has a 18k Submariner with the royal blue face. Very handsome, but I am not a gold guy. I have worn a stainless Submariner for about 5 years now and love it. Now the wife wants one :omg:

Go look for a Tudor. Same workings as a Rolex, a lot less expensive. I love mine.

I have been searching for a wristwatch for some time now and was set on either an Oris or Doxa watch (and of course Tag and Rolex were on the list as well). But my love of vintage things has surfaced again and I was wondering if anyone knows of a good place to look for vintage watches ? I am wary of what google searches turn up (especially for the price of a good vintage watch). Any recommendations?

There are roughly 25+ Motorsports inspired vintage watches.

They run the gamut from the Rolex Daytona to the Seiko Speedtimer Chronograph. Most manufacturers had some link to Motorsports with Heuer and Longines being Official Formula 1 timers and Rolex timing the Daytona Race series. Others used racing photos in ads.

Manufacturers named their models after cars, drivers, movies, tracks, or sponsors (ie, Champion Plugs, Gulf, Marlboro)

List

Rolex Daytona, Tudor Monte Carlo, Heuer Monaco, Heuer Autavia 'Joe Siffert', Heuer Daytona, Heuer Carrera, Heuer Jarama, Heuer Jackie Icyk Easy Rider, Heuer Monza, Heuer Sliderule Bezel-Rally, Heuer Camaro, Heuer Cortina, Heuer Pasadena, Heuer Champion Plug, Heuer Montreal, Heuer Silverstone, Heuer Gulf Logo, Chopard Mille Miglia, Girrard-Perregaurx Ferrari, Seiko Speedtimer Chronograph, Seiko Bull-Head (buttons on top, angled case), Longines Km/H Tachymeter Chronograph, Roamer Stingray, Le Jour Rallye, Tissot Chronograph PR50, Eberhard & Co. 8 day timer, Oris Chron-Oris Orange Racer,

One of the best for the money is the Seiko Speetimer automatic chronograph from 1969, they come in funky colors and are massive. Some say its the first automatic chonograph even beating Zenith and Cal./Burens Heuer models.

The best place to buy remains ebay and half-dozen vintage watch sites. The Speedtimer Seiko has the fit/finish of a Heuer or Omega of same vintage for about $100. Its huge to at 44mm with a 12 hour register and 60 min register and cool tachymeter bezel.

I own many of above and have links/photos to most of the models or experts on them.

Kayvan

Links/ex:

http://www.onthedash.com/

http://cgi.ebay.com/LONGINES-VINTAGE-STEEL-CHRONOGRAPH-CAL-330_W0QQitemZ270237898405QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item270237898405&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A13&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Rare-Vintage-SEIKO-6138-Blue-Dial-Bezel-21-Jewels-Watch_W0QQitemZ280230302701QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item280230302701&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A16&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-SEIKO-6138-0040-Black-Bull-head-CHRONOGRAPH-NR_W0QQitemZ220238580825QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220238580825&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A16&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://cgi.ebay.com/Large-SEIKO-6138-Automatic-Chronograph-Bracelet-Watch_W0QQitemZ250251583342QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250251583342&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C65%3A16&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

http://shop.joseph-watches.com/joseph/FMPro?-db=gaj.fp5&-lay=web&-format=start.html&-find

http://www.coolvintagewatches.com/

http://www.wannabuyawatch.com/

ps,I wrote a draft magazine story and sent it to the big 3 US watch magazines back in 2001. All responded and promised to do a story; all 3 did the story without me and used much of my draft. Oh well, so much for journalistic integrity; as long as folks collect them.

My daily driver is a the Swatch Slimline, a lot of bang for the buck. Very light weight you don't even know you have it on when your wrenching on your car. My weekend cruiser is a Tag Heuer Monaco. Classic style very reliable, and comfortable in all settings.

I love the old Seikos. Thanks for the little lesson. Maybe it's because it's so over the top, but I dig this one, too. (It's a newer one and, yes, it functions as a slide rule.)

It functions as a slide rule?!?

Yep, Breitling has done slide rule watches, too. You can read about them here:http://forums.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=9103

David, you have good taste! That's a sweet classic Hamilton.

You know I'm not much of a watch guy either, but I picked up a Nixon Scout for $75, It's pretty sweet. Took awhile for me to pick out the right one, they have alot of cool stuff on there..

http://www.nixonnow.com