Timex Mickey Mouse, Vintage 1971

A few weeks ago, I was thinking, what am I really missing in my collection?  Two watches sprung to mind, a small seconds watch and a Mickey Mouse watch.  As fate would have it, my most recent visit to my favorite antique store (my secret) yielded both!  What we have here is a Timex Mickey Mouse watch from 1971.  Before 1971, they were sold as Ingersol watches, but for just one year, they were sold as Timex watches.   Bradley bought the rights after that, so this is a pretty unique piece.  I found it on the original strap as well!

The watch itself is a wonderful, classic Mickey Mouse watch.  The Mickey Mouse image is what most people think about when they think of him, drawn in the style of the 1950′s through 1970′s .  The colors/printing is a perfect shape.  The dial is a pearl looking metallic finish with simple, Arabic markers.  The bottom of the dial is marked Walt Disney Productions.  The hour and minute hands are Mickey’s arms, obviously.  They end is large, cartoon hands, which are surprisingly easy to read.  All the printing and cutting is done very well.  The seconds hand is a simple, chrome plated stick and works well, by not distracting from the overall motif.  I like how the watch is whimsical, but still practical, since the hour markers are printed in front of, not behind Mickey.  The minute markers are simple lines.

The case is base metal with a thick chrome plating.  The plating is in very good shape, with only a few, small dings.  The crown is unsigned, but still has most of the original chrome plating.  The case back is stainless steel and has the typical markings of an early 70′s Timex.  It has 18mm lugs, which makes it easy to find bands for it.  The movement is an unremarkable Timex 22, hand wind only, with no date.  A dirt simple, but reliable pin lever movement.  Accuracy is about +/- 30 seconds a day.  Nothing wonderful, but very typical of this vintage and quality of watch.  With Mickey’s cartoon hands, you really don’t mind being a minute off.

Overall, I really love this watch.  It was found in all original condition and in great shape.  I was tempted to sell this watch, but I really like wearing it.  I removed the original band (and saved it for posterity/resale) and replaced it with a carbon fiber band.  It looks surprisingly good on such a modern material and it makes the black printing really pop on the dial.  I know this watch is worth 4 to 8 times more than I paid for it, but, for now, it is a keeper and helps round out my collection perfectly.

Features:

Case: 36mm, base metal with chrome plating.

Back: Stainless, Marked Water Resistant, Resistant, Chrome plate over base metal.

Crystal: Acrylic with a light dome.

Movement: Hand winding only, Timex no-jewel pin lever escapement. Caliber 22, 18000 BPH.

Complications: None.

Other: Currently on carbon fiber band.

Vintage Waltham, Small Seconds

When going to my usual antique store for vintage watches, the owner said he had a new shipment for me.  Did he ever!  I picked up two watches.  This was the first I pulled out the bucket.  A stunning, blue, Waltham watch, with small seconds.  I really wanted a small seconds watch in my collection, and I finally have one.  It is made in France and I have not had the heart to open up the back to see what makes it tick.  Whatever is beating back there is accurate as hell.  After 3 days, it was dead on!  Not even my new Seiko automatics can boast that.

The face is a blue, radial sunburst pattern.  The applied markers are crystals/cut glass.  The bezel is very small, so even though this watch is just 36mm or so across, it looks much larger.  The hands are very long, with the minute hand almost touching the bezel. The tiny seconds hand moves smoothly across the sub-dial and does not stop and start like some sub-seconds watches.  The crystal is a lightly domed acrylic with very few scratches.

The case is base metal with a stainless steel back. 36mm in diameter and 7mm thick, with the crystal.   The crown is signed (W) and turns easily.  The movement is a low beat, but very accurate.  The lugs are typical 50′s to 60′ at 17mm.  The age of the watch is unknown and I have not really been able to find a comparable piece online.  I put the watch on a black, alligator grain, patent leather band.  I think it is very appropriate for the watch.

Overall, the watch is stunning on the wrist and very comfortable to wear.  It is very thin (most hand wind only watches are) and looks like it was a pretty pricey watch when it was new.  It reminds me of  Omega DeVille small seconds.  It was a great find and is an excellent change of pace from typical, gold or silver face vintage pieces.

Case: 36mm, base metal with chrome plating.

Back: Stainless, Marked Waltham, Water Resistant, Shock Resistant.

Crystal: Acrylic with a light dome.

Movement: Hand wound Waltham, 18,000 BPH,  small seconds.

Complications: None.

Other: Currently on alligator grain leather band.

As a teaser, 3 new watch reviews are coming, 2 Timex’s and  Waltham.

Vintage Caravelle, Hand Wind

aWhat we have here is a simple, hand wound Caravelle watch (by Bulova) made in 1969.  It has a 7 or 17 jewel (probably 17) Citizen made movement.  It is a Japan made watch, with Ttritium painted dial.  The dial is a subtle, satin finish with Arabic markers.  The hands are simple sticks, tipped with luminous material.  It is a Japan made watch.  At the time, Bulova was trying compete head to head with Timex for the entry level watch market.  In fact, this particular watch was originally $9.95, just like Timex.  Unlike Timex, this is a partially or fully jeweled movement, not a pin lever movement like Timex’s.  The case is quite small at just over 33mm with 17mm lugs.  I put it on a jubilee bracelet to give it a 60′s Rolex look.  It works quite well.

Overall, I do like this watch.  It winds easily and keeps excellent time, running about +10 seconds a day, a tribute to Japanese watch makers.

Features:

Case: 33mm, base metal with chrome plating.

Back: Stainless, Marked Caravelle, Water Resistant, Shock Resistant, Anti-Magnetic, Base metal Bezel, Stainless Steel Back.

Crystal: Acrylic with a light dome.

Movement: Hand wound Citizen, Caliber DP11, 7 or 17 jewels, I have not opened the case.

Complications: None.

Other: Currently on stainless Jubilee bracelet.

Review Timex 46150 from 1973

As part of my expanding vintage watch collection, I have added a Timex Automatic watch from 1973. It has a nice mid seventies look to it, complete with pillow shaped case and abstract styling. The dial is a gray metallic with ‘H’ shaped markers with a splash of red on the cross part of the ‘H’. It has no day feature. The hands are stick with a wide, easy to see black stripe going down the center of the hour and minute hands. The case is 34mm diameter without and 36mm diameter with the crown, but it looks larger than it is due to the pillow shaped case. The lugs are 19mm. Movement wise, it is an ordinary 31 movement from 1973. Automatic with hand winding, no date. The power reserve is quite impressive so far, with lasting over 2 days in the watch box before stopping. This indicates a movement in very good shape, since it is accurate and has a long reserve. When movements need service they will run fast (counter-intuitively) and have poor power reserve.

Overall, I am very happy with this watch. It is attractive and contemporary looking without having too much seventies funk. The watch was probably worn rarely, since the crown has little wear and the watch is in overall excellent shape, with no wear through on the plating. I currently have it on a military style nylon strap, which brings a little more color and character to the watch.

Features:

Case: 34mm, base metal with chrome plating.

Back: Stainless, Marked Water Resistant, Self-Winding, Dust Resistant,CHR plate over base metal.

Crystal: Acrylic with a light dome.

Movement: Automatic with hand winding, Timex no-jewel pin lever escapement. Caliber 32, 18000 BPH.

Complications: None.

Other: Currently on nylon band.

Lucerne De Luxe Diver’s Style

Picked this watch with 2 others as part of my ongoing vintage watch collecting.  It looks like an 70′s style ‘Diver’s’ watch.  It in no way is actually a diver’s watch, since it is not waterproof.  It has a very easy to read dial with huge, luminous markers and hands.  The case is submariner style with a modern 37mm diameter and 18mm lugs.  The plating over the base metal is in excellent shape.  I had to buff out some pretty deep scratches in the crystal and refresh the markers on the bezel, but overall, it is in pretty good shape.  The wear adds some character to the watch as well.  The crown is large and easy to turn.  Accuracy is acceptable, running about +30 a day.

The Lucerne has a 1 (one) jewel Swiss movement, the Baumgartner 866 aka BFG 866. Apparently these were very popular movements for fashion watches back in the 60’s and 70’s that wanted to say Swiss Movement, but wanted to keep the cost down. It is a low beat, pin lever with a single jewel on the balance wheel. The photo above is not my actual movement, but looking inside revealed the exact same movement and a name Basis ZZ. Don’t know what that means, but that is what it was stamped. It was also immaculate, which is pretty remarkable the watch is only dustproof.

Overall, I think I got a great deal and good beater watch with unique looks.  It is a very easy watch to read, and with only one jewel, pretty much shock proof.  I enjoyed

Features:
Case: 37mm, base metal with nickel plate? Dustproof.
Back: Stainless Steel, screw on, Marked Stainless, Dustproof.
Crystal: Acrylic, minimally domed.
Movement: Hand wind,  1 Jewel, Baumgartner 866 aka BFG 866, unbreakable mainspring, 18000 BPH.
Complications: Date, rotating bezel.
Other: Currently on leather band, luminous hands and markers.

Went to a local vintage store (my secret) and picked up 3 new watches!

Above is a quick and dirty ‘before’ shot of them.  From left to right, a Caravelle hand wound watch from 1969, then a Timex Automatic from 1973, and finally a Lucerne De Luxe from some unknown time, probably late 60′s to mid 70′s.

They all need bands, but relatively polishing of crystal and cleaning.  All run and  keep good time.

Movement wise, this is what I have found so far:

The Caravelle has a Citizen DP11 17 jewel hand wind movement.  The photos is not my own, but from an identical watch sold on ebay.

The Timex is a simple, no jewel, pin lever watch, 31 series, from 1973.  Identical to my other Timex, sans the date feature.

The Lucerne has a 1 (one) jewel Swiss movement, the Baumgartner 866 aka BFG 866.   Apparently these were very popular movements for fashion watches back in the 60′s and 70′s that wanted to say Swiss Movement, but wanted to keep the cost down. It is a low beat, pin lever with a single jewel on the balance wheel.   Again, this is not my actual movement, but looking inside revealed the exact same movement and a name Basis ZZ.  Don’t know what that means, but that is what it was stamped.  It was also immaculate, which is pretty remarkable the watch is only dustproof.

Got a nice score from a funky antique shop today, a Gruen hand wind dress watch!

This is the untouched watch, with a wonderful linen pattern dial.  It is a 17 jewel Swiss made hand wind movement, cased in base metal is 10 micron gold plate.  The crystal is in excellent condition, with very minor scratches, barely worth buffing out.  Temporarily, I have it on a Fossil leather band, but I think will pick up a reptile or crocodile band for it.

So far, the watch is keeping excellent time.  Opening the back did not reveal any time stamp or indication it was made, but my bet is no later than the mid 60′s, so this is watch is probably 50 years old.  Pretty amazing to see a 50 year old piece of machinery still working like it was designed to do.  The watch is 35mm in diameter with 17mm lugs.  Overall, I am very happy with this watch and I will post a full review once I get a chance.

Update:  The Gruen is now on a brand new Hadley Roma genuine lizard watch band.  I think it is very appropriate for this vintage of watch.

You know what is fun, really does not cost money, and is watch related at the same time?  Collecting watch catalogs!

All you really need to do is dress decently and carry yourself with some confidence and live close to some high end retailers, and you too can collect some watch catalogs.  There are some really beautiful pieces in these catalogs.  With the exception of Swatch, I don’t think I would want to pay for any of them

First off we have the Swatch catalog. It is a pretty strait forward affair with minimal text and a soft cover. There are some fluff photos, see above, but the photos are well taken, especially for the newest pieces. The core collection has much smaller photos, but at least the catalog is pretty complete. If it is in the store, it is probably in this catalog. It was offered freely at the Swatch store in Oak Brook. That reminds me, time to pick up a Spring/Summer 2010 catalog one of these days.

How it was acquired:  Picked up at the Swatch store, Oakbrook, IL.  Freely available on counter.

Next up, we have Omega catalog. It is also a soft bound affair, but printed very well. Most photos are true to real size, so it makes guesstimating how the watch will look on your wrist pretty easy. There are some fluff celebrity photos and some explanation text explaining Omega and the movements they use. The speedmaster is my personal favorite, followed by the new professional divers.

How it was acquired:  Freely available on table in entrance at Merry Richards Jewelers, Oakbrook, IL.

Next we have a really stunning quality catalog from Mont Blanc. You usually don’t think of Mont Blanc for watches, but they have some decent pieces, at prices that are very competitive. The catalog is hard bound and looks like a quality coffee table book. The photos are well taken, but most are not true to size.  There is some text detailing the manufacture and design of their pieces.  Thankfully, there are no celebrities in there either, which is probably why their time pieces cost thousands less than the competition.

How it was acquired:   Offered by sales person at Mont Blanc store, Oakbrook, IL.

Weighing in at around 200 pages we have the Breitling catalog.  Slickly produced with amazing photos, I am still surprised they don’t charge for their catalogs.  The book, I mean catalog, details the entire history of Breitling.  Their complete line is included in this thick tome.  I sure hope most of the photos are larger than real life, otherwise these are some seriously large timepieces.  About half the catalog is photos of aircraft, tying their history to the history of flight.  It takes a couple of days to get through this catalog.

How it was acquired:  Offered by sales person at Baily, Banks, and Biddle, Oak Brook, IL.  (Store out of business).

Finally, we have the Piaget Polo 45 catalog, well, more of a pamphlet at about 8 pages long.  The photos are well taken and the watches are unique looking, without being gaudy.  Only four models are detailed in this Forty Five catalog (45mm watches).  The text deals entirely with the features of the watches, so no fluff in here.

How it was acquired:  Freely available on table in entrance at Merry Richards Jewelers, Oakbrook, IL.

So, head on down to your local, high end jewelry store and you may be able to snag a few catalogs yourself.  I had a few Rolex catalogs, but they were more fluff than substance.  They look like golf or sailing magazines, but they are actually 100 page long Rolex ads.  The key is, don’t be pushy and don’t look like a slob, and act like you are interested.  Maybe, some day, you may actually pick up one of their time pieces.

All photos are copyright of their respective owners.  Used to review purposes only.

I don’t usually look at vintage pieces, but this one is just calling me:

It is a Seiko 6138-8020 “panda’ automatic chronograph.  It has nice, clean lines, a 12 hour chronograph and day and date.  To get these features in a new watch would cost you thousands.  On e-bay, examples are going for less than $500.  It looks really sharp on a leather band with white stitching.  It is 40mm across as well, so a modern, but not too big size.  I really like the 6138 movement.  It is as good or better than any modern movement.