Retro Wristwatches

There's some cool looking stuff in here! Guess I ought to add to it

This is my daily wearer. Don't even take it off to work on the cars so the plastic "crystal" is always getting scratched and gets replaced periodically. I was given it by my father in law a while ago and just cleaned it up and got it going properly. Swiss made, sixties/seventies, good quality movement. Worth = peanuts



This was my Grandfathers and is an Omega from around 1950. The dial had been badly painted at some stage so I stripped it all off. I've seen one for sale at a dealers though and it'd be worth me getting the dial properly restored. I only wear this occasionally, partly because I don't want to wear out the cool stripey fabric strap!



And this is my other watch for special dress up occasions! It was the same grandfather's (who is listed as a watchmaker on my dad's birth certificate late in the second world war). Its actually a really nice, good quality English movement in a simple silver case, hallmarked for 1898. I've given the escapement a clean and polished the case but I don't think its ever been used much so is in a really nice condition.



Don't mean for this to turn into a blatant plug but thought you might be interested in the kind of thing I normally do. Eg. a late Victorian watch with Chronograph and 1/4 repeater* I reckon this watch hadn't been used much but had been stored badly so much of the mechanism was rusty.

Before:



There was a broken spring in the chrono mechanism so I had to make a new one. To give you an idea, the thin section is about 0.3mm thick, tapering to 0.25mm towards the end with the blob on.



After:



The new spring is towards the bottom, going over and around the large steel winding wheel.

Of course that's still quite a new watch in my terms I reckon on something being pre 1800 before I think its old now.

Here's one that's really quite old, quite literally from William III, circa 1698 ( or 309 years ago )





I might be able to help some of you guys out with things but would be best to do it on a one to one basis so feel free to PM.


*This means theres a mechanism that chimes the last 1/4 hour to have past when a button is pressed ie one set of gongs for the hour then a double gong per 1/4 hour. You also get minute repeaters and occasionally other time periods.

80s calculator watch you say... I might get around to taking a photo of mine when I get a chance, a gold casio 'databank'/'telememo' job its awsome.


...I must say tho my ultimate wach would probably be a talkboy

Damn Seth - that's amazing work!

Ooh keep in the loop on that one tig, there's a slava I'm after that I saw on eBay once and was outbid on.

Not a wristwatch but here's something interesting I picked up off Ebay last week as it showed up on my Austin A60 search* and I couldn't resist for a couple of quid! It wasn't running and I was expecting broken parts but it was just a bit gummed up so a short while in the cleaner and its spot on now I actually find this kind of thing quite interesting because of the way its been designed down to a minimum cost but still functions effectively as a timepiece. Anyhow, her it is in all its glory.....





The ribbed tread and pie-crust edge are really nicely done - the blue bit is a rubbery plastic material and the movement is retained in purpose designed plastic housing the presses into the tyre Its not very big and I'm tempted to turn it into a wristwatch but then it might as well find a home in one of the cars.



*The guy sell said it was stuck to the dash of his dad's A60 in the '60s!