Watches For Sale!

I have decided to sell most of my collection, not because I am in need of funds but simply to allow me to concentrate on one specific target: Citizen, Seiko and Orient stylish watches (no divers or military items) from the 1960's and 1970's, with a preference for hand-wound items.

"Why not put them on eBay or on one of the watch-specific forums?", I hear you say.
Well, the answer is because on eBay there is a fee charged for listing and then for a sale. Those fees have to be taken into account when determining a fair price. On watch-specific forums I would be reaching only those who are dedicated watch collectors.
Creating a specific web-page opens the sale up to a wider audience through the use of search engines.

Here is a link to the page, Watches For Sale.

The America's Cup - 1992 & 1995.

Several watch companies have produced special editions associated with the America's Cup yacht-racing extravaganzas over the past couple of decades. Omega comes to mind and also Girrard-Perregaux, TAG-Heuer and, in this instance, possibly the first of them, Citizen.

For longer than I like to admit I was a mad America's Cup enthusiast, commencing with the first Australian Challenge back in 1962 with Gretel. From that moment, until the demise of the 12-Metre class after the 1987 event in Perth, I was hooked.
Once rampant commercialism entered the arena I turned off and today I have almost zero interest in what, to my mind, has become a travesty of what its original Deed of Gift intended.

Anyway......this fascination with the 'Cup recently expanded to include watches, but the prices being asked for Omega, Girrard-Perregaux et al were just overwhelming for me.
However, a little bit of research came up with the fact that, for 1992 and then as a re-issue for 1995, Citizen produced a marvellous example specifically designed for the yacht-racer in general and the America's Cup aficionado in particular.
Within the space of two months I was lucky in securing two examples of this rarely-seen watch, each at opposite ends of the scale insofar as wear & tear was concerned.

The first, (seen immediately below) and marketed for the 1992 challenge, had been a favourite of some previous owner. It had lived a useful life, perhaps seeing many wrist-hours on the water being used to time starting countdowns. Or maybe it simply adorned the wrist of an office-worker on a daily basis for many years. Who knows?


It came without its original stainless steel bracelet, being mounted on a rubber strap, albeit one that was designed for the yacht-racer in mind.



There was no other accompanying paraphernalia - no box, no documentation. Just the watch.
It works beautifully, keeping accurate time. The only function that I cannot activate is the alarm. Other than that, it works as intended and is an excellent example of a well-loved watch, now more than 16 years old.

The second example was marketed for the 1995 America's Cup defence and is identical to it's older sibling.



I get the impression that any 1992 models not distributed by Citizen were simply re-packaged for the 1995 event. Smart move by the company.
This one is the complete, pristine, unworn package.



The watch wears its untouched and un-sized original bracelet. It is packaged in its original boxes and the ensemble includes the original documentation.


It is a superb example of the type and one that I intend on keeping along with my other America's Cup memorabilia.

(If you are interested in the first one, just drop me a note.)

A lovely old Orient - circa early 1960's

This charming period-piece hails from the 1960's but I cannot determine the exact year of manufacture as the watch is bare of any such information. The case-back simply displays "ORIENT" and the serial number; and Orient serial numbers have no connections (apparently) to year or month, as do Seiko watches.
The dial says "ORIENT" and then the name of the model, being "Fineness", under which is "17 Jewels".

Dial is unmarked, being finished in what appears to be a very fine creamy-gold textile pattern when viewed under magnification and when matched to the slim gold hour indices and slim black hour and minute hands, it presents a beautiful face, very delicate and extremely stylish.

Like most watches of the 1960's this old girl is small by comparison with the humongous devices marketed today and the dial is a mere 31.0 mm across, with the slim gold rim adding only 3.0 mm to the width. The projecting crown is 1.5 mm in section.
Thickness of the watch, from top of crystal to back of case, is a thin 7.5 mm.

When I received the Fineness (early May this year) I gave it 25 winds and it ran for 40 hours, keeping perfect time for that duration, the ticking of the movement clearly audible when held to the ear, unlike many automatic watches made today.
The movement is in beautiful condition, with no signs of corrosion or other deterioration and it beats away at about 180 bpm, perfectly happy with its lot in life.


The case is gold-filled, with a stainless-steel snap-on back and it sports a slim, supple black leather watch-band with gold buckle, matching the style and period just nicely.

A really lovely watch which gets its share of wear on those occasions when a coat and tie is called for.

Old Gold restoration.........update.

Within the past week I have enquired about three types of refinishing for the watch case and bracelet:-

• Gold plating (as per the original finish)
• PVD
• Powder coating

I also considered anodising but quickly learned through a bit of preliminary research that brass (the watch case) cannot be anodised.
The PVD route is not possible either - not because the application can't be done to what I have but because the cost for a "one-off" is too high and also because there is no-one here in my area who can do it.

So I thought about a powder coating as an alternative to anodising and PVD.
It's practical, it can be done locally, it is reasonably inexpensive and the choice of colours is broad. But.....I would have to disassemble the bracelet completely - break it down to it's individual components so as to avoid any likelihood of having the coating affect the flexibility of the bracelet.

The decision, therefore, is to go to gold-plating and to reproduce the original coating, albeit this time in 24- carat. (That is the only plating they do......24 carat. The original is 9ct).
Cost to undertake this is AUS$120.

The only thing I need do is remove the stainless-steel clasp (already done), as the plating will not properly adhere to stainless-steel and could cause uneven plating on the bracelet and the case.
At this time I have also polished the brass case to a smooth and relatively blemish-free surface. The bracelet (base metal) will be chemically cleaned by the plater.

The question is - is the cost worth it for a 1970's-style Seiko of somewhat kitchy styling?
Well, like all hobbies, value is in the eye of the user, I s'pose.
There is no way I would ever expect to recover the cost of refurbishing this old dear if I ever came to sell it but then that isn't really the intention behind an interest or hobby, is it?

I think it will be nice to see Madam 1973 back in all her finery!

UPDATE - 13th. July
Another option has entered the arena - black chrome.
Thanks to a chap in Melbourne who is investigating this option for one of his watches, I am now looking at this as a possible alternative.

Restoring Old Gold: a Seiko 6119 needing a spruce-up.

This 1973 gold-tone-encased Seiko, with a 6119 21-jewel movement, was received in exchange for a Bell-matic that was surplus to my requirements.
As you can see from the photos (click on them for larger views) the plating has seen better days - much better days - and whilst running perfectly fine, this great example of 70's watch-styling looks rather tatty......like an over-the-hill Hollywood actress who doesn't know when to call it quits.
So I thought I'd have a shot at stripping it (the watch, not the actress) and see if I could get the case and bracelet re-plated.

The chap from whom I received the watch had advised that he'd never had the back off as he couldn't undo it with his "magic ball" and even with an appropriate tool I found it very difficult; that back must have been screwed on with a rattle-gun (used for car wheels).
But off it finally came, revealing a clean and corrosion-free movement.

There was no sign inside the case-back of the watch ever being serviced - watchmaker's usually leave some indication scratched inside the back-plate, but there is nothing in this case. (No pun intended).

With the movement exposed I then removed the crown & stem before popping the mechanism out and inspecting the dial for wear and tear.

This is in almost immaculate condition, with the only signs of aging being slight deterioration of the metal on the hour & minute hands and the framing of the day/date window.
In all other respects the dial, script, indices and minute markings are in fabulous shape, the aqua colours being bright and unblemished.

The crystal was finally removed and inspected and apart from external surface scratches - only to be expected on a 36-year old watch - the item is unmarked and undamaged. This is the original crystal, with the distinctive triple-facet design running vertically on the oval face. You can see the effect in the first photograph - there is a vertical line which just touches the inside of the 2, 3 and 4 indices. There is a corresponding line on the left-hand side of the crystal.

The final stage of disassembly was to remove the crystal retaining ring from inside the case and then the two bracelet halves.

With the watch now completely broken down into its component parts I will be making some enquiries this week regarding re-plating and hopefully the old girl will once again have a case and bracelet worthy of that magnificent face. Stay tuned.

Bulova's Accutron "Breckenridge".

(Sony DSC-F717 digital)
At the outset let me say that the current "Accutron" label has no connection with Bulova's patented electronic "tuning fork" technology of the 1960's. The only relationship is in the name and the logo.
The watch seen here - the Breckenridge - sports both (as can be seen on the dial).
However, behind that curved sapphire window and carbon-fibre pattern is a modern, Swiss-made, quartz chronograph movement.

The visible stand-out features of this watch include the curved crystal, the distinctive dial, the thickness and heftiness of the case and the tear-drop-shaped press buttons for the various functions.

Make no mistake about it - this is a solid chunk of stainless steel hanging off your wrist - the heavyweight case is matched by an equally hefty 20mm bracelet made of solid links and held together by a butterfly clasp, the whole assembly capable of anchoring the QE2.
If the Breckenridge fell into the wrong hands it could become a lethal weapon. I'd hate to get hit by it!

Yet appearances can be deceptive. This is a very comfortable watch to wear because its case has a maximum diameter of 40mm, including the crown. Thickness is 13mm.


(Sony DSC-F717 digital)

Functions include.....

Chronograph with 1/100th second accuracy; three sub-dials - for 60-seconds, 30-minutes and 12-hours; digital alarm; digital date; dual time (or second zone) feature; water resistant to 100 metres.

In addition, if you live in the USA and buy from a Bulova dealer, there is a 5-year warranty.

I was really smitten by this watch when I first saw it. I love the design of the face - not just the dial but the whole face - what you see when you look down at it......the bezel, the crown, the buttons......everything.
It is far, FAR more appealing than any "diver".

As well as looking great the watch also keeps excellent time. I haven't adjusted it since originally setting the time after it arrived from the USA just over a month ago and it is running within 30 seconds of actual AEST.

I was very fortunate in being able to buy this watch for much less than what you will see touted around the internet. My Breckenridge was less than AUS$200 and I consider it worth every cent - a worthy descendant of the Accutrons of 40 years ago.

Footnote:
I assume that the name "Breckenridge" comes from the town in Colorado, USA, as I can find no other connection.

Another 1980's Digital

FOR SALE
A133A-5000 from 1988. Excellent condition.
AUS$130.00 incl. postage.

This is my third digital watch (see an earlier post which featured the other two) and is certainly the most pristine of the bunch.
When I bought it (April this year - from Spain) it was working but two functions were intermittent - the light and the alarm.
So I took it to my friendly watchmaker to see if he could do anything for it and he did a fix to the little circuit board which seemed to cure the dual problems but, after a couple of days, the same malfunctions reoccurred.


At that point he hunted through his old stock of spare Seiko parts and, Lo! and Behold! - found an NOS board, including the LCD display! (This watch uses the A133-5000 module).

So now the watch - manufactured in July 1988 - is functioning exactly as intended and is looking superb with its fresh and bright LCD display, unscratched crystal and immaculate case with original bracelet.
It is hard to believe that it is now over 20 years old.

I don't wear it, to be honest - it's too nice to risk damaging.
But it is used: it sits on the desk here in my study at home and acts as a point of reference when I wish to set the correct time on any of my other old manual or automatic watches. The watch is very accurate, gaining less than 30 seconds in a fortnight, which is good enough for me!