Reply With QuoteLove the dial. Congrats.
...all the way from the Yoo Kay.
It's an "Antimas". It is 33mm without the crown, very thin at around 4mm, and very light.
Apparently it has a Peseux 320 movement, which was the predecessor to the highly regarded 7001 and was a relatively high-end movement at the time. I have not yet been able to remove the caseback to verify this, it is really pressed in tight! The watch will be going in for a service within the next fortnight, so I'll let the watchmaker deal with that and then take some movement pictures.
The 320 series was introduced around 1950 and the 7001 replaced it around 1969-70, which leaves a rather large 20 year date window. My gut tells me this particular item is late 1950's but I guess I'll never be able to pin it down precisely, unless there are some helpful annotations on the inside of the caseback.
Overall condition is very good. The crystal has both light scratches on the face (easily fixed) and some crazing around the perimeter (not fixable), so I will have a new crystal fitted at the service.
The dial and hands are pristine. I use the word "mint" very sparingly, but this item is as good an example as any I have come across. The tight caseback has clearly made for a very good seal and kept the nasties out. In 2011 "kevkojackhero" sold a variant of this watch which carried art-deco styled numbers rather than batons to "Mark EM" on this forum, but I do not know whether this one succeeded the other or whether they were both available at the same time. Mark EM's example seems to have a signed crown.
The 33mm gold-plate over base metal case is also in excellent condition. There are a few very light imperfections that will buff out. I do not yet know how thick the plating is, but it appears to be of high quality.
The unsigned crown shows some signs of wear but not to the point of requiring replacement.
The leather strap was beginning to perish and I have replaced it with a new one.
There is not a lot of information available with regard to the Antimas brand.
A post on Etsy saysThere is more information here. The company still has a factory in Bienne. It is now a subsidiary of Fossil and makes private label watches.Antima is located in Biel-Bienne, the heart of the Swiss watch industry between Geneva and Zurich. Swiss watch production has no peers, and from its foundation in 1919 Antima has grown up within the vicinity of other famous regional watch companies. Antima and Antimas were trade marks from Karl Antmann (also known as: "Antima" or "Montres Activa" or "Scala Watch") from Bienne. He was active beginning in about 1923 until 1966. Activa (1923), Algir, Antima Uhren (1923), Antimas, City Bravur, Scala, and Utila. All of these brands are very hard to find.
According to Justia.com Antima Montres holds a number of trade marks going back to 1946.
There is more information here. Internet explorer doesn't like the site and throws up a big red security message. I had a look anyway.
Somebody posted a picture of the same model on The Watch Forum in 2010, and in 2011 kevkojakhero obtained one
Here are some close-ups of the front and back:
And of course, on the wrist:
Love the dial. Congrats.
Thats a nice one , great pickup.
Not something you see everyday. Nice and elegant! Enjoy it in good health!
Not my thing but still a nice watch and good info.
Congrats.
The linen effect on the dial in fantastic. Does it look as good in the flesh??
Paul
That's really nice. Nice that you got the box and card too. Really vintage.
Thanks Paul.Originally Posted by Pitch3110
It's not linen, in fact it's not even white.
It's a silver sunburst effect with a translucent pearlescent sheen that changes colour depending on how the light hits the crystal, if that makes any sense.
This picture probably does a better job of explaining what's happening.
I think it's quite cool.
Thanks all.
I don't normally wear a leather strap.
However, a bracelet isn't going to work with this watch. Today I have been goofing around with various tattered watch bands.
Very smart, reminds me of a poljot I picked up a few years ago...keepers!
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