When I was in my first year of university I asked for a watch for Christmas. And I asked for something vintage, something mechanical. I can't remember where I got that idea from, but I now know that wasn't just a one-off desire. Through my childhood I had had a few Casios and one Swatch.
I think I was expecting something early sixtiesish, but my mum got me something much much older - which, with hindsight, knowing her, should have been no surprise. The hallmarked sterling silver case is from the early 1920s, made by Dennison, and the movement is an A Schild that was very common around then. I got an exact ID on it from the amazing people who inhabit the WUS vintage forum, I'll go and search that out.
I wore it throughout my undergraduate years, which means it had a hard life, as there was plenty of falling over going on. At some point, I seem to have stopped wearing it, but I can't remember why. Perhaps it was getting unreliable. Given the abuse it had suffered, it certainly had earned the right to pack in. Anyway, I squirrelled it away in box of odds and ends and it safely moved around me for over fifteen years, without ever once getting unwrapped.
A couple of years ago, having suddenly acquired an armful of mechanical watches out of nowhere, I went in search of it. I'll skip the long boring stories of getting it running again, which only finished last month with my getting it back from Steve at Ryte Time, finally ticking away uninterruptedly.
The case has fixed lugs and being an old watch, the lug width is an imperial one that roughly equates to 17mm. I was musing not very happily somewhere on the forum about the choice of open ended 17mm straps available when TZ UK member animalone suddenly appeared like a cross between a fairy godmother and the shopkeeper from Mr Benn. He works in an AD in Scotland, and thought they could do with ordering in some more custom made straps with less standard specs. Once they had arrived we worked out which one was the one for me, and in return for a contribution to the Fundraiser sent me it, along with the acetone and clamps I would need to make a nice job of fixing the strap to the watch. I'm still kind of dazed by my good fortune!
Right, I think that's covered everything, time for some pictures:
Back in the mid 90s, it didn't really feel like an especially small watch, despite being no more than 30mm across. Now that it's on a strap with a genuine old fashioned air, it seems, despite the massive change in general tastes, to be side-stepping the issue of size, and simply feels right. My having a modest wrist to match is helping, I'm sure ;)
Last edited by Der Amf; 7th September 2018 at 09:33. Reason: Replacing dead photobucket links
Lovely.
I have a similar watch, albeit in not such good condition and with a gold-plated brass case and it's very pleasurable to wear. I've occasionally considered bidding on a solid gold or silver case one on eBay.
The dial, hands, movement and case shape seemed to be remarkably common back in the 20/30s. I presume many manufacturers made parts to those patterns.
Last edited by markrlondon; 15th November 2016 at 11:51.
That's a lovely little thing.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Given the lack of branding, I presume that this must have been put together from very standard ingredients, yes, there's not anything unusual anywhere. This watch seems to combine good examples of them, and it's typical of my mum to have been able to recognise solid quality whilst having having no experience or knowledge to rely on.Originally Posted by markrlondon
Last edited by Der Amf; 15th November 2016 at 12:06. Reason: Forgot quote
Beautiful. I take it the dial been restored?
Great story and a cracking watch too!
F.T.F.A.
No, it's original. If I peer closely at it, there are a couple of hairline cracks. Once there's better daylight I might have a go at a close up of the dial.
Now that is a simply stunning watch.... Your Mother made a very good choice. Classic!
Mike
The accuracy is an awful lot better resting than on the wrist: lying down it gains about a second an hour, worn, it loses about 4 seconds each hour. These balance out tolerably well :) My guess is that the lack of shock protection has something to do with that?
Indeed. Can only congratulate, having a mother with such impeccable taste.
Looks great - Hope it leads to many more years of falling over!
Fortunately, I've gone from one extreme to the other. Back then I was permanently pissed, these days a couple of pints a week is the average.
LOL... thanks for that, I think
The watch is looking good though
Last edited by Der Amf; 7th September 2018 at 09:35. Reason: Replacing dead photo bucket link
Very nice. Like the hands particularly. We love our Mums!
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Great thread and an interesting watch.
It's threads like this that make me come back here most days, not the 'look at my new Rolex Submariner (insert ubiquitous watch of choice if you prefer) which looks like all the others' ones.
M.
Good read/post , enjoyed it very much .
Very nice and the strap is great. I've been watching a similar one on eBay for about 3 months (keeps getting relisted), I think that has a Dennison case.
Did you consider reluming the hands? Just interested.
Not for a second ;)
Either garish new lume blaring out over a gently aged dial, or faux lume trying to pretend that ageing can be reduced to a single shade. Bleah. No, the watch shed its unstable element long ago, and is quite content as it is, softly burnished.
Lume-free certainly reveals the elegance of the hands.
That is really rather splendid.
The movement it an AS 554 in its 15 jewel guise (also available with 6 or 7) Can only find this rather dismal photo of it:
Really nice watch, and a nice story.
Thanks for sharing it.
Best regards,
S
Those porcelain dials really last with the exception of the odd hairline and don't suffer with patination as the more modern painted ones do.
Personally I would have the hands lumed in an aged finish. Those squelette style hands are designed for filling.
Cheers,
Neil.
Lovely little watch and a nice story as well.
Enjoyed the post.
Vintage and small aren't usually my thing but that really is lovely!
Nice back story too, thanks for sharing.
Porcelain. That was the term I was looking for. The only one I could find in my head for enamel, but I knew that wasn't right. Porcelain. Thank you.
I don't know how much of the tone of the watch comes across on the photos, but putting brand new lume onto it, no matter what colour, would destroy that tone. All the elements have aged at the same rate, I'm very fortunate that it looks so well balanced.
It's not that I'm automatically opposed to reluming - I've a Longines whose T lume looks horribly discoloured, while everything else on the dial looks extremely fresh. When that gets serviced, I'll have it relumed. Given how good the rest of it is, I won't even need faux aged lume, nice fresh white or whatever will look best. But here it would just ruin the air of slow steady ageing. The hands may have been designed for filling, but they aren't suffering from a lack of utility by being left unfilled. The minute hand points at the minutes, the hour hand points at the hours, that's quite enough.
Yeah, it's the exception that proves the rule, not something that makes you think, "aha, all my watches should be 30mm!"
Lovely watch. Mum did well there.
I enjoyed reading that
What a beautiful watch. It looks just right on your wrist
Threads like this are great, thanks
That is a sharp looking watch!
What a beautiful watch - your mother had great taste!
Thanks for sharing it.
That is really rather wonderful and a great story also. Thanks for sharing it and the pictures. I especially like the depth the enamel dial gives that you just don't seem to get in any other way.
Think you did well to avoid lume personally
M
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Breitling Cosmonaute 809 - What's not to like?
Lovely thing! Leave it be...
ktmog6uk
marchingontogether!
Great read and a beautiful watch, thanks for sharing!
Very nice but I am a sucker for a cushion shape timepiece. Good to know you are wearing it again
I've been doing some googling of similar watches, and I've noticed that those that have dials similar to mine never have lumed hands:
Those watches that do have lumed hands have dials that can also be painted with lume:
I also found a photo of a pile of unused skeleton cathedral hands:
Until I find examples to contradict me, I'm going to assume that this watch never had lumed hands (but that it's possible these weren't the original hands)
I found a dealer with stock of similar watches to this. The very upper end for a solid silver Dennison cushion case with a 15 jewel Swiss movement seems to be £250.
Great research. That makes a lot of sense to me (and is consistent with the one I've been looking at). So they would have been squelette hands from the outset.
Lovely watch and great history. To echo many others, "Mum chose well".
Love the idea of a silver watch, really wanted the CAF (PRS-9) to be silver but Eddie decided against.
I'm sure you'll continue to love it.
I really didn't expect this, but I've found I've worn it four of these last seven days (having to return a new arrival helped) I'm sure the excellent strap has quite a lot to do with that too.
What really surprises me is that now its on a proper strap I don't feel myself making any allowances for it. I know I've a below-average wrist, but this things only 30mm across, and yet it feels just fine. Silver really does *feel* good though - warm and smooth and gently curving away.
Great post. Love this reference.
Could you tell us all about this strap I'm enjoying? I can tell it's better than the stuff I usually get myself, but that's about it.....
Lovely watch - it must feel great wearing it again
Thanks for sharing
ATB
Jon
Stunning watch, I'm a sucker for a nice cushion case too. I love that double-sunk dial, points to a better quality watch.
Here is my Dennison cased Record watch, circa early 1930's with a Dennison "METEOR" case.
Cheers, Bob.
Great story and thanks for posting.
Is it just me or does the hour hand look like ba11s? Sorry, no disrespect meant.
(Someone nudge me if I'm supposed to laugh at this point)
You should see a doctor
The strap is by a German company called Kaufmann who make many of the straps for brands like IWC, A.Lange & Sohne.
The skin is ostrich leg, which I thought would look good with the retroness (if that is a proper word?) of your watch, it looks like the lizard straps but the scale pattern is a bit bigger and less uniform.
Glad you are enjoying wearing it, nice job sticking the strap down yourself
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