Reply With QuoteGorgeous Ambassador. Does it have the micro rotor movement?
My 1960 President Assymetric.
That looks stunning in the sun! £60-£80 you say....Originally Posted by gary1064
Bulova don't seem to get much love, I think the current perception of them is a fashion brand, whereas back in the day they were taken much more seriously. I must admit I don't know much about them. I picked up this Ambassador recently on eBay, typically they seem to go for £60 -80 which isn't a lot really. It runs about 20 secs fast per day, not sure if it's even worth having a service?
Gold plated and a nice striped effect dial...
Looks nice in the sun...
Gorgeous Ambassador. Does it have the micro rotor movement?
My 1960 President Assymetric.
Last edited by bobbee; 16th October 2017 at 21:51.
Purring like a kitten after some Animalone TLC...
I know the Geneve series are not particularly rare, but I got this one for a fair price from the original owner - it was a 21st birthday present so dates to 1971. Original crown and glass, and from what I understand the (original and untouched) blue dial is quite unusual. It keeps great time for a 46 year old!
I know the Geneve series are not particularly rare, but I got this one for a fair price from the original owner - it was a 21st birthday present so dates to 1971. Original crown and glass, and from what I understand the (original and untouched) blue dial is quite unusual. It keeps great time for a 46 year old!
Very nice!
My 1970 example, original signed crystal.
Last edited by bobbee; 18th December 2018 at 22:16.
Last edited by Itsguy; 17th October 2017 at 10:29.
Another affordable, vintage favourite of mine, my Lanco.
This Zenith is my usual 'wear with a suit' watch.
Maybe too fussy for many tastes, but I really like this MOD 7734 Chrono - I can even live with it being Brown!
This Omega's a 'bit' off the beaten track and was reasonably priced next to many other Omegas of the period, you just need to pick the right one.
And if you're not worried about size, the old '50s - '60s Seamasters are great value still.
Not to mention Seiko!
M
Last edited by snowman; 17th October 2017 at 14:53.
Lovely. My number one underrated brand. I've been looking for a nice rose/gold GP for a dressy watch fopr a long time. Kicking myself I missed the gold 1945 that was on SC a couple of years ago.
Absolutely stunning
I have a few vintage gems in the collection. Starting with a well known Omega Geneve, calibre 601 manual wind from 1969:
Moving on to some forgotten names, next up is this GISA Soleure 36mm with applied dial markers. This would have been gold-plated but has worn away to the base metal. Manual wind and currently is not running very well:
Here we have a steel cased 34mm Salvest manual winder. The Salvest name appears to be a long-disappeared German clock and watch maker but I can't find much info. The acrylic crystal is in very good condition for its age. The dial has a very light sunburst-type pattern and applied markers:
This is a 34mm case / 35mm bezel Sea Hunter dive-style watch with a bi-rotating plastic bezel. Gold-plated case with an automatic movement. Early 70s I would guess and running very well. The lume is faint these days but does still glow faintly. I have no idea who the chap on the dial is. Possibly the Sea Hunter?
And lastly a 33mm gold-cased Solo with linen dial and applied markers. It's a bit battered and there’s a crack in the crystal at the six o’ clock position but it makes a nice dress watch and I love the shape of the numerals.
Quite a few of you have pointed out that Avia are certainly an "under the radar" make, the older ones have good movements too.
Here's my Swissonic that shares the movement of many Swiss electronic watches of the period, the ESA 9154.
Another under appreciated make is Roamer.
This Searock is certainly a very good quality watch and equal in build quality to Omegas of the period.
Cheers,
Neil.
Enjoyed this thread, it takes me back to the days when I browsed at antiques fairs and always saw plenty of old watches that weren't expensive.
So, what should a buyer look for? You don't want to end up pouring money into a cheap watch otherwise it ceases to be a cheap watch! If the case is gold plate avoid anything that's battered and worn, although small areas of wear on the end of the lugs doesn't detract significantly if it's very slight. Stainless steel cases are the best bet, but be sure it's SS and not chrome plate........ same comments as for gold plated apply to chrome.
I would always go for a good dial and handset, although reluming hands isn't a problem the watch will never look right if the hands are tarnished badly.
If buying gold cased watches look for badly fitted casebacks and bezels, if they're damaged they can be difficult to fix. Rectangular cushion- cases look substantial but they're actually very thin, look for holes on the corners! Also check gold casebacks for thickness, if an inscription's been polished out the metal can be very thin......... avoid! Certain styles if rolled gold case can easily be mistaken for solid gold; look for hallmarks even if they're too worn to be read. Often a rolled gold ( gold- filled ) case will gave some markings between the lugs that'll indicate it's not solid, it's v. important to determine whether a case is solid gold or not. If the caseback's steel the case isn't solid gold..... fact!
If a watch has a round acrylic crystal don't worry about condition, they're cheap enough to replace. Likewise mineral glass provided there's nothing unique about the design. Rectangular glasses are a different story and may be expensive to replace.
Finally, the movement. Check date mechanisms work, and avoid non- runners. Provided a watch runs, the hands set OK, abnd it winds OK it should be fine after being serviced; always budget on getting a watch serviced. because 99% of the cheap watches for sale need servicing....... that's a fact.
To be worth buying a cheap watch should be in good condition, it should only be cheap by virtue of the unfashionable name or style and not because it's knackered.
Good luck and good hunting!
Paul
I've had some fun when I've dabbled with vintage...
Omega Geneve - back in TZ circulation
NOS Hoga Jumphour Automatic - back in TZ circulation
Fortis Spacematic Pilot Pro - back in TZ circulation
JLC MasterQuartz - Now residing elsewhere on TZ
NOS Zenith Sporto - still here for now
z
A watch made by Glashütte from the GUB era.
Mitch
This little Soviet Восток. NOS from 40+ years ago. It may be too small for me though. What do you guys think?
Nice Seastar Navigator, OP!
had a few myself too;
And this one is still in the box;
Sent from my iPhone using TZ-UK mobile app
A great classic Zenith, and pleasantly similar to a Patek Philippe 3574.
NOS Zenith Sporto - still here for now
Some great examples here. The Tissot Seastar in the original post is lovely.
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