Monday, May 14, 2007

Vintage Watching - 1971 Hamilton Dateline

A solid 18k white gold vintage mechanical Hamilton Dateline TM100B of the early seventies. Featuring bold horizontal hour markers, a solid integral bracelet and most interesting, the date window through the bottom band. -->Link

14k solid yellow gold Dateline TM2903 with date window through case.

Steel version-->Link

A variation of sorts, this is the automatic A-201 in 14k gold-->Link


Click for more Hamilton watches



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Friday, May 11, 2007

Centigraphe Souverain by F. P. Journe


"The Centigraphe Souverain from F.P. Journe. An in-house designed and manufactured fully-integrated chronograph, beating at 21,600 bph AND able to record elapsed time down to a mechanically nanoscopic 1/100 of a second! Combined with the tachometer scales, being able to measure intervals of 1/100th second makes it theoretically possible to time something moving at 360,000 km/hr."

- From Ian Skellern's great post in Horomundi-->Link He also shot the video below showing off the hummingbird paced functions.


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Thursday, May 10, 2007

Victorian 1886 Spy Camera Pocket Watch


An update to my original vintage subminiature spy watch-cameras post (link) the other week with this remarkable find (Thanks to Alex at QP). This 1886 Victorian Lancaster Pocket Watch Camera predates what I thought to be the first camera watch in 1907. It just sold at a Bonhams auction for £18,000

From Bonhams;

The Lancaster Ladies Watch Camera was brought into Bonhams by a gentleman whose grandfather had owned it originally. He was a cabinetmaker at the Birmingham-based firm J. Lancaster & Son, probably working on the many wooden cameras sold by the company. The vendor, consigning several watches to one of Bonhams’ sales, noticed that among his collection was what looked like an ordinary nickel-plated pocket watch case when closed – but when he opened it he discovered that it actually contained a tiny camera inside.

Lionel Hughes, Bonhams’ Camera Specialist, was delighted to come across the piece:
“This is a truly exceptional piece, and the price achieved at Bonhams today reflects this,” he explained. “The Lancaster Watch Camera was patented in October 1886 and made until 1890. Such tiny cameras were the forerunners for the ‘spy’ camera – a mechanism disguised as a different object. However, it would have been very inconvenient to use as four very small catches had to be released in order to remove the glass screen and to fit a separate metal sensitised material holder for each exposure. As a result, the model sadly sold badly and is much rarer than the improved version which came on the market in 1890. The ladies’ pattern is therefore particularly special, and only four original models are known to exist."





Related posts;
Subminiature Spy Watches
1950s Minifon Spy Recorder Watch
James Bond Movie Gadget Watches


Click to see one of my favorite new watches under $200




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Blu Duett


Blu, a relatively new brand with its trademark off-centre displays just introduced their latest model called the Duett. An automatic modified ETA 2892 movement in a large 44mm steel case. The date is displayed in the L of the logo with a tail of past dates incorporated into the design. Hour markers are split into two with a semi-circle on the left and dial engravings on the right.

via Timezone


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Cubism of Ulysse Nardin


I recently found these strange Ulysse Nardin wristwatches from a vintage 1972 advertisement. The forced cubical angles of the "La Bonne Perspective" above -- A geometric Bas-relief of sorts with its faux-exaggerated dimensional form.

And below, the massive steel "Chronometre Unicorne" with case integrated wide bracelet.




I found an auction for the chronometer here-->Link


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Tuesday, May 8, 2007

Vivid Vintage Vulcain


Vulcain, a Swiss brand in existence since 1858 with their claim to fame with the 'Cricket' alarm watches created 90 years later. A relatively traditional brand with conservative styles that extend to today. But along came the sixties and seventies, the magic decades of originality and a playground of strange and wonderful designs from unexpected playmates.

Therefore, I've compiled an exhibit of rare vintage Vulcains of that time.

A 1970s Vulcain Cricket Alarm from the original 1947 mechanical invention inspired by the tiny insect with a big sound. When activated, the alarm ratchet vibrates on your wrist and is surprisingly loud.

An automatic winding vertical jump hour with integral cloth band as part of the watch case itself.

Two models (jump hour digital and analog) with case concealing bands.

A parking meter style jump hour from the 60s

An obscure Vulcain 'Cobra', a hard plastic case curving around the wrist like a snakehead. The top band is soft leather that fits into the solid band on the bottom. Really unusual!

The very strange Vulcain 'Eye'

One of my favorites, an asymmetric model with gradation turquoise/silver dial, a grooved steel case and unusual band that attaches over the top of the case and under at the bottom. Has a very 1960s concept car appearance.

Another variation of the asymmetric style above.

A mod curvex style metal block model

Mystery watch with floating dial/movement

Skeletonized Vulcain

1960s Vulcain Nautical Cricket Diver

And Vulcain today, with (from clockwise), the The Tourbillon Imperial Gong (Link), Golden Voice Classic (Link), Vulcanographe (Link), and the revival 1961 Cricket Nautical (Link).

Related posts;
60's-70's Enicar-->Link
Vintage plastic watches-->Link
Bullhead Chronos-->Link
Jump Hours-->Link

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Saturday, May 5, 2007

1970s Heuer Mappamondo


With my recent Silverstone post, I felt the need to introduce a another obscure vintage (pre-Tag) Heuer. This one is the "Mappamondo" chronograph, fit with a Valjoux 7740 manual winding movement.

One available here and here

Related posts;
Heuer Calculator
Monaco V4
Other chronographs



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1950 Rolex Lipstick Watch



I'm featuring this silver 1950 Rolex 'Etoile' Lipstick Watch for absolutely no good reason-->Link

And another from Cartier circa 1940-->Link

via Antiquorum

Related links;
Omega Ring Watch
Rolex Ring Watch


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Friday, May 4, 2007

Jean Richard Time Square (Square Time)


The new Jean Richard Paramount "Time Square" watch featuring a square hour system based on wheelwork and planetary gears. For complete description of their square rotating hour "asteroid" display, click here.





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Perrelet Titanium Double Rotor


Perrelet's new Titanium Collection. Featuring a double rotor seen from front and back.

Back in 1770, the genius watchmaker Abraham-Louis Perrelet invented the "Perpetuelles" automatic winding movement, the original self-winding concept - the pedometer watch, which had an oscillating weight that moved up and down as one walked, supplying energy to the mainspring in the process. And like most geniuses, his invention wasn't appreciated or even appropriate until a mobile wristwatch could be invented - over a hundred years later!


Original 18th Century Perrelet Perpetuelle

via TimeZone


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