Step into Time
Shop online and explore our collection of hand selected vintage watches from 1960-1989
Experience the last era of high quality mechanical watches with trendy, funky designs and all selected from the private collection of a watch aficionado.
Affordable dresswatches which will make you stand out from the crowd because they are directly imported from Japan and many are
JDM : Japanese Domestic Watches
Experience Timeless Elegance
Welcome to our watch shop, where we showcase a curated collection of vintage watches from the last era of high-quality mechanical timepieces. Our team is passionate about horology and has sourced these trendy and funky designs from the private collection of a watch aficionado. Discover unique timepieces from the 1960s and 1970s that exude timeless elegance and craftsmanship. Most of our watches are imported from Japan and are all checked for their originality. We all also check them on a timegrapher and adjust them to make them run on time. But they are vintage and to keep the prices affordable we don not overhaul them ourselves. Also be aware that the prices are without your countries VAT or cost of imports.
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History of Seiko
Founder Seiko Kintaro Hattori 1860-1934
Seikasha factory 1897
The first wristwatch
The Laurel 1913
Seikosha Railroad watch
The Wako Clock Tower
Kintarõ Hattori was born in 1860 to a well-established family of antique dealers and at the age of thirteen began his apprenticeship and internship at the Kameda Clock shop.In 1877 he opened up his own Hattori Clock repairshop at Ginza area in Tokyo at the age of 21 and started trading with Swiss watch companies and wholesaling and importing these watches.In 1892 he established his own factory and called it : Seikosha Factory to express his strong commitment to introducing “Seiko” (a Japanese word for precise) products to compete with the quality clocks manufactured in the West.
Seikosha Factory adopted a system of vertically integrated production to combine all stages of production from all parts making to assembly, turning away from the system of horizontally divided production adopted by the mainstream Swiss and Japanese manufacturers. Integrated production was the fastest route to achieve “precise and quality timepiece making” with “shortened development periods.”
In 1899, Kintaro Hattori took his first journey to the West to study timepiece factories and purchase new steam engines and large troves of the most advanced machine tools. Upon his return he refurbished the Seikosha Factory and commenced mass production for the first time.
Kintaro tried to catch up with the advanced Western countries by ambitiously producing "precise products of quality" of many different varieties, starting with a wall clock in 1892. He rapidly commercialized the Timekeeper pocket watch in 1895, the third year from the establishment of Seikosha. Next came an alarm clock in 1899 (the seventh year of operation),a pocket watch called the Excellent in 1902.
The outbreak of the Russo-Japanese war in 1904 mandated Seikosha Factory to engage in the production of fuses for shells and other military items. The transfer of military know-how for machining promoted the technical advancement of Seikosha Factory and the development of methods for mass production.
Four years later, in 1908, the self-developed “automatic pinion lathe” dramatically raised the productivity of the pinions, a bottleneck in pocket watch production.
The Laurel, Japan’s first wristwatch, was an epoch-making product for the far less developed Japanese timepiece industry. This watch brought Japan closer to the advanced watch makers of the West when the mass production of wristwatches launched in around 1910. Demand for the wristwatch skyrocketed after the outbreak of World War I in 1914, proving Kintaro’s perfect timing for the launch of the Laurel, as well as his foresight and speedy management.
Downsizing to the “12 ligne” size (φ26.65mm) was tremendously difficult given the technological level and production equipment available in those days. The work to downsize accelerated the advancement of design and microfabrication techniques and the development of machine tools.
The outbreak of World War I a year later in 1914 generated a new demand for wristwatches all around the world. By great coincidence, the Laurel was commercialized on a perfect occasion.
In 1924, the first post-earthquake year, a new brand called Seiko was born. By launching Seiko, Kintaro Hattori hoped to go back to the founding spirit to to 'produce Seiko = precise timepieces'
The Seikosha pocket watch was certified as Japan’s official railroad watch in 1929. Japan’s railroad company launched in 1872 had long used railroad watches from the West. By choosing Seikosha as the most accurate and reliable railroad watch available, the railroad gave Seiko confidence. At last Kintaro Hattori’s company was catching up with its Western competitors in the timepiece industry
Stagnation and contraction during World War II
In 1937, Seikosha Factory divided its watch section to establish Daini Seikosha (in Kameido, Tokyo), a new firm dedicated to the enhanced production of watches.
World events interfered. The consecutive outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War in 1937, World War II in 1939, and the Pacific War in 1941 forced both Seikosha Factory and Daini Seikosha to shift to full-fledged production for the war effort. The production of watches and clocks for civilians was reduced year by year and virtually suspended by the end of war in 1945.
Daini Seikosha (Kameido factory) was devastated by war damage. Production had to be restarted in evacuation factories located in Kiryu (in Gunma prefecture), Toyama, Sendai, and Suwa (in Nagano prefecture). At the end of 1949, all these evacuation factories but Suwa were shut down to redirect resources to the restoration of the Kameido factory (the Suwa factory later became Suwa Seikosha, the present-day SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION).
While production got on the right track to some extent, the company still suffered a number of quality-related problems resulting from the aging of machinery, inferior materials, and technological stagnation during and after the wars.
After the war the Japanese government promoted the “recovery of civilian productivity” as a top priority goal and adopted a policy of building Japan into an export-oriented nation. The timepiece industry, one of Japan’s light industries, was ranked assigned top priority and given continuous support from academia and the government to improve quality. These social and political shifts supported the reconstruction of Seiko.
History of Seiko watches 1956-1980
Seiko Marvel 1956-1959
Seiko Gyro Marvel
1959-1960
Seiko lord marvel
1958
In 1956 Seiko introduced the Marvel, a mechanical watch for men created from proprietary Seiko technology through the introduction of a new design policy and production equipment and technology targeting the qualities of an ideal wristwatch: beauty, high durability, and high accuracy.It was also the first "in house" produced Seiko wristwatch and a true precursor of the Grand Seiko.
The Marvel swept away rival timepieces and dominated in a major competition in the watch industry (Council for Quality Inspection of the Japan-made Watch: hosted by the former Ministry of International Trade and Industry). It also overtook products from Switzerland and other countries by winning first place in the men’s wristwatch category in a watch competition hosted by the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute (Japanese branch). The Marvel was acclaimed as an 'amazing timepiece' and a guy with intelligence and health', dispelling the prevailing stereotype that Japanese watches were inaccurate and breakable.
At the same time, the Marvel heightened Seiko’s confidence as a watch maker and fueled its determination to compete with Swiss watchmakers and “do what it believes is right.”
This is the first self-winding watch equipped with Seiko's proprietary “magic lever" system. The magic lever is an innovative self-winding mechanism that uses the simple “claw lever system” efficiently to transmit the power of the oscillating weight in both directions. Magic levers are still used in SEIKO's self-winding watches on the market today. This low-cost mechanism with excellent winding quality instantly dominated the world market, pioneering the popularization of self-winding watches.
Production of the Lord Marvel began in 1958. It was the successor to the Marvel, made in 1956. A smooth balance wheel created in the previous year was used in the movement, and the new S-1 shock-resistance system was introduced. This in turn was soon superseded by the S-2 version. It featured a movable stud and a11㎜balance wheel.
The Lord Marvel was simple and robust, with large hour markers and hands for enhanced legibility. At that time, it was Seiko’s flagship watch and showcased Seiko’s growing technical prowess, with subsequent adaptations including Japan’s first high-beat movement. All Lord Marvel's were JDM watches and were produced till 1978.
Seiko Crown Special
1959
Grand Seiko 1960
3180
King Seiko
J14102/15034
As you may know, the Seiko Crown was Suwa’s 1959 replacement for the 1956 Seiko Marvel which was their first fully in-house movement. The first Grand Seiko, the revered 3180, released in 1960 was developed directly from the Crown, and occupies its own important place in Seiko history. What you may not know is that after the 3180 was developed, some of the improvements made it back into the Crown model line as the Crown Special. You can think of the Special as a regular Seiko Crown on Grand Seiko steroids.
The 341 caliber found in the Crown Special adds diafix-jeweled bearings for all of the wheels in the going train giving a final jewel count of 23. The regular Crown has either 19 or 21 depending on the year of manufacture. The Grand Seiko 3180 has two additional jewels in the barrel, totaling 25, so the Crown Special’s 341 falls directly in between the Grand Seiko and the regular Crown. The extra diafix cap jewels on both 3180 and 341 help both the accuracy and reliability by maintaining precisely the right amount of oil within the bearing and by keeping contamination out of the bearing long term.
In 1959 Seiko introduced the Crown, a watch in the base of the Marvel but with greater precision. The Crown was found to be superior to the Marvel in the watch competition.
In 1960 Seiko applied all of its parts precision techniques, assembly techniques, and adjustment techniques to the creation of a watch in the base of the Crown, but with even greater precision. The First-Generation Grand Seiko was born (3180) produced in Suwa factory in Nagono.
The Grand Seiko set a new standard stricter than the world’s highest accuracy standard (international chronometer testing standard (B.O.): excellent) of the time. The Grand Seiko became the world’s finest watch both in reality and in name.
The Grand Seiko VFA (10 beats) commercialized in 1969 was stored in TIME CAPSULE EXPO ’70, a time capsule project planned out for the Japan World Exposition to be held in the following year.
Seiko also created “Seiko style,” a proprietary shape still presiding as the most outstanding standard for practical watches.
The first King Seiko was built in 1960 at the Daini factory out of the 54A movement of the Seiko Chronos and lasted till 1963. The majority were gold plated with solid gold hands and markers. The KS 15034 was larger then the J14102.
King Seiko was born in Kameido, Tokyo, and made with the aim of offering high-quality timepieces to a larger population. They required different design considerations to meet different needs and Seiko offered them in different price segments. Both lines were regarded as high-quality collections and captured the advances of Seiko in the 1960s.
Timeline King Seiko
High-Beat movements
36.000 beats per second
Seiko Lord Marvel 1967
Hi-Beat 5740-8000
The second generation King Seiko was based on the new caliber 44A and was introduced in 1964 and produced through 1968, the 44KS spawned the famous Grand Seiko 44GS, with which it shared a movement and factory. It was built by Daini Seikosha as their high-end alternative to the Suwa Seikosha-produced Grand Seiko line.The 44KS was phased out in favor of the Daini-produced King Seiko 45KS in 1968 and lasted till 1975 when the manufacturing of mechanical watches in Daini Seikosha ended and the Quartz era began.
From the late 1950s, watch manufacturers began to compete fiercely in the development of high-precision watches, pitting their products against each other in competitions held by observatories in Switzerland to judge timepiece precision. To increase precision, they had to increase the oscillation frequency of the balance wheel, which required a strong mainspring. Amidst this fierce competition, in 1966 the Swiss company Girard-Perregaux launched the world’s first mass-produced 10-beat per second wristwatch. Following this, Seiko launched its own 10-beat wristwatches: the Lord Marvel 36000 in 1967, and the Grand Seiko V.F.A in 1969.
King Seiko 45/4502 caliber
Hi-Beat 1968
Daini developed the 45KS to challenge in-house rival Suwa's Grand Seikoline for technical dominance. It features a Hi-beat 36,000 A/h movement like the contemporary Grand Seiko 61GS from Suwa, albeit still handwound. This same movement, the Seiko 4500, was also used in Daini's own Grand Seiko 45GS, which was produced at the same time. The primary difference was case finishing and the accuracy of the movement Grand Seiko models went beyond chronometer grade, while only some King Seiko movements could reach that level of accuracy.
The 45KS line was produced from the height of the classic mechanical watch period through the quartz crises before petering out and ending production in the early 1970's. It was the last hand-built King Seiko, with the King Seiko 56 KS and King Seiko 52 KS using highly-automated movements for reliability. It was also the last of the 36,000 A/h movements from Daini.
Timeline 45 KS
King Seiko 56 KS
Suwa 1968-1975
The 45KS range of King Seiko watches are important from a collecting perspective.Firstly,the range has a strong connection with the 1960s Swiss chronometer trials,the movement being a direct development from the advances made in those competitions.In many enthusiasts opinion,caliber 45 is one of the great movements to be produced by Seiko.Certainly the inherent quality of movement is proven with many examples being certified to A (Chronometer) and AA (Superior Chronometer/GS) grade accuracy.The movement was also promoted to the Grand Seiko range as well,culminating in the AAA grade 4580 VFA movement.From a personal perspective, my 45KS examples are some of the most accurate in my collection,combining great movement design with the positional stability of a high beat movement.
It was also the last handmade King Seiko in Daini before automated machine producion started.
Seiko 52 KS
1970-1975 Daini
the 56KS series were more diverse and daring than its predecessors.
The 56xx family is a big and famous range of automatic movements,that equiped the Lord Matic(5601, 5605, 5606),the King (5621,5625,5626) and the Grand Seiko (5641,5645,5646)as well.
It was an unusual product line,the only King Seiko produced by Suwa Seikosha rather than Daini Seikosha,who started the King Seiko line a decade earlier. As such,it fit somewhat awkwardly into the product line,overlapping somewhat with the slim and contemporary Suwa-produced King Seiko 52 KS as well as the last of Suwa's handmade 36,000 Hi-beat King Seiko 45 KS line.Some models in the 56KS lineup strongly resembled the Grand Seiko line,especially Daini's legendary Grand Seiko 44 GS,which had recently gone out of production.
Most of the 56KS lineup featured traditional “Grand Seiko Style” cases reminiscent of the Grand Seiko 44GS and it's descendants.This included the popular 562x-702x and 562x-704x models,which were available with day and date options.But there were some more radical members of the family, too The 5621-5010 was a pendant watch, the 562x-5010, 5050, and 5060 sported angular square cases, and the jewel-like 5626-5080 and 5626-6010 sported faceted cases and crystals. Some of these also featured colored dials in blue, green, orange, red, and purple.
The Daini factory launched it's own King Seiko 5245, 5246 and 5256 movements in 1970.In fact, some models left the factory with "Special" and "Very Fine Accuracy" ("V.F.A.") adjustments, making them some of the most accurate mechanical watches ever produced.
A King Seiko Chronometer with movement 5245A or 5246A was produced in 1971 and 1972.This was replaced by a 5256A King Seiko without the “Chronometer” designation for 1973 and 1973.
King Seiko Medaillons
backcase
Dial logo's Seiko
King Seiko Vanac 1970
The design of the King Seiko medallion was also changed during the lifetime of the second generation models. For most of the second generation lifetime, the same King Seiko coat of arms was used until 1967 when a simpler medallion with just ‘Seiko’ written on it takes over. The final models produced in 1968 also have the Daini logo added below the Seiko logotype.
As with all Seikos of this period, a star logo is used to differentiate the various quality of markers used on the dials. A triangle superimposed with three lines indicates an applied dial (AD) with markers plated in gold or rhodium. An eight-pointed star pierced by a four-point hollow star indicates a special dial (SD) with markers in either solid yellow gold or solid white gold. It is always worth searching for the rarer SD models because their markers tend to stay bright whereas AD markers sometimes corrode over time.
In the space and disco age off the 1970's Seiko decided to produce the Vanac and nobody seems to know where they got the name but the fancy coloured dials and facetted glass crystals with different patterns are fascinating.They were produced by both Suwa and Daini in 56 and 52 movements (Vanac special)
Most Vanacs have KS badges on the dial and all have KS crowns. At 32000-37000 JPY, they were slightly cheaper than a GS but in line with the most expensive Chronometer KS versions. The 52s are somewhat more expensive than the 56s. All calibers are 28800 hibeat and should reasonably be Chronometer grade, even if they are not certified.
Family tree Seiko Watches
Production chronology
Grand Seiko 2d generation
selfdater 1963
Fascinating price-table Seiko watches versus yearly
income of freshly graduated university students in their first job in public service.
Dashed line = salary per year.
Grand Seiko costing as much as two years of hard labour....
So imagine you buy a vintage watch which used to cost as much as you earn now in a year!!
Introduced in 1963, it was the first Grand Seiko with a date complication, equipped with Seiko’s proprietary fast-forward mechanism. The watch guaranteed a water resistance of 50 meters (5 atm).
Caliber 5722A, initially called 430, runs at 18,000 bph, while the later 5722B version runs at 19,800 bph.
There are two variants of the first version, with caliber 430: one with SD dial (Special Dial), and another with AD dial (Applied Dial). The difference is that the indexes in the SD dial are in white gold.
Grand Seiko 44GS
1967 Daini factory
Grand Seiko 62GS
Automatic 1967
Grand Seiko 61GS Suwa
auto/Hi-Beat 1968
Grand Seiko 44GS Daini
1969 HI-B/manual
The 44GS series is developed by Daini Seikosha, and is based on the movement originally introduced in 1964 with the King Seiko Chronometer (ref. 4420-9990).
Thanks to the contribution of the designer Taro Tanaka, the guidelines of the “Grammar of Design” are introduced, which will define the Grand Seiko style from that moment on meaning :flat surfaces and geometrically perfect angles to best reflect light, mirror-polished faceted bezels, no distortion, recognizable cases with original designs.
This Grand Seiko model is the first to use an automatic movement. There are two versions of the caliber: 6245A with date, and 6246A with day and date.
The designers placed the crown discreetly at the four o’clock position to emphasize that the watch required no winding.
The 61GS family has the largest number of models, with a great variety of designs. All calibers in this series have a date or day/date complication.
Calibers 6145A and 6146A were within the parameters of the Grand Seiko Standard. The 6155A and 6156A were defined Special, while the 6185A, 6185B and 6186B, adjusted to guarantee maximum accuracy, were defined V.F.A. (Very Fine Adjusted).
Japan’s first self-winding 10-beat watch. The 10-beat movement improved the isochronism and achieved higher and more stable precision against position changes and external impact. Seiko’s original magic lever was adopted as the improved winding mechanism.
The 45GS family, produced by Daini Seikosha, consists of three manually wound calibers. The “base” movements are the 4520A (no-date) and the 4522A (date), while the 4580A is the V.F.A. (Very Fine Adjusted), one of the world’s most accurate mechanical movements at the time.
Grand Seiko 56GS
1970
After accuracy, size reduction was the next challenge for Grand Seiko. This caliber was automatic winding and although just 4.5mm height, it retained the high precision of its predecessors. Thinness was not just an engineer's challenge. "Easy to wear" was part of the "ideal" watch concept and this slimmer watch sat more easily on the wrist.
As the last of the Vintage Grand Seiko series, the range of the 56GS series is second to none, even while utilizing only three different movements. No “special” or “VFA” examples in this series - but there are 35 different models! (1970 until 1974). Check the catalogues of 1971 V2, 1972, 1973 V1, 1973 V2, 1974 V1, 1974 V2, 1975 V1 and 1975 V2.
One can find the time only 5641A, the 5645A with date and the day-date 5646A, a nice range for sure, but more important is the fact that some automation was utilized and the beat rate adjusted to 28,800bph.
Vintage affordable Seiko watches 1961-1978
Seikomatic weekdater
6206-8980 1964
Business 6206
Business-A 8305/06
Seiko Liner J15001E
1961 Suwa 3140
Seiko Skyliner 1961
Seiko Sportsmatic
J13058 JDM 1963
Seiko Lordmatic
1968
Seiko Actus JDM
1970-1977
Seiko Advan JDM
1970-1976
The Seikomatic range has been introduced at the beginning of the 60’s. It was the upper range of the production of automatic watches by Seiko at that time. As their name means it, all Seikomatic were fitted with automatic movements. They all had at least a stainless steel or gold plated case (so no chromed case). A 18k gold case was available on most models until 1964 (Slimdate, Weekdater). These watches are really rare.The range was also available for women, it was called Seikomatic Lady.
The range has been then (ca 1965) splitted in sub ranges : Seikomatic (62xx movements), Seikomatic-R (83xx movements), Seikomatic-P (51xx movements) and the name Weekdater disappeared.
In 1967, the Seikomatic name is abandoned and replaced by Business for the 6206 movement (the cases remained the same, with the same references) and Business-A for the 8305/8306 movement. In 1968, the Seikomatic-P becomes the Presmatic (calibres 5106 and 5146) and is sold at least until 1970. P and Presmatic refers to the date quickset which is triggered by pressing the crown, which had a star shape. The Presmatic range remains quite rare.
In 1960, Seiko’s Suwa factory launched a brand of luxury dress watches known as the Liner. The Liner range was to fit just below the newly launched Grand Seiko range, providing much of the style and luxury without the high precision of the Chronometer-rated Grand Seiko model. However, by 1964, the brand was no more, making it one of, if not the shortest-lived, Seiko brand.
Without the ability to design a new slimline movement for the nascent Liner brand, the Suwa watchmakers went back to their 5-year old Marvel movement and put it on a diet. Each component was thinned in height and had its tolerances refined to allow for reduced clearance between wheels and bridges. The resultant 23-jewel 3140 movement measured just 3mm high; 0.05mm more than the Goldfeather, but significant thinner than the Marvel’s 4.4mm and slim enough to launch the Liner brand.
The Skyliner brand is introduced in 1961 with the 402 caliber. This Skyliner is a no nonsense dress watch, handwind without date. The Skyliner was positioned as a cheaper alternative to the Liner with the Skyliner priced at JPY 6000 and the Liner at JPY 7500, which is in the SAeiko medium range at the time. The Liner also had a broader range with both 21j and 23j and 14K gold cases. The 402 caliber is also a simplification and continuation of the Liner 3140 caliber from 1960.
Seiko Skyliner 6220-9970 1965 6200 series caliber.This spawned automatic versions and variants with different frequencies.The range hosted movements with jewel counts from 17 up to a whopping 39. In fact, the 6245 and 6246 variants were either chronometer rated and/or found their way into the lovely 62GS As mentioned above,the movement in this Skyliner is a 21-jewel variant known as either the 6220B or 6220C. My experience thus far with the movement is that it winds smoothly and feels solid. Plus, there’s no “spring back” upon winding, an issue that often plagues lesser movements. As far as timekeeping, it has been highly accurate and reliable.
The first Sportmatics were time only (Seikosha 2451 movement) or date only watches (Sportsmatic Self Dater, Seikosha 820 movement). In 1963-1964, Seiko marketed its first day/date calibre, the Seikosha 410 and fitted it in the first Seiko 5 range, still called Sportsmatic. These first “5” had a chromed case and no date quickset. We can recognize these early models to their specific Sportsmatic logo (exception: the Calendar 820 kept this logo until 1967). It is very commonly admitted that the “5” range has been introduced in 1963.
Generally speaking, most models were available with a white, silver, champagne or black dial (black dials are quite rare, only a few percentage of the production had one) and the cases were available in steel or gold plated. Dials and cases can be mixed up, for instance, there are Sportsmatics with a black dial and a golden case. Hands and markers, in the contrary, are always matching the case
The Lordmatic line was introduced in 1968 and was nestled just below the Grand Seiko and King Seiko.They were more affordable but charged the same design features as GS and KS also carrying the 56 movement.Some had the word Special on the dial meaning they had the more precise hi-beat 521 movement.Many LM's had the disco styled facetted crystals (often replaced for a 'normal'one).Beware tip for buyers on ebay or catawiki there is an enormous amout of Franken LM's available with very bright painted dials.Watch carefully before buying because after 50 years anything that is so precise is circumspect.Most of Vintagewatchdirect watches come directly from Japan for that same reason.
The Actus line was produced for the JDM between 1970 and 1977 for a younger and more design orientated public.
The full-featured SS models, in particular, have high jewel counts, hacking movements and dual day/date quick sets. Their workhorse 6106 movement is also as reliable as a bullet train. Their case finishing was typically very good, on par with the LM series, but not quite reaching KS or GS standards. That shortfall does not hold true however for the dials, markers and hands which are certainly comparable with King Seiko. Highly polished rehauts and markers, bouncing reflections and catching highlights under a clear crystal are what we find throughout the Actus line.Albeit infamous for some crazy designs with those oh-so-Seventies facetted crystals, there are also some conservative designs to discover that really do remind me of modern Grand Seiko.
The Seiko Advan range was absolutely the over the top disco and space age watch with a gradient-coloured dial or a two-coloured dial, a strange-shaped case, a facetted crystal, etc. There were probably about 30 to 40 different designs.
All cases were made of stainless steel or more rarely gold plated, all had a metal bracelet and a glass crystal.
Seiko even designed a specific logo for the Advan, mixing a red sun symbol with the word Advan written with a futuristic font. We find the logo on every dial or on at least one model, printed on the inner face of the crystal. Technically on the same base as a Seiko 5 using the 6106,7019 and 7030 movements.
History of Hamilton USA
Hamilton Watch Company 1892
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Railroad Watch 1893-1906
Hamilton 936
Hamilton Watch Company was founded in 1892 when it took over 2 other watch companies : Keystone Standard situated in the same factory and Aurora from Illinois from which all the equipment was moved to the Lancaster plant.
Henry Caine from Aurora became the organiser for the first railroad watch which for many watch companies was the first product they started producing because obviously trains have to run on time.Conductors’ watches running fast or slow by merely a minute could spell collisions and death for a train’s trusting passengers. Hamilton dedicated itself to providing the best pocket watches that the American railroads had ever seen
Henry Cain had designed the 18-size (44.86mm-diameter) movement, equipped with 17 jewels, a 42-hour power reserve, and a full-plate design. It was adjusted for accuracy in five positions and featured a lever-set system. This required the user to disengage a lever (usually under the crystal) to set the hands via the crown. As opposed to “pendant-set” (push-pull crown) types, lever-set watches were somewhat inconvenient, but they were much more difficult to accidentally un-set. Lever-set watches became a railroad standard between 1906 and 1908, but Hamilton’s standards were more than a decade ahead of the curve.
Hamilton produced the Grade No. 936 from 1893 to 1915, upgrading its escapement around 1906. Hamilton’s most popular 18-size movement, however, was the 21-jewel Grade No. 940, produced from 1898 to 1928. In that time, over 200,000 movements were produced.
Hamilton wrist watches
1920
Hamilton Aviator Watch
1918
During the World War I Hamilton had supplied many soldiers with their first wrist watches.
As the popularity of wristwatches continued to grow, Hamilton produced high-end ones like the pieces seen here. The 987 movement found in these wristwatches began its production run in 1924. Over the next 24 years, caliber 987 and its gradually evolving variants would power hundreds of thousands of Hamilton wristwatches, designed for both civilian and military use.These watches were produced in great numbers 100.000's of them.
Hamilton Piping Rock
1928
From 1918 Airmail Post bewtween Washington and New York had many pilots flying with their Hamilton watch.It was the start of an over-century-long relationship between the Hamilton Watch Company and the aeronautics industry. Hamilton’s ties to aviation carry on to this day, and the brand’s pilot’s watches are a pillar of its modern collection. In 1926, a Hamilton watch accompanied Admiral Richard E. Byrd on his 15-hour-and-57-minute flight to the North Pole.
As commercial air travel became more popular in the early 1930s, Hamilton became the official timepiece provider for four of the United States’ major airlines — Eastern, TWA, Northwest, and United. Hamilton watches also made their silver-screen debut in the 1932 filmShanghai Express. The Piping Rock and the Flintridge models were worn by leading actors Marlene Dietrich and Clive Brook.
In 1927, Hamilton watches also accompanied pilots on the first flight from California to Hawaii. In 1928, the brand released the Piping Rock, which would become one its most popular wristwatch designs. Its 14K solid yellow or white gold case had flexible lugs and a black enamel bezel with solid gold Roman numerals. When the New York Yankees won the World Series of baseball that year, Hamilton presented Piping Rock watches to all of the team members. Hamilton rounded out the 1920s with the purchase of the Illinois Watch Company for over $5,000,000.
Art Deco Hamilton's
1930
The Hamilton watches of the 1930s were very much inspired by the Art Deco movement. Applied Arabic numeral hour markers were a very common design trait at the time, and many watches featured rectangular or geometric cases. Of course, all were powered by Hamilton’s own calibers. Hamilton watches of the time were available in either platinum, solid gold, or gold-filled cases. As the Great Depression wore on, many people began to see solid gold watches as unnecessary luxuries. As such, less expensive gold-filled models were popular with consumers.
Hamilton WO II Watch
During the second World War Hamilton production of wristwatches stopped because every American watch company was supplying the US Military with marine chronometers and wrist watches for the soldiers. Hamilton Watch company produced 8,900 Model 21 marine chronometers for the US Navy, 1,500 for merchant shipping, and 500 for the US army during the war.Over 1 million wristwatches (picture) were sold for the infantry soldiers.
In contrast to the solid gold models of prior decades, these military watches were much more utilitarian in nature. Many featured chrome-plated base metal cases, radium lume, and variations of caliber 987, Hamilton’s finest wristwatch movement.
list of Hamilton watches
featuring in Hollywood movies from 1950 till about now
Hamilton Ventura/Elvis Presley
1957
Hamilton Watches and Hollywood
1951 The Frogman Richard Widmark : Khaki auto frogman
1961 Blue Hawaii Elvis Presley : Ventura quartz
1997 Men in black Will Smith : Ventura quartz
1999 The talented Mr.Ripley Matt Damon : The Ardmore
2001 A Space Odyssee All Astronauts : Hamilton
2001 Pearl Harbor Benn Affleck : Khaki field
2007 Live free or Die Bruce Willis : Khaki field Eto
2009 Mad Man S3 Aaron Staton
Hamilton Pacer Electric
Hamilton frogman auto
hamilton custom made Kubrick
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Hamilton Ventura was the first electrical watch in the world designed by Richard Arbib in 1957 in an asymmetrical case style and worn by Elvis Presly in the movie Blue Hawaii.It was the beginning of a cooperation between Hamilton watches and Hollywood which last till today. In more then 500 movies and television shows the various models were worn bij actors and actresses.The latest model being the Ventura XXL bright made for Dune 2.
Hamilton Gary
1962
Hamilton M 59-3
1964
There is very little info on the internet or from Hamilton itself on the models they produced in the 60 and 70's so beter to buy them myself and present here on Vintagewatchesdirect.Fortunately there is always somebody doing the work that the company fails to do and so visit this site : http://www.hamiltonchronicles.com for more information on all of the watches Hamilton has produced.
Hamilton produced the Gary between 1962 and 1967 a year later the Thinline followed in the same catogory and it was fitted with a Swiss caliber 686 movement with 17 jewels.
Hamilton produced a lot of watches in the M-series which were made for big department stories and did'n't carry any personalised names.
From 1961 through 1967 Hamilton made a special line of watches for an unknown nation-wide outlet. The men's models had M-names and the ladies models had F-names. The names were comprised of the retail price and a dashed numeral to represent the sequence the watch arrived on scene. They only showed up in the 1964 catalog so identifying models from the other years can be tricky.The movement inside is the Swiss produced 686 also fitting the Thinline series.
Hamilton selfwinding
36000 1972
Hamilton used the word selfwinding instead of automatic and after 1969 when the Lancaster plant closed all Hamilton's watches were equiped with swiss Schild or ETA movements.
This particular example was also a high-beat 19.800 caliber 631 movement.It comes from my private collection and could not find many other examples for reference on E-bay and other auction sites. It probably is a rare european export model.Also Hamilton ceased to excist as an american watch company when it closed it's factory in Lancaster. This watch was thus at the end of the US Hamilton story.
Swiss/USA partnership
1966-1974
In 1966 Hamilton bought the Swiss watch company Buren Watch company because it needed good and reliable swiss movements for it's watches.Especially the highly innovative Buren Micro-rotor for the thinnerline Hamilton models.
In 1969, the Hamilton Watch Company completely ended American manufacturing operations with the closure of its factory in Lancaster Pe,shifting manufacturing operations to the Buren factory in Switzerland.
From 1969 to 1972, all new Hamilton watches were produced in Switzerland by Hamilton's Buren subsidiary. In 1971, the Buren brand was returned to Swiss ownership. By 1972, the Buren-Hamilton partnership was dissolved, and the factory liquidated, due to decreased interest and sales of the Hamilton-Buren product.
In 1971 Omega & Tissot part of the Swatch group purchased Hamilton and used it for branding their quartz watches.
Omega factory
1880 Bienne Swiss
History of Omega
In the year of European revolutions 1848 the 23 year old Louis Brandt opened a small workshop in the village of La Chaud-de-fonds and started Omega. His two sons Louis-Paul and Cesar took over after his death in 1879 and moved to Bienne in 1880 still the home of the Omega watch factory.
In 1885 the two brothers produced their first pocketwatch series caliber called the "labrador".It was very advanced for it's time and held perfect time and was the base for further innovations culiminating in the 19 line caliber in 1894 and officially Omega was born.This revolutionary built caliber was made in series using very modern methods.Combining time setting and winding through the stem and crown was the way all modern watches worked after their invention. The brothers called their discovery "Omega" meaning ultimate achievement in Greek and by 1903 they were the largest watch company in Switzerland.
Omega wristwatches worn by Allied soldiers WO I
It’s not often that we see advertisements featuring war situations, especially not from watch brands. That’s why it’s so remarkable to see this ad that dates back to World War I that took place from 1914 – 1918. The text translates into ‘For one’s safety, one needs to know the exact time, the day and the night’. It refers to the Omega trench watch at the bottom of the ad with next to it ‘cadran lumineux’ or luminous dial. Omega was the official watch supplier to the British Royal Flying Corps and the U.S. Army during World War I, and the ad shows the importance of being able to read the time properly at all times before you send men into battle. The image of the men attacking is impressive and not something we would see today, and that’s why it’s such an impactful ad.
The First World War gave an enormous impulse in the introduction of the wristwatch in everyday live. After the war it also meant the average man began to wear one instead of only the pocketwatch of the wealthy.
1931 Omega automatic
1932 Omega Marine
1931 : Omega prototyped the first automatic watch with two weights which was to form the bassis off al the automatic watches to follow because it could wind in two directions and it dramatically improved winding efficiency.
During the Olympic Games in 1932 in Los Angeles Omega was the first choice for timekeeping off all the sports results
In 1932 Omega was the first to develop a diver watch called "the Marine".
It used a patented double case holding cork to keep the water out of the watch and was tested in the lake of Geneva till a depth of 75 meters (deep lake!). Omega also introduced an adjustable clasp with a diver's extension so they could easily adjust it to their wristsize.It all sounds so easy but you must be the first to invent something like that.Five years later the watch was tested to a depth of 135 meters and became the first choice for many professional divers.
Olympic Games Berlin
1936
On 1st of august the Olympic Games in Berlin were officially opened by the reichskanzler Adolf Hilter in a newly built stadium which could seat 100.000 people.Televised for the first time by Leni Riefenstahl (Olympia)the Nazi's had tried to forbid jews and black athletes from partipating but through threat of boycot by other countries to had to give in.To the chagrin of the Nazi's Jesse Owens won 4 golden medals and Hitler had left the stadium.
To get back to Omega it was 185 chronographs that took care of the results in this and other Olympics.
Jesse Owens 4x Gold
World War II
1940-45
New Omega Tourbillon
1947
Omega Seamaster
1948
Omega Constellation
1952
During the second World War Omega was commisioned to be the main supplier for the British armed forces and their allies allthough the Americains had a deal with Hamilton watches from Lancaster (see chapter above)
A tourbillon is a mechanical device in a watch that is designed to improve accuracy by compensating for the effects of gravity on the timekeeping mechanism. In a traditional watch, gravity can affect the rate at which the balance wheel oscillates, leading to timekeeping errors.It was Omega in 1947 that was able to put this in a wristwatch and won many prices for it's efforts.Nowadays Omega is the only watch in the world to offer automated tourbillons in their models.
From the experience of building military watches followed the now iconic model : "The Seamaster" in 1948 which was very durable both in the skies as underwater.
Fitted with an early 'bumper' automatic movement which rotates back and forth 130 degrees (modern ones rotate 360 degrees)and you could actually feel it.The width was 34 mm and it hade nice beefy lugs.Calibers used were initially 343 and 350.Originally designed as a dress watch with high water resistancy and durability only further in it's development it became a divers watch and James Bond favorite.
The first Omega Constellation was created in 1952 by Réne Banwart who had also designed the Seamaster and got it's name from the emblem at the caseback showing an observatory with 8 stars above it. The eight stars were a symbol of the 2 chronometer records and 6x 1st place awards won by Omega between 1933 and 1952.
Three legends were born 1957
Speedmaster Seamaster 300 Railmaster
Speedmaster was designed to be used for space travel for NASA and called "The Moonwatch". The Seamaster 300 was designed for further underwater explorations withstanding underwater pressure till 300 meters.The Railmaster was designed to withstand extreme magnetic forces and used for railway purposes obviously.
Omega Speedmaster official Nasa watch
Omega De Ville 1967
in 1962 the first omega Speedmaster entered space on the arm of astronaut Wally Shirra who flew around the globe six times during the Mercurey Sigma mission.1965 Omega became the official supplier for all the space programs of NASA and has kept that position till now.In the picture we see astronaut Buzz Aldrin wearing his speedmaster in the Luner Excursion Vehicle during the Apollo II mission. The name Moonwatch has since then been attributed to the famous Speedmaster and rightly so.
in 1967 The Seamaster De Ville was changed in the the more simpler "De Ville" in a sleek cast thin case and attracting a younger crowd as being the ultimate dresswatch. Available in stainless steel and gold versions and although well known for their looks they were outfitted with the best technologically advanced movements chronometer grade and even tourbillons and co-axials in them.They are still in production nowadays.From the start square and rectangular cases. Also the Omega Ladymatic for fashionable women was produced.
Rado movie on it's history
Rado Golden Horse 1957
History of Rado "Master of Materials"
In 1917, brothers Fritz, Ernst and Werner Schlup made a decision that would change their lives and those of future generations: they became watchmakers. Their humble atelier was located in a converted part of their parents’ home in the village of Lengnau, Switzerland. Through their relentless energy and uncanny ability to spot new opportunities, Schlup & Co. got off to a promising start, signing agreements with a wide array of importers around the world.
By the end of World War II, the factory was among the largest producers of watch movements, its name synonymous with Swiss-made quality. This laid the ground for the brothers’ next big adventure – the launch of their own watch brand. Enter Rado.
Rado Green Horse Daymaster
1958
Rado Diastar 1962
‘If we can imagine it, we can make it. And if we can make it, we will.’ This inspiring motto accompanied the launch of the Rado Green Horse in 1957. The groundbreaking timepiece marked a new chapter for the Schlup family. After forty years of successes, the brothers embarked on their own watch brand, Rado, a word meaning ‘wheel’ in Esperanto.
The casebacks of the watches featured seahorses, in a special nod to the Golden Horse name. Automatic Rado watches also featured a moving anchor logo on the dial. The anchor was pivoted at the center and was often placed on a red circle meant to evoke a jewel. To this day, the movable anchor logo is still used on all of Rado’s automatic watches. How’s that for heritage?
Common feature of most Rado automatics from the era is the use of the Seahorse motif. Rado water-resistant casebacks of the era were engraved with a medallion picturing two or three seahorses with the words “Water-Sealed” beneath.
The Sea Horse theme was also used on bracelet clasps and in model names such as Purple Horse and Green Horse. These “Horse” models are legion and were made in many different variations (often in relatively small production runs of 5,000 pieces or fewer). Some models were only available regionally and their names may be specific to their target markets. A survey of auction websites and on-line vintage watch sellers (located mainly in Asia) will reveal a substantial number of Rado “Horses” with various dial styles and colors; case shapes and sizes; and movements. Some noteworthy models are powered by 30-jewel A. Schild movements with calendar, and are found with tonneau and round cases as large as 38mm in diameter.
The Green Horses (and similar lines) represent a good entry-level vintage watch value. Well-preserved pieces can often be found for prices starting under $500 and the combination of interesting design, reliable movements, and low production numbers make them fun to own and wear.
Rado Balbao V The Great
The first DiaStar of 1962 was the product of a mission to create a watch so durable that it would retain its beauty and functionality for a lifetime. The engineers set out to create a new material that would outlast and outshine all other watches in the industry, and the result was a product they named “Hardmetal.” Hardmetal was an alloy of tungsten carbide that created a high-shine metal that was truly scratchproof for a daily wear watch that would not show wear and tear like the other watches made of materials such as gold or plated brass.
Additionally, they used a sapphire-crystal glass that was almost as hard as diamond, rather than the more traditional mineral or polymer. The distinctive oval shape of the case was a result of the difficulties of machining the Hardmetal alloy without the modern technologies of laser-assisted CNC techniques, but the unique design struck the decision-makers as just the right balance of technical and futuristic. The DiaStar had been born, and the makers had achieved their goal to become the “Master of Materials.”
FRANKEN WATCHES
BEWARE BEFORE YOU BUY !!!
The Balboa is RADO's luxe version of the Diastar. The Balboa features a FULL CERAMIC CASE while the Diastar has a case combined from ceramic & steel. Another difference is that the Balboa ceramics are tinted bronze while the Diastars are either gold or silver.This particular one bought directly from Japan has a facetted glass in very good condition so it befits the Disco epitaph.Also the fumé blanc dial in golden brown is very much in the early 70's style
Franken Oceanstar
999
Rado Starliner 999
the real thing
Rado Voyager
automatic 1974
The first one looks really nice but there has never been a Rado watch called Oceanstar 999
but the second one is real and was called Starliner 999. To dinstinguish between the real models i can recommend the website of Mike Keller which is in German by the way :
https://mike184.beepworld.de/index.htm
In practice there are many sweatshops in India,Thailand,Turkeye that make downright fakes as we all know because many of you have probably bought a fake Rolex in the past
But more common in the vintage watch department is that watches are composed of different parts of other watches to make them work again.That is why it is important to buy from a company like Vintagewatchesdirect because we check and take the watch apart to look inside to make sure you get a genuine watch.
In the 70's Rado was more popular in Asia then Rolex and the amount of Rado variations with plentiful amounts of jewels and diamonds on the label is enormous. This Rado Voyager is more restrained in character and was an entree level Rado on the watch market.It measures 34 mm in width and 40 mm in height and 10 mm thick.The achor in the middle of the dial in this case is moving.Inside we have an ETA 2836 movement with 17 jewels.Bracelet is not original but new black leather.
Rado Sapphire Gazelle
1974
There are golden, silver and, green and sapphire gazelles and this is the last one.
Produced in the 1970 and sapphire was the glas crystal in this case.Advantage is that these glasses don't scratch. Day/date is at the bottom of the dial julst like the Diastar.
Rado Diastar Jubilé 1970
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Rado Diastar Jubilé was specially designed for the asian market because of their love for diamonds so that is were Jubilé stands for. All the indexes were made of diamonds and this watch has lots of them giving him or her a high bling-bling factor. Also the built quality is as we are used of Rado very good and the watch looks like new and also carries the original bracelet.
History of Zodiac
Ad for Zodiac Seawolf diver
Second-generation watchmaker Ariste Calame founded the workshop that would grow into the Zodiac watch company in 1882 in Le Locle, in Switzerand’s Jura Mountains. The first timepieces Calame made there were originally branded under his own name. In 1895, the founder’s son Louis Ariste Calame, who had also trained as a watchmaker, took over the business at the age of 20 and registered the name “Zodiac” in 1908, applying it to the innovative flat pocket watches, called Zodiac Triumph, which the company began producing in 1924, equipped with the in-house Caliber 1617. In the wake of World War I, however, the era of the pocket watch as the standard timepiece for men was nearing its end, and by the 1930s Zodiac, like most of its competitors at the time, was primarily producing watches for the wrist. The company made some of the first Swiss wrist watches with automatic movements, equipping them with a patented, innovative shock-proofing system that used a Z-shaped spring clip over the balance. In 1937, Zodiac introduced a 10.5-ligne wristwatch caliber with an eight-day power reserve. Several subsequent generations of the Calame family steered Zodiac through the turbulent 1930s and 1940s, at one point concentrating much of its sales efforts in Japan, working with retail partners that included future Seiko founder Kintaro Hattori.
Zodiac Seawolf 1960
Zodiac Astrographic SST
1969
Zodiac jumphour
The 1950s and 1960s were a time of bold and widespread innovation throughout the watch industry, and Zodiac can lay claim to several historical landmarks. In 1949, Zodiac introduced the Autographic, one of the first self-winding sports watches with a power reserve indication on the dial, which was also noteworthy for its hardened, nearly unbreakable crystal and extremely water resistant case. The robustness built into the Autographic heralded the arrival of the first Sea Wolf in 1953. One of the very first wristwatches purpose-built for the emerging pantheon of recreational diving enthusiasts (the Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, which preceded it to market, was initially targeted at military customers), the Sea Wolf had a 34mm steel case — rather small by modern standards, especially for a dive watch, but standard for the era — that was water-resistant to 100 meters and housed a self-winding A. Schild caliber. Like the Fifty Fathoms and the Submariner, it had a unidirectional rotating bezel with a 60-minute dive scale; probably unbeknownst to many, the Sea Wolf was the first to highlight the first 15 minutes on the bezel’s scale, a feature now ubiquitous on both those aforementioned models as well as most other modern dive watches. Distinguishing the original Sea Wolf’s dial were large, triangular markers at 12, 3, 6, and 9 o’clock with their respective numerals inside; this vintage style lives on in the “53 Skin” subfamily of the modern Super Sea Wolf collection.
In 1969 Neil Armstrong landed on the moon in the Apollo 11 and this was also the introduction year for the Zodiac Astrographic SST showcasing all the design elements of the space age.The hands are moving discs resemblig revolving satelites and the second hand is a flying red dot. Swiss 17 jewel high-beat movement promising not to lose or gain mote tren one minute per month..It was available in a tank or round version and for the ladies a smaller size as well.Available in bright velvet blue or gold versions and sometimes black and white ones. The SST stands for split second timing refering to the high beat 10 seconds per second aka 36.000 beats per minute.
Now 60 years later finding a nice looking example is very difficult because normally the patina adds character to the watch but these Astro's are meant to be bright and sharp. Also replacing the mineral glass is no easy thing because the logo zodiac is engraved in the glass itself. in 2019 Zodiac launched a re-edition of the original Astro but in a very limited number so not for sale anymore unfortunately.
Zodiac killer sketch
1969
Most watches display the hour by the position the hour hand is pointing as it slowly sweeps across the dial. Watches with a jump hour complication have an hour hand that does not slowly sweep between the hours. Instead, it points exactly at the current hour and jumps to the next hour as soon as the 60th minute of the current hour is over.
Theoretically this makes telling the time a bit easier, as the current hour is always being pointed at directly. Some watches with jump hour complications use discs with imprinted digits as opposed to hands. The jump minute complication is popular as well. As you can imagine, it is identical to the jump hour complication with the exception that it indicates minutes instead of hours.Allthough is is a very trendy 1970's watch with the digital hour before lcd took over theze jump hour watches were made sinde the 1930s.
Zodiac the movie
2007 + the watch sign
In 2007 director David Fincher took the Zodiac story from the Robert Graysmith novel and adapted it to the big screen, presenting a fictionalized yet still quite accurate account of the Zodiac crimes. Cast in the film were Jake Gyllenhall, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards and Robert Downey Jr.. The movie received overall positive reception by critics despite it’s long runtime and lack of heavy action scenes. It paints a good enough representation of the actual crimes to provide some background to those unfamiliar with the killer and his crimes. The plot follows writer Robert Graysmith (played by Gyllenhall) as he follows the Zodiac case and its impact on his life and those associated with the case. The plot very closely follows that of the book which is a non-fiction account of the Zodiac story.
Zodiac Seawolf auto
1970-1979
In the film there is a pivotal scene in a police interrogation room wherein one of the detectives notices the suspects wrist and what watch he is wearing. The suspect in this case is Arthur Leigh Allen (played by John Carroll Lynch) who is in for questioning as a prime suspect in the Zodiac killings. The watch on his wrist bears the killer’s namesake: a Zodiac. When asked Arthur hands over his watch to one of the detectives and we can see that it is a white dialed Zodiac Sea Wolf. The detectives are shocked to see the same symbol used by the Zodiac killer on his letters and cyphers right on the dial of the watch. It appeared, amazingly, the Zodiac killer had lifted his signature from a wristwatch.
That is the great thing about the internet when you finally fing the one and only watch featuring in the movie Zodiac..So that is a new hobby of mine."Buy the watch and watch the movie".
This vintage Zodiac Sea Wolf wristwatch is a timeless piece featuring a silver stainless steel case and band with a white dial and arrow markers. The watch is powered by a Zodiac 70-72 movement and has a water resistance rating of not water resistant. The piece was manufactured between 1970-1979 and has a reference number of 702-946 and 3080.
The watch comes with its iconic JB Champion watchband and is perfect for any collector or enthusiast. Although pre-owned, this vintage piece has been well-maintained and is in excellent working condition.
