After nearly seven months of being cooped up due to a global pandemic, I’ve come down with a strange new symptom of my watch-addiction madness. I have now acquired an inexplicable predilection for obscure vintage store-brand watches such as Baylor. It can lead to any and all of the following complications:

1) All-night sessions researching obscure vintage store-brand watches nobody cares about.
2) Writing marginally coherent reviews about said watches.
3) Deep conversations with a handful of similarly afflicted strangers. (Shout-out to my support group — you know who you are!)
4) Dry mouth.

Which brings me to my latest drug of choice: Baylor — an in-house watch brand of the Zales jewelry store from the 1950s to the 1980s. For the uninitiated, Zales is a ubiquitous value-oriented jewelry store chain in the U.S. (Americans know it from commercials which run seemingly non-stop during the holiday season). As far as I can tell, Baylor watches had two key value propositions: They were Swiss-made and they were budget-friendly. The models produced post-quartz crisis (during the mid 1970’s onward) tended to use inexpensive chromed cases and be of the generic fashion styles of the day; They were, in a word, cheap. However, prior to that, Baylor had some real hidden gems in the lineup — many being produced by heavy hitters like Heuer and Fortis using the same high-quality cases and movements. It is even rumored that Baylor scored much of Heuer’s old inventory of parts as Heuer shifted its focus to automatic chronographs towards the late 60s and early 70s.

This Baylor Landeron 149 manual-wind chronograph is a nice example of what you might have found in the display-case at Zales in the 1960s. I have not determined who actually manufactured it but you may notice a striking resemblance to the Aquaplunge skin diver references typical of the era; Not really surprising as many Swiss watchmakers of the period often sourced everything from cases and movements to dials and hands from the same manufacturers — a parts bin special if you will. And speaking of those parts, it’s hard not to appreciate how perfectly these 38mm aquaplunge cases hug the wrist. The metallic bezel and polished hands have excellent light-play and the lollipop sweep is a classic 1960s design element I love. The matte black dial contrasts well against the white dial print and butterscotch tritium, making for one of the most legible vintage chronograph dials this side of a Speedy. And like the Speedy, this is an absolute strap monster — able to look the part on metal, nato, and a wide variety of leathers. My only OCD gripe is that the bezel markings are just ever-so slightly off alignment with the dial; a common problem as old as time itself.

Sometimes once the hunt to acquire the piece ends, the hunt for knowledge is only beginning. After recently managing to track down a few folks who actually collect Baylor (including someone who worked at Zales selling Baylor during the late 1970s), it has become clear to me how challenging and addictive it can be to unravel the secrets of obscure vintage. But as I descend further into this strange madness afflicting me, all I can do is enjoy the ride and share my journey to the bottom with you.