Tag: vintage

Owner Review: Smiths Astral CM4501 Skin Diver – A History of a Company

This Smiths Astral Diver dates from 1966. It has a frosted, gilt finished, 60467E 17-jewel movement with a double-roller lever escapement, a steel escape and a monometallic balance with a beryllium balance-spring. The stainless steel case is marked 20 Atmos, but the non-screw down crown makes the claim of 200m water resistance questionable. Samuel Smith…
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12/10/2020
Owner Review: Longines 8229 Chronograph – The evasive Longines beauty

It can be boldly stated that this is a spectacular piece. It is for sure one of the watches getting the most wrist time and attention in my collection. Which says a lot since my primary collecting interest is focused on military chronos! The case of the Longines 8229-1 is a peculiar one. There are…
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23/09/2020
Owner Review: Seiko 6139 Pogue Chronograph

I can remember the moment that the rabbit hole opened for me, and the Seiko 6139 Pogue Chronograph was the key that unlocked it. It was 2015 and I was googling watches as I wanted to upgrade from my Fossil. I had no idea there were watch forums, or strange ‘watch people’ out there, so…
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07/09/2020
Owner Review: Sears Tradition Skin Diver – A 1970s Cult Classic

If your parents ever dragged you to the local Sears department store for back-to-school supplies in the 1970s, somewhere among the endless racks of discounted tie-dye shirts and bell-bottom jeans, you may have seen this handsome Sears Tradition Skin Diver sitting in a display case. “Tradition” was Sears Roebuck’s private label for their line of…
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06/09/2020
Owner Review: Omega Seamaster 14770 – 1962 (MCMLXII)

Bio: This Omega was made in 1962. This particular case model, the 14770, is known as a transition model from a “pre-de ville” Seamaster to the Seamaster De Ville, meaning some dials would have or not have a “de ville” under the seamaster text. I personally prefer the non-de ville dial which was only produced…
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07/08/2020
Owner Review: The Nivada Cousteau

The ability of vintage watches to tell stories of mankind always fascinated me. I am particularly attracted to tool watches with the Portuguese import hallmark, as they connect me to my country and make each piece more distinctive. Growing up in Portugal in the 80s, like every other kid I frequently watched Cousteau and Calypso…
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23/07/2020
Owner Review: Super cool Super 70s Super electronic Super Lip Super Nautic-ski

Lip is a French watchmaking brand that had its golden age from the 1940s up to the very early 1970s. It then disappeared as a watch manufacturer. They are known for making reliable manual winding calibers, watches with avant-garde design, and the first ever electric movements in the world. The Nautic Ski is a range…
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09/07/2020
Owner Review: Seiko 7018-7000 Flyback Chronograph

The sweet exterior demeanor of this beautiful 1971 Seiko 7018-7000 Flyback Chronograph belies the technical powerhouse within; a bi-directional automatic winding, vertical-clutch, column-wheel, flyback chronograph with a Kanji day/date complication that held the record for world’s thinnest until 1987. It really does pack quite the punch. That was quite a mouthful so let’s unpack it…
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29/06/2020
Owner Review: Hamilton 1973 W10 British Army Issue – True old school charm

I picked up this watch from an old watchmaker, who told me that he had bought it at an auction of MOD (ministry of defence) equipment and surplus items. He’d bought a handful of this type of genuine British Army issued W10 watches and parts, some from Hamilton and some of the later issued CWC…
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23/06/2020
Owner Review: Mitchell Skin Diver – A short history

Most of you probably might not have heard of the Mitchell Skin Diver. If you are wondering if this watch has any associations with the fishing reel company, Mitchell Garcia, you are absolutely correct. Early advertisements have indicated that this elusive watch was first launched in the early 1960s. Just a few models were featured…
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15/06/2020