Looking for this style of time piece watch?

Brid Hegarty

I've wanted something that looks like one of these beauties for about 15 years now. I know absolutely nothing about these (or watches in general) apart from the fact that I like the look of them, and that they don't make them anymore. I don't even know if I'm right in calling them timepieces. It's part of the reason that I've postponed buying a watch (which I badly need)... is because I never see anything that I like, and I don't know how to go about buying one of these things, and whether or not I'd need to go abroad for one.

As far as I understand it, I'd have to go to an auction to get something like these and that it would cost me over 5 grand minimum. But would I also have to get an opinion from an expert before buying? And what sort of care taking would be involved if I were to use one of them?

First below - worn by Russell Crowe in 'Next Three Days'

Thank you

saccades

I'm not an expert, but the bottom is a (western) Arabic dial (all the numbers written out).

A lovely example is a Tissot Petite Seconde.

I'm incredibly biased fanboy, so https://www.takuyawatches.com/product/mint-special-edition-grand-seiko-hi-beat-36000-sbgh263-boutique-edition-full-set/ I'd go for that if I had a 5k budget.

There a lot of watches available in that style once you know what you are looking for. I don't know if you are interested in an old watch or a modern watch or your budget.

Qwhale

The first two are Hamiltons.

this might be the closest to it in their current range?

T-Maxx

Have a trawl through the vintage watch section on adverts. Just something to keep in mind is that vintage watches generally aren't as accurate as modern watches, their water resistance maybe compromised, and they tend to be smaller (c.35mm dia.).

fat bloke

Buy the Hamilton above, chuck it out in the back garden and it should look like the one you want just in time for Christmas! 😁

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393992#Comment_120393992

I love the fact that they’re smaller. I must check to see if I can find out whether that other Hamilton (posted above) is as small as the vintage ones I’ve posted.

If less accurate just means that I’ve to set the time back 2 minutes every 2 months, then that should be something I could manage.

Lorddrakul

@Brid Hegarty With reference to the first watch, there are a good few treatments of that type of design.

Omega 'Pie Pan' have a stepped version, or some editions of the Universal Geneve Polerouter have less so.

The thing is they are all very small, 34-36mm.

banie01

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120399346#Comment_120399346

I know that the older style 3 hander dress watch are small by modern standards.

But?

My young lad is 19 in a week, and while he has an interest in watches, the 2 that he wears mainly are my Accutron at 36mm and a Cartier tank at 28/30mm or so 🤷‍♀️

It seems that the needle has swung back to smaller for the younger fashionistas.

Deep Thought

Have a look at tourbywatches.com

they are made to order and highly customisable.

Am toying with purchasing this Flieger in 43mm

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393972#Comment_120393972

That is nice. But the hands on the watch Russell Crowe wears are just devine.

I also felt a bit weak at the knees when I saw this:

Brid Hegarty

David Bowie had a nice one:

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120393992#Comment_120393992

I'm digging this one. But how am I to know if the seller is legit? It's only 32 mm in diameter... pity you don't get to try it on before buying. What do you think?

https://www.etsy.com/ie/listing/1413787018/1950s-vintage-hamilton-automatic?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_ie_en_ie_-jewelry-watches&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQjwt_qgBhDFARIsABcDjOdw18TbmH05E9ZCo06AYFaWdqJRvOzk6C14tiVaCWmt6HxI-YOCBzwaAp02EALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_13703308037_123455838959_530490401650_pla-363157541237_c__1413787018enie_432418375&utm_custom2=13703308037&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_qgBhDFARIsABcDjOdw18TbmH05E9ZCo06AYFaWdqJRvOzk6C14tiVaCWmt6HxI-YOCBzwaAp02EALw_wcB

T-Maxx

I have no experience with etsy. Personally I won't pay that kind of money for a vintage watch unless I know the particular model, the particular watch's history, condition, market value, etc.

Does it have to be a Hamilton? Plenty of watches around in that style - I've a similar looking Certina that I picked up for less than a hundred.

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120402138#Comment_120402138

Would you be able to post a picture of the of the Certina? please.

Brid Hegarty

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120399346#Comment_120399346

Here's the Hamilton 38mm (from the first response above) on a 7 inch wrist and a 6 inch wrist respectfully:

I have a 6.25 inch wrist, so I won't be buying that one. Based on the ratio from the first image, that would mean my wrist would require a 33.9 mm watch... and since that fits ever so slightly too large on him (by my taste), I think I'm looking for a 33mm watch. Then it might fit more so like the way it does on Bowie's wrist. What size watch would you think Bowie is wearing there, if we were to assume he's a 7 inch wrist?

However, here's a 33 mm watch on a woman's wrist (fits lovely) which is surely smaller than mine... so I think I'll have to try on a watch or two!

Lorddrakul

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410666#Comment_120410666

It all depends on what looks right to you.

My wife wears a Rado Voyager (36mm) on a blue faux aligator strap. She has very small wrists but is quite tall, so she often wears it over a long sleeved top where the colours contrast.

She wears it as a dressy accessory, and usually in combination with other silver jewlery.

If something looks right to you, then it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

I had a gorgeous 36mm diver style chrono that I desperately wanted to love, but it just didn't look right on my wrist.

Brid Hegarty

I was just about to buy this 1950s Longines today but somebody else got to it first. Champagne dial and 33mm case! Lovely thin bezel too. Apart from the hands on it - which I would've replaced - it would've been perfect.

Ryath

Doesn't seem a bad price.

https://www.adverts.ie/vintage/hamilton-thin-o-matic/30595762?notification=d7fe8725a6064922a0a7e779c635e731-1687286231

Brid Hegarty

Thinking of buying this piece. There's radium on the hands and indices, so I'd have to get that removed. The only place I know of so far that would able to provide that service would be 'horology underground' in England. I rang one place in Ireland and asked them about using a geiger counter before and after the service and he laughed and said "geiger counter? do you think we're a nuclear power plant or what?"

It seems most people who buy vintage watches aren't worried about radium, but I take my health seriously. It might devalue the watch but that's okay as I'm not buying it as an investment. Some posters online told me that it would be next to impossible to do without damaging the dial, but I have to wonder is that true? Anyone know anything about this?

https://german242.com/en/main/shop/

Wibbs

I've removed radium from a few watches. Hands are easy peasy(and usually the biggest radium source). Dials not so much. The very early 20th century "trench" watches are the easiest as they have enamel dials, later steel painted dials like the above Hamilton are far more delicate and difficult to do, though that dial seems to have radium dot style indices and they're a lot easier than radium numerals.

That all said when I've removed radium from dials like the above I still had residual traces that set off a geiger counter, albeit at a much reduced level. So if that concerns you...

As for the dangers of radium; yep, it's nasty stuff but the biggest risk would be opening the caseback, but anything that was in any way 'hot' I wouldn't wear as a daily watch. By the 1960's it was being phased out and fairly rapidly and what radioactive lume there was came in the form of tritium. Tritium is far safer. Unlike radium which is a beta and gamma emitter tritium fires out beta which is stopped dead by the case and crystal(and the top layer of your skin). Plus it has a half life of circa 12 years(radium has a half life of circa 1600 years...) so a 60's or 70's watch's lume is essentially dead, the same as background levels on a geiger counter.

TBH if I were you and wanted to have zero issues I'd keep looking for a vintage watch that never came with radium in the first place. Most "dress" watches didn't.

Wibbs

PS there was also promethium used for a time, mostly in military issued watches, but it fell out of favour as it has a half life of something like 2 years and the glow faded quickly so dials needed to be changed out in servicing. Fine for the military but kinda useless for anyone else. A vintage promethium dialed watch is as safe as houses. Today we're down to non radioactive lume like luminova that needs to be charged with a lightsource, or a few brands using tritium enclosed in tubes so no radiation escapes.

From the early 60's on dials from quality brands were usually marked with a small letter above or below the "6" position* to denote what lume was present; R for radium, T for tritium, P for promethium and for a short time in the 50's a small horizontal line above the 6 to denote strontium not present.

By all accounts radium gave the best 'glow', fresh tritium after that. watches from the early 20th century tended to pile on the radium, but by the 30's and 40's the mixes got weaker(radium was expensive). Interestingly in adverts from WW1 brands only guaranteed the glow for 2-3 years. This was because the radium was so strong it burnt out the phosphorescent material in the mix. Radium on its own glows very weakly, all radioactive lume uses the radiation to charge/excite the phosphorescent material.

*military issued stuff usually had a bigger letter below the brand name, with some like the Germans adding a 3H(tritium) in bright red. This was almost entirely aimed at watchmakers tasked with regular servicing or quartermasters disposing of surplus so they'd know what they were dealing with, or for personnel who worked around sensitive nuclear facilities who couldn't wear radioactive lume as it could interfere with monitoring.

Eoin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120410666#Comment_120410666

The lug to lug measurement of the watch is at least as important as its diameter. A larger watch with the right lugs (short / curved) could easily wear as well as a smaller watch whose lugs extend too far across your wrist because they're too long or don't curve around the wrist too well.