On the side… On the back… On the front… No Glibs, it’s not that kind of three way we’re talking about. This particular THREE WAY is a “Contour” watch made by Hamilton Watch Company of Lancaster Pennsylvania for only two years – 1938 and 1939. It was a massive market failure and as a result is one the more highly desirable watches made by Hamilton because of its scarcity. The watch sold so poorly that Hamilton bought back all remaining stock from its retailers, removed the movements to re-use them in more popular case styles and recycled the Contour cases.
So called “driver’s watches” that could be worn on the side of the wrist became trendy in the late 1930s. The Contour was Hamilton’s answer this trend. Hamilton watches were arguably one of the best mass produced watches of the time. Many would say they are better than anything almost anything of the period except for some limited production Swiss watches. In terms of massed produced watches the American brands were generally superior to the mass produced Swiss watches of the same time.
For whatever reason it’s also the watch that my maternal grandfather wore. I’m not sure if he liked the style or simply got a deal on a watch that didn’t sell especially well. Sadly, I never got the chance to ask him about this particular watch as I found it when cleaning out a closest in the basement after he died. Fortunately, I was close to my grandfather and we did talk about many other things.
When I found the watch it was missing its band and buckle as well as its stem and crown. It also had a cracked crystal. Luckily as a Hamilton collector I had an original stem and crown in my parts collection. For a band I used a period correct pigskin band with a period correct gold filled buckle. I was able to order a replacement plastic crystal that you see in my photos from a parts house. However, later a fellow collector sent me a new old stock original mineral glass crystal after he found out I was restoring a family piece.
The movement in the watch is a Caliber 980 – a 14/0 size tonneau shaped movement that is about 19mm or 0.73 inches in length. The 980 was commonly used in Hamilton’s gold filled cased watches.
This is the original and correct movement to my grandfather’s watch. However, for Hamilton’s higher end and solid gold movements they also made a more highly finished version of this movement called the 982. Functionally it’s identical to the 980, but has more jeweling and finishing. It is one of my absolute favorite Hamilton movements.
In the old days watchmakers would inscribe the inside of the case every time the watch was brought in for service. These cases are far from dust proof and the lubricants of the time also evaporated relatively quickly. As a result watches of the period needed to be serviced every 2 to 4 years. Here is the case back of the watch.
And here is a close up of the service marks:
It appears the watch was serviced from 1939 through 1955. Each watchmaker had a different code and style for service marks so it is difficult to be 100% sure. Today we don’t scar a watch like this. We use a Sharpie to note the date that we last serviced the watch and remove it with solvent when we clean the watch again. With modern synthetic lubricants and gentle usage of the watch you can easily get a decade or more between services.
The case is gold filled which means it is made of brass with thin sheets of gold applied to either side of the brass and bonded to it under high pressure. The thicker the gold the longer it will last, but it almost always wears through on the high spots and the edges of the case. After a decade or so of usage by my grandfather the corners on the top of the case have worn through. There is no way to repair it. Folks have tried to electroplate the cases, but it generally doesn’t work well. It’s a problem with watches from this era as many case styles were only available in gold filled. Here is how the case is constructed:
The dial of the watch is made with sterling silver and has solid gold applied numerals. I’ve never gotten a good answer as to what karat gold the numerals are. The consensus is 18K. The hands are gold plated. The dial is one of the most fragile parts of the watch. There are firms that specialize in restoring dials, but collectors prefer originality if at all possible. Best I can tell this dial is original, but during routine service of the day it wasn’t uncommon for the dial to be sent out for repair as part of a general service.
Values for Contours in good condition are anywhere between $500 and $1,000 US. Needless to say for me, the watch is priceless and is basically the only watch in my collection that I wouldn’t sell.
Comments
270 responses to “The Three Way Contour”
Wow, very nice!
Thanks!
Enjoyed your article. I have very few of my parents’ belongings, a couple tools and a few pictures. I’m am going to insure that my kids and grandkids are left with more mementos than they can even want. My cousin just gave me originals of my parents’ wedding picture (1922) that he had gotten from his mother when she died. I’ve already got a grandkid in mind for that.
My parent’s house is just about double the size of my house. I’ve no place to put anything when they no longer need it.
That’s nice Fourscore. I bet they’ll really appreciate that.
I discovered a treasure trove (to me at least) of letters my grandmother had saved. A whole bunch are from my grandfather describing his wartime experiences when he was shipped out during WWII while they were dating. Others are from the late 1800s and contain the communications of various great-great uncles and cousins when they first immigrated and dispersed across America.
oh wow, that’s awesome. You should scan them and put them online, even if it’s just as a slideshow on youtube or whatever. I believe in the importance of preserving that kind of first-person account. It’s so easily lost.
Original pics are what I wanted to get from my grandpa when he passed away. We share a birthday and he passed when I was 13 and his funeral was on our b day. He was a baseball player that was invited to join the Pirates camp. Grandma, being a recent immigrant from Germany, told him to get a real job and not play a game. He ended up working in a print shop, but kept his inner athlete alive by bowling. Every time he rolled a perfect game, his league gave him a small golden trophy. Those are what I inherited. Ten or so of them. Wish I had pics to put with them.
When my mother left this world my brother inherited all the family pictures, including the negatives. He was always going to bring them over for me to copy, you know the story, next time I come over (he lived about 30 miles away, visited every two weeks or so). “Yeah, I bring them, just have to find the box in the closet”. Then he died, all the family pictures were lost, my SIL wasn’t able to find them, kids never found them. I had enough to make dvds for all the nieces/nephews and my kids and I’m guessing they will get lost too. Too bad, the family history is disappearing.
I am now the keeper of the family photo albums. I have a closet full that go back a hundred years. The cost of preserving them in a different format is ridiculous. The only thing that I’m going to be able to do is go through them and pick and choose what to save. The rest will most likely be lost.
Good read and nice pics.
This is my daily wear watch: https://www.amazon.com/Seiko-SNK805-Automatic-Stainless-Canvas/dp/B000LTAY1U
Not fancy, but nicely functional.
Seiko 5 is great watch. You can get them in any style from casual to fancy.
Seiko 5 is a great watch.
This is my daily wear watch. Italian design (a Submariner knock-off, basically), with a Seiko movement. I use the rubber strap it cam with. I love it.
I was getting rid of some junk in my bedroom so I don’t burn the house down when I turn on th baseboard heaters, and found the cheap watch I bought when I was studying in Russia a quarter century ago. A cheap Raketa that’s nowhere near as nice as anything they’re putting out now, made I think just before the end of the Soviet Union. Thanks to the collapse of the ruble I paid the equivalent of about $6 for it in a reputable department store. It lasted a good dozen years, although I had to replace the band twice. I’m not certain where the box with the instructions is, although I have an idea.
If I remember right they bought the tooling from the Swiss. Similar to the the way a Lada was a Fiat.
And wouldn’t you know, I found an image of the same model I got
What can you say? I was a poor college student looking for something good enough that would last me long enough, and had to be a wind-up — I didn’t want to worry about finding a replacement battery since I had no idea what sort of watch batteries a Soviet-era watch would use.
“worry about finding a replacement battery since I had no idea what sort of watch batteries a Soviet-era watch would use.”
6V lantern batteries, comrade
Likely the best watch I had (with sentimentality bias inserted) was my army-issued Stocker & Yale Sandy. Manual wind.
The one thing I was trying to leave with, and the supply fuckers chased me down for it.
Dang, they are pricey on the secondhand market.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-Military-Stocker-Yale-Sandy-490-Type-1-JAN-96-MIL-W-46374F-Watch-Swiss/153131953925?hash=item23a7602f05:g:rXAAAOSw6fpbZykX
Yeah. They’re, IMO, awesome watches.
Shoulda hid it in your Christopher Walken and signed the statement of charges. I remember seeing those but never got one myself. 1996 is vintage? Crap.
Love it. Those numerals scream 20s/30s.
I have an Illinois watch, (movement s/n 303723) that I would love to get back in action, cause it tries to run. The last quote I got was like $450, and it has a fake glass.
Consequently, I just look at it.
Illinois started to reuse serial numbers. Is it big, thick and have an looking movement with just one wheel visible?
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/illinois/303723
If not its probably much later. If it’s a later movement $450 will put you underwater unless it’s got sentimental value.
Ebay tells me its an 18S. And you’re right…it’s not an heirloom, but its really cool.
Come to Dayton and fix my Waterbury mantle clock that stopped chiming on the hour (still bongs on the half), and Ill make dinner and get you drunk.
I hate working on clocks none of my tools work. It’s like asking the guy who fixes Fiats to fix your large diesel truck.
It still chimes on the half, so I imagine something is just outta whack. Likely some pliers and some 30-weight ball bearings will do it.
It’s all ball bearings now. Which brings to the question, why do we no longer have grease fittings on our vehicles? My grandpa used to grease everything. If it didn’t have a fitting, he’d drill a hole and add one.
If you buy replacement ball joints and such (primarily from Moog, in my experience), they have grease fittings.
OEM doesnt, cause I guess they just expect you to bring em back for dealer service.
All you need are some gauze pads and about ten quarts of antifreeze. Prestone… no, make that Quaker State.
The only thing on my truck that has grease fittings is the drive shaft. I think the new models don’t even have those anymore
OMG you just reminded me of my (at the time, not yet) stepfather’s ancient mantle clock that went-off on the quarter hour. That noisy thing caused no small amount of acrimony amongst some of my side of the family.
Oh, Jugsy has this stupid battery-driven Westclox faux mantle clock that goes off on the quarter, half, 3/4, and hour. With each chime progressing in it’s 90’s-esque MIDI dissonance.
Its like the Bigmouth Billy Bass of time pieces.
Neat.
Cool watch. Was it bought on the morn of the day that he was born?
Wonderful! I never knew it had a name, but I’ve always loved it. It’s the one wrist watch I’d spend stupid money on if I had stupid money.
I’m on a film noir kick right now and this It’s definitely what I’d wear on my holodeck trip to work a case with Sam Spade.
Yeah, a Contour on my wrist (on the side) cruising the Embarcadero in my supercharged Graham Paige Hollywood with Myrna Loy at my side.
Or maybe Hedy Lamarr.
thats HEDLEY
What are you worried about, 1864, you’ll be able to sue her.
I was thinking I might take a watch side trip in my Prohibition book. It’d be a neat little Easter egg.
I like books that weave actual historical points into the narrative.
Two nonfiction recommendations, “The History of the World in Six Glasses”, and “Salt: A World History”.
One of the neat things about collecting Hamilton watches of the first half of the 20th century is that all the wristwatches had names as their model number!
As someone who owns over 30 watches, let me say that is one awesome looking watch. I wish I had it!
Lat year, my brother in law found in a drawer at the office a watch my father used to wear. He took it to the local watch guy and asked if it was worth cleaning up. It was a Zenith and he said it absolutely was worth it. His a watch enthusiast like me but he felt he should ask me if I wanted to pay and keep the watch. I said I would since my father was not doing well health wise. In one picture of him we have, he’s standing over his tailor table smoking sporing the watch. Classic.
In the 60s and 70s Zentih was the main rival of Omega and every bit the equal in quality.
My father passed away last week and I’m glad I have it.
Sorry for the grammar. Watching the game.
Sorry to hear that Rufus, Condolences.
Thanks. Still processing it.
Sorry for your loss, muppet.
The Muppet nation grieves.
/somber Muppet bop-nod.
Here’s a pic similar to mine which is a crank watch:
https://watchestobuy.com/shop/zenithautomaticroundoffsetdate-htm/
Oh, Rufus, I am so sorry to hear that.
That’s tough. Hang in there, Rufus. I know the feeling.
Your story about finding your dad’s picture in Japan on a SF ad still blows my mind!
Your father passed also?
He was a pillar of power for us. He was our Stalin.
Yep. What’s creepy now is that a few of my high school classmates are starting to kick it. Small percentage, but that number is rising quickly.
How old are you?
102?
I don’t know about Straf, but given the gang presense in certain elements of my high school population, I wouldn’t be surprised if a good chunk of my classmates are corpses.
50 next year. Lost a few to the big “C”. Given the advances in treatment, you’d think it wouldn’t happen that often. Still does, though.
51 and I’m at 4 and counting.
Scary.
Class size?
Mine was about 300~400.
Mine was 489. I knew every single name. At least 7 deaths that I know of.
This one was the most tragic:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/azcentral/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=17113543
“The Dyer family has established the Ashlyn Dyer Fund for Neurological Research through the Marin Community Foundation.”
If a hit and run killed someone in my family, I’d be tempted to go Death Wish on people. Kudos to that family for going in the positive direction.
Jesus, that was tragic for real.
The part about if the person stopped and called she would have had a chance makes it especially sad.
How do you know? My entire HS graduating class could be liquidated and I’d have no idea.
Facebook. I wouldn’t post a notice on there, but they do.
How could you? YOU’RE DEAD!
There’s a reason it’s called a Ghost in the Machine.
Rufus isn’t respecting my choice of pronouns! Shame, shame, shame.
Very sorry Rufus.
I have about 5 modern watches and too many vintage watches to count. Zenith is very well known worldwide, but not as much in the US thanks to Zenith TV having US naming rights for most of the last half of the 20th century.
I bought one of their chronographs in the 1990s grey market. As luck would have it LVMH bought the company and US rights and took the brand upmarket. I think even on the used market I doubled my money. I think new that their chronos in stainless steel are going over $10k USD, but I know the luxury market for watches has cratered recently.
Sorry to hear about your father Rufus….
Where do you collect/buy vintage watches?
And thanks. Thanks to all.
I use to buy them on Ebay in need of repair. But its been well over a decade since I’ve fixed a watch.
I’ve been out of the market, but there were lots of web sellers – some good, some not so good. Depends on what you want to do. If you just want one type or brand you are best off paying more and getting it from a specialist in the brand or type of watch.
VIntage Rolex is high value, high fakes and high stakes. Even good dealers get taken. It was never my thing – I didn’t have that kind of money to burn.
Yeh, I’d rather just stick to new. If I happen upon a vintage somewhere, I’d probably pick it up. But to actively seek one? Tricky.
/heads to Ebay.
Geneva
My condolences Rufus
Damn, sorry Rufus. Condolences.
I appreciate the thoughts from everyone.
Really.
I’m sorry to hear about your father.
Oh, Rufus. I’m sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing.
Sorry to hear that, Rufus. I lost my dad in 2004 and I still miss him.
I remember. We had to do the same thing.
Sorry 🙁
I hope all went well this weekend.
As well as it could go.
I hope there were some good stories (and I know there were).
Condoglianze.
Sorry, buddy. Even if it took watches to talk about it, I’m glad you mentioned it.
Thanks.
A muppet fist to chest pump to everyone here.
Sorry for your loss, Rufus. Glad you have the watch.
I gave a Seiko watch as a present to my father. He passed away a couple of months later. I think he never wore it. I’ve been wearing it myself for the last seven years.
That’s both sad and funny at the same time.
I’m pulling your leg of course.
For the record, Rufus is a monster (he’s a muppet, so obviously), and that’s a sweet story.
So sorry for your loss. Sounds like you were pretty close. Lost my dad seven years ago, he left me his watch – but since I’m not a watch person and we weren’t really that close, it pretty much sits in the bottom of my sock drawer. I can really appreciate those that have that special relationship with their fathers.
We don’t have any cool heirloom watches but I did inherit my great grandfather’s violin. Turns out the violin was a fake he bought in a sears catalog back in the 1800s. We had it appraised and they said it still had some value in it.
Sears sold everything, amirite ?
Didn’t they sell cocaine at one time?
#EyeDrops
I think they were in the laudanum section.
We have half a dozen Sears houses in town. Would have bought one, but it needed too much work and I’ve remodeled/build my last house.
I’m a basic bitch.
SWATCH or gtfo
I was never that cool.
Evidently, in proving ‘everything old is new again’, they’re coming back.
I never liked them. I wouldn’t have worn one if it’d been given to me. And I was all about fads, so I don’t know why I didn’t like Swatches.
Im beginning to re-appreciate the Nike Cortez®
On this, we are simpatico.
Cortezes be ill af
My parents couldn’t afford those when they were in fashion and I coveted a pair badly. To me, it’s an object of childhood envy, but now I don’t (won’t) wear anything but Birks, so I’m just operating on nostalgia fumes.
Just like a really rank fart from the chinese buffet you had for lunch..embrace the fumes
ha! i only owned one, but it was clear so you could see the watch innards and I was ridiculously proud of that thing.
it still amuses me when I see a Swatch store, because it seems so weirdly nostalgic, like someone trying to bring back Blockbuster
I figured an Apple watch would be a basic b device.
Naw. I like analog face, black strap, clean and simple lines.
Maybe I’m using “basic bitch” wrong.
I don’t know, do you own a pair of Uggs?
Nope.
Then you have yet to achieve full basic-ness.
Nah…$160 Tieks with filthy heels that look like Fred Flinstone feets.
Das basic.
my roommate back in 1990 wore Uggs. I thought they were stupid (it’s SoCal what do you need sheepskin boots for you dumb bitch?). But she was just ahead of her time.
https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Basic%20Bitch
Well do you like pumpkin spice lattes, UGGs, and Yankee candle?
No, no, and no. HM says I have failed at basicness.
You can self-diagnose yourself from these symptoms.
LOL!!!
I wear an Apple Watch and it tells me I’m failing at gym life.
No, creepy, little, corporate spy. Ick.
Having the dial is light up is handy. I had an indiglo Timex that was quite useful.
That’s what I wore all the years I was in fire/EMS service. Super handy.
It’s ok. As I said before, I wear the male equivalent, a Timex Expedition, as my daily watch.
You know where you bought that, and it wasn’t in the men’s department.
I’m so basic I haven’t worn a watch in around 20 years. I think I have a Timex buried in a storage box somewhere. But I like looking at them, appreciating the styling, etc.
That is just lovely. Nice, clean lines and functional.
Great article Sensei. That was interesting about the service marks.
No one needs a watch. It doesn’t fit with traditional driving gloves so that you have to have a second pair of watch gloves just to use the damn thing, and nearly every electric device we have tells time. Plus, they use those stupid little round batteries.
I am honestly surprised how many people still wear watches. On my commute I’ll observe the other weirdos around me on the train and 90% of them are staring at a phone. And 90% of them are wearing a watch. It baffles me. The reason I don’t wear one is because I don’t have to.
I could not leave the house without wearing one.
I even bought a Charles-Hubert pocket watch.
Goes great with my monocle.
And I only had to sacrifice one orphan to get it!
Just in case you weren’t glued to Glibertarians…
https://glibertarians.com/2018/09/when-timepieces-were-made-to-last/
I’m not and thanks. Will read later.
Read it. Cool. Hamilton is (was?) the quintessential American watch is it not?
BTW, what watch would you recommend today that would still be reliable in, say, 20 years or more? I keep buying middle range watches (200~300$), but they all have gone to shit after about ten years.
All mechanical watches will need servicing. Honestly if you are a “one watch” guy, buy a second hand Rolex and you will essentially never lose money. But every 7 years or so be prepared for a $400 service.
Otherwise buy a Seiko 5. Depending on the style they will be $100 to $300. When it needs service in 5 to 7 years buy a new one. Cheaper than that Rolex!
Other option is an Omega. Won’t have the second hand value of a Rolex or be quite as expensive to service. My modern mechanical of choice is an Omega Seamaster. Works casual, works with a suit. Not cheap, however.
You also have the option of Japan only Grand Seiko. Not cheap, not well known outside Japan. But for former watch crazy people like me who also like Japanese things very intriguing…
Thanks. Shoes and watchez get the ho’s and bitchez. That’s what my brother always says.
Rolex DateJust for the win
This has been my EDC for 24 years, and that price is probably for a fairly worn example; I’d figure to pay more like $6,000 for one with several decades left on the odometer.
A little SMU blonde number taught me (amongst other notions) what “boat” stands for: break out another thousand, and I always remember her on the way to Rolex. My last service came after a decade and was about $1k for cleaning, some little tweaks to the bracelet, and a new crystal. The bracelet desperately needs replacing, figure $1,500 before taxes.
Pro tip: drop by the North American hq in Dallas: the counter girls there would lap a F1 bracket chick….and the chocolate is amazing, of course.
I was going to say, over the last few years if there’s one thing I learned from people who know go with Seiko and Citizen. And they’re affordable.
You know who else likes useless out dated trinkets with no functional value because they’re retro?
Hipsters. And probably Hitler, too.
I thought keeping time is a functional value.
My phone keeps time.
Sort of. The cell phone tower keeps time and your phone talks to it often enough to stay accurate. If you had no cell service and you kept your phone perpetually charged, it would keep time, but you’d have to reset it if you let the battery drain. Unless you’ve got an old phone or a phone designed to be rugged, there’s no internal battery for the clock anymore.
Yeah, there’s a pretty high ratio of hipsters in what’s left of my circle. They’re all into turntables and fedoras and shit. I keep my mouth shut.
Damn Hipsters appropriating my hat.
Fedoras or trilbys?
Either way, I hate them already.
I’m not going down that rabbit-hole again. Mostly because I don’t give a shit. Substitute “trendy hipster hat” if that helps.
The problem with hipsters is their meager utilization of all the cool things I love: fedoras included.
I refuse to be concerned that little trendy boys started wearing wingtips: I never stopped.
Damn hipsters appropriating my record player.
Gah. That is one technology I’m glad to be rid of.
I am glad not to need to wear a watch anymore. I hate wearing watches or bracelets.
Funny enough I feel that way about rings. I find them really uncomfortable. Fortunately I have a very understanding wife.
Rings and watches are no good. They get in the way when washing hands.
I also rarely wear rings. Earrings and the occasional necklace.
*high-five*
Lol. Watch, ring and bracelet for me.
Lookit Bilbo over here…
Gay
It’s easier for me to glance at my wrist when I’m giving a lecture than it is to pull out my phone.
I don’t lecture 😛
That sounded like a lecture.
Eh, more of a harangue.
Pulling out your phone to check the time is when you’re most in danger of dropping it.
A watch is good for nearly every circumstance where pulling out your phone will make you look like an ass.
Very interesting looking. It has an attractive shape. It’s a great story as well.
I have my Great Grandfather’s 15 Jewel Elgin
gold hunter pocket watch. It need servicing and a cleaning, but it functions and has no damage or issues.
On the side of the wrist? I don’t want to know what time it is when I’m pleasuring myself.
Use the other hand, dopey.
How am I suppose to scroll down glib’s, smarty?
That says more about your fetishes than anything else.
You know it’s tough work making sure things are glib enough for Glibertarians.
You people are talking about antiquated technology. Meanwhile, history is about to be made:
Is this a where were you moment?
Uh huh.
I feel like that’s an odd detail to question when the state has records of the case dating back several years.
Reading comprehension is apparently not my strong suit. Never mind!
What, four different Sleepaway Camp movies wasn’t enough for you people?
Her name is Maines and she’s from Maine? ?
I’m quite aroused. I would absolutely wear that watch!
Great article Sensei!
Your last one had me looking for new watches, this one makes me want to learn more about them. Mechanical things are cool.
Much more of soul to mechanical things. Part of the attraction on older cars as well.
Problem with vintage watches is they are tiny! I’m blessed/cursed with small wrists so vintage watches look good on my wrist. But for a bigger people used to bigger watches some vintage watches look quite small.
This watch is small, but the large lugs make it look rather large on the wrist.
Last article you recommended the Seiko 5. Turns out I had one that I dropped and it stopped working. Would it be insane to take it apart and attempt to fix it? It seems almost everything is on YouTube!
It was less than $100, so wrecking it wouldn’t bother me.
Without the right tools they are just about unfixable. There isn’t much your standard tools can do.
A hard shock normally either breaks the balance wheel pivots or messes up the shock jewels. If it is just the shock jewels it is fixable with a proper watchmaker’s tweezers. BUT first time I tried to set a shock jewel I must have spent hours trying to properly place it. And I lost one.
Also need a 10x loop to do this.
*throws in garbage*
Thanks, Sensei.
Mechanical things are cool.
It’s a living and a way of life. I’ve said this before: I’m stuck around 1925 in terms of style and mechanical appeal, although my watch is calibre 3135, so fifty years later.
Anyway, here’s to carburetors and firing machine guns through propeller blades without using a microprocessor or a battery. I like old pens and prefer to shift my own gears.
Style and design seem to be going away, although I’m impressed by Glock and Jobs for progress in interface: never forget the customer.
Hildawg on CNN: “You can’t be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for”.
Keeeeep on pushing the nutjobs.
Here is my grandfathers watch
https://imgur.com/gallery/ALA1jMu
That’s beautiful!
Thanks.
https://pocketwatchdatabase.com/search/result/elgin/12249858
1906 date. This would have been “middle class” watch.
Yea I looked it up a while ago. It was a just got a promotion at the mine purchases. Never met the man who first wore it as he died in the 50’s. My grandfather gave it to my dad as he was named after my great grandfather as was I.
That thing just screams “memories”. Nice little piece.
The bum on the corner has a lot of memories. I’m sure he’s seen a lot of shit. That doesn’t mean I’m going to bring him home, scrub him up, and then lock him in my basement to keep him sober. There’s a reason society gave up on him.
*Looks around, points at self* Me? Was this comment for me? I’m talking about grandpa Timeloose’s watch, not crazy Larry on the corner.
IT’S A METAPHOR.
I think you have a really nice basement.
That’s a correct analogy.
Your write up reminded me that I have had this watch in a drawer for about 30 years, it was packed up with my grandfathers WWII shit, I don’t know how it got there since it is inscribed to a person not from our family for his service to the Masons from 1910-1950. I wound it up and it’s ticking away.
Oo, that’s sleek.
Definitely post-war. My guess is right at the 1950 mark. Surprised Omega was still making pocket watches that late!
That looks great. We really don’t dress well enough to sport such watches these days. The daily suit is gone except for bankers.
My jeans have watch pockets!
My watches have jean pockets !
The inscription, if anyone knows old Ralph, let me know.
These are really interesting posts. Thanks, Sensei!
My daily watch with my Track Day gloves.. No, I don’t wear driving gloves on my daily commute.
I’ve been tossing around the idea of a dressier watch for more formal occasions, business meetings, etc. I’m torn between the Jaeger-LeCoultre Geophysic (though I don’t like the True Second complication — it makes the thing look like a quartz watch) or the Audemars Piguet Jules Audemars Equation of Time.
Dang! Part of what fascinates me about this place is the wide variety of people.
I’m more of purest and like the AP movements better. But I’m a traditionalist at heart.
If I was blowing that kind of cash I’d get a Patek Philippe.
I was kicking around the idea of getting a dress watch and was looking at images without prices to get an idea of my style. The Brand I liked most was Vacheron Constantin. Cool, I’ll pick one up. Checked prices and Holy crap are they expensive.
Welcome to high end watches!
Yeah, too rich for my blood. Maybe as a retirement gift to myself one day.
Wow, that is an absolutely gorgeous piece and a cool history. I’m generally not a watch guy, but that’s one that I would probably consider wearing had I lived in that era. The story behind it explains this, too. I have a weird tendency to gravitate toward products that never become popular and disappear from the market soon after they’re introduced. It’s not some hipstery I-hate-anything-that’s-popular thing either. I just seem to have weird tastes and shit luck.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Act_of_Settlement_1701#Provisions
And Yes Dune references that phrase…
It’s good to know the reason for the language, but the argument your posting it in response to was so moronic that it doesn’t even really require it. It’s not like we just started appointing judges and then decided to just let them stay in office until they died.
I have a vintage Apple Watch. 3rd gen. Silver band.
SUE ME
Gritty‘s gonna be passed out in a gutter later after this performance.
Suddenly I’m super interested in watches. More of this, please.
I destroyed every watch I ever wore daily until I got my first GShock.
I made one purchase towards a nice watch that had the g-shock encased movement. Casio makes a sporty higher end watch brand called Edifce that uses the gshock gel, has a compass, world time by atomic clock signal, and its solar. My iPhone does all of this and a tone more, but it doesn’t look as good.
Yeah, I’ve wrecked a bunch, too. I wear my GShock most days (it has hands, at least!) And it’s solar and has the atomic clock feature. Would definitely buy again – this thing has been through an incredible amount of abuse.
I don’t work (or socialize) in a world that would recognize or even give a shit about a cool watch. But I still want one.
Same here. That’s why I got the Casio Ediface. Looks great has all analog functions and it’s relatively inexpensive. I got a Japan only one when I was in Tokyo and the yen was weak so I saved quite a bit.
I had the same GSchock from age 11 to 22. Man… the punishment that thing took….
Ditto. My MIL bought me my first G-Shock. I still have it as my beater but I recently broke a pin in the band and I haven’t replaced it.
Mine died a slow and sandy death in Iraq.
I’ll bet. It would have lasted twice as long if you took it off before rubbing one out.
I managed to destroy my gshock in college.
My paternal great-grandfather received a gold pocket watch when he retired from Greyhound Bus Lines that my dad still has and keeps meticulously clean. It’s still ticking. He’s received offers to buy it but he wouldn’t dare.
And speaking cool relative things, when my mom enrolled in basic she received a stack of letters from my great uncle describing his encounters with the Desert Fox in Africa during World War 2. That is some cool reading. I have some photocopies in my safe.
And my own watch is a POS Casio digital watch that I bought for 25 dollars eight years ago. Only had to change the battery last year. I wear it daily and it’s traveled the world with me.
Watchmakers really impress me – the skills it takes to put together one of those things. My wife’s grandfather worked for a fine instrument manufacturer in Germany after he got back from WWII (took him 3 years to walk home from the Russian POW camp where he lived the last couple years of the war). To move from apprentice to journeyman, he had to make a watch. By hand. Including cutting the gears using hand tools. He still has that watch, and I hope to god that it falls to my wife…
That is awesome! That was a common project that master watchmakers did to show proficiency.
The perfect watch . It is simple and cheap. I replaced the original watch band to a black leather watch band.
Sorry, but this is the perfect watch.
Wow. That is like a perverted Kabuki mr bean
From a group called “Drifters”. Shimura Ken did some really perverted skits back in the day. YouTube it sometime. My favorite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B70T99BCoGQ
I think that’s a Benny hill ripoff.
It’s great by the way.
I began wearing a watch back when a ran cross country. I wore the watch on the front as I didn’t have to move my wrist much to check the time while running. I still wear my watch on the front. It feels unnatural now to wear it on the back of my wrist.
My grandfather died when my dad was about 12, and one of the few things my dad had of his afterward was his dad’s pocket watch. He kept that gold pocketwatch through my childhood in a drawer and I loved looking at it. I believe it was also an heirloom from an older relative, but I’m not sure, because Dad lost it or it was stolen at some point after I’d left home. Anyway, it’s gone, and it’s so sad. I gave him a replacement years ago, but of course, it’s not at all the same.
Cool watch and nice article, Sensei. The biggest reason I began buying watches was when my grandfather passed I discovered he had absolutely no heirlooms to pass down, other than cigarette lighters.
So I decided such things would have to start with me.
Sensei, thoughts on Tissot? Recently this has caught my eye:
https://www.tissotwatches.com/en-en/shop/tissot-ballade-powermatic-80-cosc-1.html
I’ve got a banged-up Breitling Super Ocean and now my above-referenced Unimatic. I had been thinking about an Omega, but I’m leaning towards several sub-$1,000 watches vs. one $8k watch.
Tissot is an entry level brand for Swatch Group. Good value and good quality, but low resale value. If you like it no reason not to buy it, keeping the first part in mind.
I’m sure people have Kavanaugh fatigue, but the stupidity only grows.
Slate: Brett Kavanaugh’s First Day on the Bench Was Disturbingly Normal
Democrats hoping for the liberal bloc to disregard or ostracize the new Supreme Court justice will be sorely disappointed.
epic link?
He’s going to destroy the world!1!!!
<a href="https://radio.foxnews.com/2018/10/09/justice-kavanaughs-first-day-on-the-job/" title="
” target=”_blank” >
daggummit!
Why is Yankee Stadium playing “New York, New York” after having their season ended?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/10/09/pack-supreme-court-why-we-may-be-getting-closer/?utm_term=.af35b59daf4d
Closer?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closer_(2004_film)
Closer?
CLOSER.
In the current climate, packing the court would escalate. They add two justices, we add two more, up until the point where either there are so many justices the court becomes a farce, or somebody backs down.
I suppose, to close this thread out, this is appropriate. Take it away Captain Koons!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HenZ4Z7w0qM
‘Koons’ you racist Canadian!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/André_Desjardins
I wear an Apple Watch most days, but I also have this.
I have a retro-looking LED Fossil 2002 series JR 7751 (not made in 2002, but in the mid-90s), but it’s very hard to find out if it has any value since Google gives me next to nothing.
I was that guy who at 17 used pocket watch, a hipster before hipsters were cool, then I moved onto even more ironic timepieces. Like a watch that played Nsync’s Bye Bye while a shitty pixelated video played.
Here it is in all it’s horrid glory!
What the fuck is wrong with you?
The russians talk to me through my braces!
Like in Eerie Indiana Except that was a retainer, but close enough for Ruzzian coaluision!
Hello! I’m about to lose my Internet Service, I’m broke and need to cut costs, Hell I’m going to lose my place if shit doesn’t change, anyweird,
I’ll be off line mostly, so make sure and keep up the insanity! I heard I will have a few Ghost posts, enjoy! It’s the Final Countdown, when will they cut me off? Midnight? 6 AM?
I do have all 3 seasons of Rick and Morty, which I haven’t seen, and tons of books, chores and projects. maybe no internet will do some Good….
Cheers my Friends! Back soon!
Been there Yusef…good luck and fair winds..or something.
Sorry Yusef. What happened? I thought you were kicking ass in the HVAC biz.
Life happened, I’ll get by,PC!
Best of luck my friend!
Nice post. I love watches and watch gawking when I visit Geneva.
I currently sport a Daniel Mink which I got at a going out of business sale supposedly for 90% off. I have never been able to figure out if it is actually a nice watch or not, only that it is obscure and has a nice slender profile.
Very interesting to learn about this company. Central Pennsylvania has a long history of concerns specialising in niche machining, machinery, and tooling.
German immigrants. Hamilton watches are made in more of a Germanic finishing style as well.
Long time lurker who registered just to comment on this thread. I’m no watch guy but I had a cousin who gave me a Swiss Army Victorinox watch when i graduated high school. I never wore watches prior to then and I didn’t start carrying it until I was 20 and in boot camp. I say carrying it because in the early 1990’s recruits weren’t allowed to wear watches on PI. So it spent almost 3 months tucked into my boot. I was the recruit everyone wanted to sit next too so we would always know how long until the next meal. Over the next 30 years that watch went on to Iraq, then to an unsuccessful stint at home as a civilian, then back in the Corp when I failed at a normal life. Then shit really got real and it lasted through ARS, jump school, SS, Ranger School, numerous peace time deployments and six combat deployments.
I’ve worn through 3 replacement bands and quit buying them from Victorinox choosing instead a cheap velcro replacement. I’ve had to replace the cover (called a crystal?) twice due to chips and cracks(cost between 150/200) and had it serviced both times. I’m now retired and no longer wear a watch. I don’t know their reputations but I cant say enough good things about Victorinox.
Not exactly a long monologue from Pulp Fiction, but I’ll take a good story when I can.