Thread: What types of watches do you like?

Originally Posted by noelekal

Today it's one of the most accurate mechanical watches on hand here, a 1962 Longines with the most excellent 30L movement.

As an Equine Aficionado and a Thoroughbred Horse Racing Enthusiast, I have always admired Longines. You see the brand highligted at high profile races including the Triple Crown. I almost acquired one about 10 years ago, but passed on the opportunity.

I like your Longines very much. It is certainly a fine timepiece that looks handsome on your wrist.

It used to be Longines-Wittnauer and they went back a long time. They made very high quality watches. It's one of those brands that kind of disappeared and then it was reinvented. In this case the modern reincarnation is a good one. These days they make a great watch that punches way above its price.

These days Wittnauer is just a Bulova really meaning Citizen and they make so-so pieces. "When they fall they fall hard".

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

It used to be Longines-Wittnauer and they went back a long time. They made very high quality watches. It's one of those brands that kind of disappeared and then it was reinvented. In this case the modern reincarnation is a good one. These days they make a great watch that punches way above its price.

These days Wittnauer is just a Bulova really meaning Citizen and they make so-so pieces. "When they fall they fall hard".

That's good information. Thank you. I remember Longines-Wittnaur, but had forgotten about it until I read your post.

I always have esteemed Longines. Just kind of seized on the brand and developed an admiration for it. I also greatly admire Omega, IWC, and Zenith. I do think it's kind of finky that, upon acquisition Swatch positioned Longines to be distinctly beneath Omega in the haute horology pecking order. It wasn't always so.

There's no accounting for taste and I'm no watch maker professional. I'm just a watch nerd who admires vintage Longines from the era when they produced their own movements as a stand alone company.

Longines has a fabulous history, made some outstanding watches, and from what I've read was once considered one of the primo watch brand to be seen to own. Rolex's place in the sun is a comparatively recent thing.

I'm not so keen on some of the styling features that the American cased Longines models featured in the 1940s and 1950s, but the Longines factory cased models are quite pleasing. I think some Longines dials were also produced for the American cased imported Longines movements. Apex, Keystone, and Star watch case companies come to mind. I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting.

This 1954 vintage Longines with 19AS movement represents such a watch styled for the American market. I've not looked at the inwardness of the thing in some years. It's a 14kt solid yellow gold case and I think it was made by Star. This watch has an undeniable 1950s vibe.


This late 1940s Longines with 27M movement was factory cased and features a pleasing 18kt rose gold case. I picked it up at a car boot sale in Barnsley, West Yorkshire for little cash outlay at the time (pre Ebay and low gold prices).


Has a neato egg shell white waffle-y dial.


This Longines is a great running watch, but looks like it needs a clean up on aisle seven and the lugs are damaged. It has the less common 30LS movement with center second hand. I've not decided what to do with it other than to wear it anyway.


Another Longines in a solid 14kt yellow gold case this one has the 370 movement. I think it dates to 1962. I love the Breguet styled numeral markers.


This lady's model dates to 1946 and features the 8M movement in a Longines produced 14 kt gold case. It belongs to my wife.



My personal very favorite vintage watches are simple hand winding models. It's gratifying to wind them each morning. They need me in a way that no automatic or quartz can.

You have very expensive tastes my friend!

The 1940s and 50s were the golden age for mechanical watches. There were many makers whose pedigree went well back to the 1800s. Even Timex here in the U.S goes back to around 1850. After the "Quartz Crisis" in the 70s most went out of business and some were later resurrected by the big corporations like Richmont. That prcess is still going on these days. There are almost no independent brands left (not counting Rolex).

Yes there are boutique makers producing limited production watches for the price of a new house and because of this there are a slew of independent guys making watches with Seiko and Miyota movements for a song. These days anyone can become a watch manufacture. All you need are some artistic skills and a phone call to China.

To tell you the truth many of these watches are pretty nice and well worth the money. The king of the independents is Christopher Ward based in England. Swiss made pieces for around a grand and very good quality. No they don't look like a Breitling but they aren't 4 grand+ either.

Originally Posted by Johntoad57

You have very expensive tastes my friend!

Hi John; It'd be great to indulge expensive tastes in vintage watches. I'm beginning to enter geezerhood. Most of my watch menagerie was acquired between the early 1980s and the early days of Ebay, when "real deals" could be found at pawn shops, antique stores, flea markets, garage sales, and gun shows; a time when gold was $265 per ounce and vintage watches were mostly just old watches. Now folks empty their drawers of a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, but tack high prices on it as if it was desireable. Then there are the shysters, hawking redials as original, franken-watches, and outright fakes. Hah! I've even collected some of those through the years and yet have a few here at "The Home For Wayward Watches."

Originally Posted by noelekal

Hi John; It'd be great to indulge expensive tastes in vintage watches. I'm beginning to enter geezerhood. Most of my watch menagerie was acquired between the early 1980s and the early days of Ebay, when "real deals" could be found at pawn shops, antique stores, flea markets, garage sales, and gun shows; a time when gold was $265 per ounce and vintage watches were mostly just old watches. Now folks empty their drawers of a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel stuff, but tack high prices on it as if it was desireable. Then there are the shysters, hawking redials as original, franken-watches, and outright fakes. Hah! I've even collected some of those through the years and yet have a few here at "The Home For Wayward Watches."

Amen to that.

Back in those days I used buy watches at rummage and estate sales and on Eboy and I'd fix em up and get an overhaul and a new strap and sell them for many times what they cost me. Those days are over sure enough. Most folks know what they have or can easily find out. I haven't bought a vintage pocket watch in over 20 years now. The asking prices will take your breath away for junk.

Because I’ve been eyeing a 1975 MG commemorative watch, I have been looking at Sicura. The MG watch is stupid expensive on eBay ATM, more than a 75 mg itself would run you these days, but the maker had a few interesting watches in their portfolio.
Anyway, scored this wind up 70’s model with a pleasing colour and shape that has a couple tired crowns, but works, and has a mechanical alarm to boot.



Those are posted pics, as it’s not in my hand yet. But what the hell, I dig the 70s vibe of it.
Probably will never be able to score the MG version, but I’m looking..

I suggested it to my bride as a Christmas gift maybe,, the look she gave me could account for the sudden temperature drop up here..
Just saying…
Cheers gents. Be on time!

Our control room has a couple of clocks and one in particular that I like to use. It said 14:50 and I grabbed my lunch box to get ready to leave.

Then I realized that no one had changed it for daylight savings time.

What a bummer!