What do you do when you have a battered old watch case? A lot of people will answer “nothing.” There is a common misconception that watch case restoration is always a mistake—that it will change the shape of the case, reducing its character and value. But a truly talented watch case restoration specialist can do an impressive job restoring a case. Watch polishing techniques have … Read more
Watches from the 1960s are among the most desirable, and feature many iconic models that most watch collectors will recognize immediately. During the 1960s, major watch brands like Zenith began competing to craft the first automatic chronograph wristwatch. Heuer and Breitling collaborated with support from Hamilton, Buren, and Dubois-Depraz, while Japanese watchmakers like Seiko were pretty much on their own. The fierce competition between international … Read more
If you ask me, the best part of collecting vintage watches is not actually finding the watches you were looking for, but discovering, along the way, other watches you never thought would end up in your collection and, when they do, you just know it was the right decision. This is exactly what happened to me recently. While routinely searching online for some of the … Read more
The Basics Watches have always been intrinsically linked to the European history of the last centuries and for us – vintage fans – they represent the silent testimony of the historical events that occurred in Europe and elsewhere and the personal stories linked to those events. In this article, we are focusing on a special type of watches which, due to their primary conception as … Read more
Are you a world traveller? Or do you simply have a sense of wanderlust? Whatever the case may be, it can be both convenient and exciting to be able to check the time around the world just by glancing at your wrist. You can do it in style with a vintage world time watch. Many brands both popular and obscure have crafted beautiful, efficient, and … Read more
Do you have some automatic (“self-winding”) watches? If so, you have probably run into a lot of references to watch winders. Is a watch winder a necessary accessory, or can you live without one? In this article, we will explain to you what a watch winder is and what it is used for. We will then talk about situations where a winder might be useful. … Read more
The 1950s were marked by the postwar economic boom, the dawn of the cold war, and civil rights movements in the United States. The watch world also saw many innovations in the 50s when the focus was on improving the quality and precision of mechanical watches. While they were a time of relative cultural conservatism, the 1950s saw the introduction of some of the most … Read more
If you have an interest in the history of space exploration, you probably know that this is the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 moon mission. While Apollo 13 never made it to the moon, it was not entirely a failure. Indeed, in terms of crisis management, it was an inspirational success, as remarkably, all three astronauts made it safely back home. In commemoration, the … Read more
The Omega Speedmaster is one of the most iconic chronographs in the history of watchmaking. Although it can be traced back to the 1950s, the Speedmaster really hit it big when it became one of the official NASA flight watches, and the first wristwatch worn on the moon. While the Speedmaster is an incredible piece of engineering, Omega has used its ties with NASA and … Read more
When a watch is brand new, the crystal is clean and clear of scuffs and scratches. But over time, your watch crystal may come to look less than pristine. If you want to get it looking like new again, you will need to polish it. How do you polish a watch crystal? The answer depends on the material that your watch crystal is made of, … Read more