Showers and Watches Just Don't Mix

There are two occasions where a man (or woman) should never wear a watch.
 
One is while making love. (It's just bad form.)
 
The other is while in the shower. It's just an all-around bad idea.

And if you're wearing a watch while making love in the shower, please exit this blog immediately and tune in to the all pro wrestling TV channel, because this is going to be way over your head.

So let's just focus on the shower. I am continually asked if a certain watch I am selling (a vintage watch, no less, because that's all I sell) is OK to wear in the shower, bathtub, or whirlpool.  Here's a recent example, from an eBay buyer who was thinking of bidding on a  near mint condition circa 2000 Zodiac Sea Wolf of mine:

Hello:
Regarding your Sea Wolf, I want to be able to wear the watch when I take a shower. I guess I expect that level of waterproof from a dive watch. Is there a reason I should know about that you made the statement that you do not guarantee the watch to be water resistant? Are you just covering your self? Do you think the watch will be OK for everyday use, including showering?
Thanx

James

I replied and also posted this response in the auction:

James: Yep, it's definitely a CYA (cover your a**) thing. Even though the watch is close to new old stock condition, you have to remember that the seals and gaskets in the watch are probably 15 years old or more (I estimated late 1990s or early 2000s for date of production). So I couldn't guarantee that the watch would be good for showering. I think the watch is fine for the occasional splash, getting caught in a rainstorm, perspiration, and so forth. But I can't/won't guarantee it against a constant, sustained shower of water

Sorry,

Bruce

OK, let's for a moment set aside the whole "how lazy/ADD/OCD do you have to be to need your watch in the shower?" types of questions, and just look at the practical reasons why not to:

1. Water resistant watches, even diver watches, are built for cold water, not hot, and not for steam. Hot water and steam soften gaskets, and steam can get into places water can't. Many are the stories I've heard of people with a brand new diver watch seeing fog under the crystal after repeated use in the shower.
2. Soap and shampoo also soften/dissolve seals and gaskets.
3. You can't thoroughly wash the area of your wrist covered by the watch, which tends to be dirty and/or sweaty anyway from being covered with the watch. Kind of like showering while wearing an athletic cup. (Sorry; too graphic?).

Points one and two go double for a vintage watch, even one that was originally "waterproof" or water-resistant from the factory. Over time, the seals and gaskets have become brittle and/or have shrunk, and whatever "water resistance" may have been there to begin with is now severely compromised.  It amazes me that anyone would even think of taking a vintage watch near water. It's a little like using a restored 1956 Chevy Bel Air to haul garbage to the dump, I mean, yeh, it's possible, but why would any sane person do it?

Now, onto the weird rationalizations guys (in particular) use to justify showering avec montre-bracelet:

1. I don't want lose it. Good God, man, it's not like your watch is the size of your wedding band, especially today's manhole-cover-sized watches. Put it next to your toiletries on the sink, or on the hook below your towel. The wear and tear on your watch aren't worth it.
2. Someone might steal it. Um, here's a thought: If you're in a public place like a gym, lock it up in your locker. If your watch is that valuable that someone might steal it, why would you subject it to undue wear-and-tear in the shower?
3. It looks cool. Honestly, Bubba, who are you trying to impress? Are you trying to be like 007 or Jason Bourne? Well, stop it. I've seen the movie scenes, and both Daniel Craig and Matt Damon look equally ridiculous wearing their watches in the shower.

So c'mon guys. Take it off. Your watch doesn't belong in the shower. Next to texting while driving, it's probably the dumbest idea ever. Your wife/partner/lover will not think you any less (or more) sexy if you exit the shower with a bare wrist. If you've got a body like the guy above, the wristwatch isn't going to make a damn bit of difference. And if you've got a body like mine (think Jack Black, only more body hair) it's not going to make a difference, either!

Cheers,

Bruce

Visit Bruce's Vintage Wristwatches

Hitting Paydirt in Oklahoma

I just returned from a successful buying trip in Oklahoma City ... 980 miles each way from my hometown of Evansville, WI.

Which is good because I gotta tell you, and with apologies to the 650,000 people that call this place home, the city itself was kind of a downer. The primary industries there are based on agriculture and energy (oil and natural gas) so the city has a very industrial/agricultural "feel" to it. Nearby Tinker Air Force Base, which employs 6,000 military and civilian personnel, adds elements of high security and miles upon miles of barbed wire fencing. The two main traffic corridors through the city -- Interstate 35 and Interstate 40 -- are a nightmare to navigate, with frontage roads that often require one to exit past a desired destination, turn around, and exit from the other side of the Interstate.

My motel, a Day's Inn facing Interstate 35, was adequate, but I have never in my life seen an Interstate exit so totally bereft of any restaurants within walking distance. There is almost always at least one or more of the "usual suspects" at any Interstate exit located within a major metropolitan district ... a Denny's, Waffle House, an IHOP ... that will do in a pinch if you simply need to put something in your stomach. But the closest eateries of any kind required hopping on the Interstate, and doing a crazy loop-de-loop to get back. The good news is that the place was only $45/night, proving once again the old adage that you get what you pay for. And for what I required of a motel while there -- basically a place to flop -- it was fine. 

Add to that 90 degree (or better) heat each day I was there, with a near constant 20 mph wind blowing out of the south. So it was like walking around in a convection oven, not that I was out in it much. And it didn't help that my arrival coincided with the one-year anniversary of the tornado that wiped out Moore, Okla., just down the road from me, which was plastered all over the local news. And of course the coup de grace: Reminders of the 1995 Federal Building bombing are everywhere, including a national memorial and museum. Now there's a real upbeat attraction for you.

Fortunately, I hit a few good restaurants for dinners while I was there -- an authentic '50s cowboy café in the old stockyard district, a good rib joint, and an Italian place that served a fair facsimile of NY-style pizza. But a few good restaurants alone would not provide an incentive for me to hop in the old Prius and return to this city stuck smack dab in the middle of Tornado Alley.

You wouldn't think this a likely location for a watch dealer/collector looking to sell out, but here he was, born and raised here, with parents born, raised, and buried here. A genuine Okie. And since he didn't want to mail the stuff, or travel to see me, I had to come to him. I was rewarded with a nice cache of perhaps 200 or so watches, plus about the same number of movements, and various parts, watch bands, etc. All the stuff that I like ... affordable, middle of the road type stuff. Some will be on my website soon, a lot will end up on eBay, and I'll be taking a big box of the stuff to the National for my mart table. The seller seems to be having a little case of seller's remorse, so I am still trying to smooth things over. It's just going to take a little patience. The guy is definitely a few bricks shy of a full load, but I've known him for years and he just takes a little extra massaging. Not that I swindled the guy by any means, in fact quite the opposite. I was quite generous with him because I know he is in financial straits.

NAWCC Library Archives Reveal Mido Treasures

Die-hard collectors of vintage Mido wristwatches are no doubt aware that the company produced a series of novelty watches in the late 1920s with cases modeled after the radiator grills of various cars produced at the time, including Buick, Bugatti, Fiat, Ford, Excelsior, and Hispano-Suiza:

These models are highly prized by not only vintage watch collectors, but car collectors as well. What you may not know (or at least I didn't) was that Mido was famous for producing numerous novelty watches through the years. I uncovered several of these during a visit this past week to the NAWCC Library & Research Center in Columbia, Pa. I try to visit the library every couple of years or so to mine raw date for my articles and, now, my blog. My visit this time around gave me a chance to meet the new Library Director, Sara Dockery, as well to visit with Nancy Dyer, Librarian/Archivist and longtime friend. I also got a chance to meet the the new Watch & Clock Bulletin Editor, Monica Elbert, with whom I was very impressed and am confident will carry on in the best tradition of the magazine, and add her own unique interpretation to it as well.

These latest watches were unearthed by going page-by-page through old issues of the Swiss Horological Journal (SHJ) from the 1920s, '30s, and '40s, which are kept in bound form in the Library's archival section. This blog entry (and more to follow) shows just how valuable this resource is to NAWCC members. The portion of NAWCC members' dues that goes to preserve this resource is money well spent and, sadly, is an under-utilized resource by members. Seriously, if you're an NAWCC member, and your travels take you anywhere near Columbia, Pa., stop in and pay a visit to the Library and Research Center. Visit, don't call! Treasures await the person who is willing to browse in person!

Anyway, the first little treasure I found was the Mido "Radiotime," described in a 1940s volume of SHJ:

It is described in the magazine thusly:

"We wish to draw our readers' attention to a new watch which has come at the right time: the Mido Radiotime, presented by Mssrs. Mido S.A. of Bienne. Every day, millions of people listen the time signal given over the radio or telephone by different observatories. They set their watches as best they can, naturally with more or less precision as no watch, up to now, has allowed the exact registration of the time signal.

"The Mido Radiotime fills this gap: is is the first watch rendering possible the simultaneous registrations of the exact time, (minute and second) by simply pressing a pusher fitted in the crown. This can be done four times per hours, each 15, 30, 45, and 60 minutes. It's functioning is very simple and exact, the three hands are immediately and simultaneously adjusted on the moment desired.

"In this era of the radio, the mew Mido creation will certainly be warmly welcomed."

The watch has pictured in the annual "Complete Price Guide to Watches," but its operation has never been explained, nor have I even encountered one. If you have one of these watches, please contact me with any further information you may have.

Mido also produced a series of encapsulated/hermetic watches, some of which are shown below from a 1936 issue of SHJ:

Three more models of encapsulated pocket watches were created for poker and domino aficionados and shown in a 1937 SHJ issue:

as well as a more more generic model that would be worn as a fob:

Also, many collectors may not know that Mido created a number of more traditional chronographs in addition to the "Multicenter Chronograph" that most people are familiar with, where all the hands of the watch and chronograph are mounted on the center post. Here are three more traditional chronograph models shown in a 1937 issue of SHJ:

Last, but not least, I draw your attention to a little-known encapsulated pocket watch with cutout bezel that Mido made for a while under the model name "Melik Mido." I contacted the company a few years back, and they assured me, having gone so far as to consult with a surviving member of the the founding Schaeren family, that the company never made such a watch. But evidence points to the contrary, as I found not one, but two, mentions of the model in a 1935 issue of SHJ:

I have an example of the lower model in my own collection, which led me to contact the company. You will notice in the upper example that the world "Melik" was hastily blocked out by SHJ editors prior to printing the magazine. However, they missed the "Melik" in the lower example. My guess is that shortly after producing this model, the company decided to pull it. Why, we do not know. And we have no explanation as to the meaning of "Melik." A Google search of the word reveals that it is principally a word of Armenian origin, indicating a noble title. But in any event, this evidence confirms, at least in my mind, that Mido did produce this watch, if only for the briefest period of time!

I hope you have enjoyed this little journey through some of the more unusual models produced by this great watch company, now owned by the giant Swiss watch conglomerate, Swatch Group.

Bruce

Shinola CEO hints at possible mechanical watch

A Shinola mechanical watch could soon be a reality, according to Steve Bock, CEO of Shinola, Detroit, makers of quartz watches, bicycles, leather goods, and soon furniture.

In an interview at Baselworld 2014, Bock told me that the pieces to the puzzle are basically in place; it's just a matter of timing (no pun intended), and how a mechanical wristwatch fits into the company's overall vision of being a "design company" and not just a "watch company."

Steve Bock

"Where we will obtain the mechanical components, and how we will retrain our assembly staff will be two big issues," says Bock. "But we have no reason to believe that either will be a stumbling block. With our success so far, we have people knocking at our door to help us in any direction that we wish to go."

Shinola's big news at Baselworld 2014 was the announcement of their new limited lifetime warranty, which goes into effect not only for all new Shinola quartz watches sold, but is retroactive for all watches sold previously. In case of defects, all components (excluding battery, leather strap and buckle)  are covered by the warranty, and will be repaired (or the watch will be replaced) free of charge. If the exact model is not available for replacement, a watch of equal value and similar style will be provided. A copy of the receipt and/or your completed warranty card is required as proof of purchase. A check or money order payable to Shinola/Detroit, LLC in the amount of $25.00 as service and handling fee must be included for all warranty and repair services. The fee is subject to change.

A "Runwell" model from the company's collection.

Shinola says the warranty is unique in the industry, and Bock says it speaks to the confidence not only in the watches themselves, but to the company's confidence of being around for a very long time.

Another issue will be price. Shinola's current entry level price for a quartz timepiece is about $500. While Bock declined to get into specifics, it's a sure bet that a mechanical wristwatch could not be produced at that price level, at least not one of any quality. Currently, the entry price for a man's watch with a Swiss-made automatic mechanical movement is about $1,000.

"It (producing a mechanical watch) is over the horizon, but not that far over the horizon," says Bock. "If you come back and talk to us a year from now, I think we would have a more specific answer for you."

Shinola's next big announcement will be its launch into the furniture business, which will bring back a manufacturing sector long crippled in the USA by migration of that industry to Asia. The move is designed to further enhance Shinola's goal of being known as a "design company," rather than just a watch company, though watch sales currently make up about 85% of Shinola's business, according to Bock.

Look for my complete story on Shinola in the May/June issue of the NAWCC's Watch & Clock Bulletin, out in about a week.

Bye for now,

Bruce

"We're All Mad Here ..."

... said the Cheshire Cat to Alice, in the Lewis Carroll classic, when she lamented that she didn't wish to mingle among the crazy. In describing my impressions of the current-day watch market. I have to say I feel a little bit like Alice who fell into the rabbit hole and landed in Wonderland.

I certainly do not wish to bite the hand that, literally, fed me this past week. As an accredited member of the media, I was well cared for by the folks at Baselworld 2014 (BW2014): complimentary admission (worth $165 all by itself); soup, sandwiches and beverages every day for lunch (saving me from a fate of energy bars that I had brought from home to avoid the mafia prices for food by the fair concessioners); and a very nice media center with work stations, Wi-Fi, and restrooms.

But I have to be honest: Prices for new watches are simply ridiculous.

I knew going into BW2014 that prices on new mechanical watches are incredibly higher -- sometimes by a factor of 10 times or more -- than a vintage piece by the same manufacturers.  I gladly concede that some of this is due to better materials (both movements and cases), and just plain old inflation. A nice Omega Seamaster in stainless steel that cost $145 in the year 1955 would be roughly equivalent to $1,266 in 2014.

But try to find an Omega Seamaster in the 2014 catalog for anywhere near that price. The most basic stainless steel Seamaster with an automatic movement and a leather strap will run you about $5,400 at full manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP).

And the reason for that became abundantly clear at BW2014:

Marketing.

I have no way to prove this, but I feel fairly certain that once upon a time in the not too distant past (let's say the 1950s) that marketing/advertising made up 10 or maybe 15% of a watch's retail price. Today, that percentage is 50% or better for the vast majority of the brands (with a few exceptions), and I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. An industry insider at BW2014 told me, off the record, that it's not unusual for a watch company to take their total cost of the actual material that goes into a watch, and multiply that by a factor of eight or even 10 to arrive at MSRP.

Modern watch marketing is filled with components that company founders and their second- and even third-generation heirs could not possibly have imagined ... celebrity endorsers, high profile (and high cost) sports sponsorships, movie tie-ins, and image advertising in high priced luxury magazines. One watch company, Jacques Lemans (which I have never heard of, by the way), is using Kevin Costner as its celebrity endorser.

Kevin frickin' Costner.

I mean, c'mon Kevin. You're a likable enough guy. Loved you in "Dances With Wolves," and "Tin Cup," among other movies. But for Christ's sake, stick to what you know, will you? Did you really need a quarter million dollars (or whatever they gave you) and a free watch?

So I really don't know where this is all headed, but I'm of the firm belief that the Swiss watch industry, after nearly being extinguished by the quartz revolution of the 1970s and early '80s, is headed for another crisis, but this one of sheer gluttony. There are simply way too many diners at the table grabbing for a slice of a pie that isn't nearly as big as industry promoters are making it out to be.

Many people seem to think that Asia is the new pie in which everyone will stick their forks. I have my doubts. Yes, Asia certainly has the sheer population. But the number of people there who can afford a $100,000 watch, or a $10,000 watch, or even a $1,000 watch, is very small.

The other troubling phenomenon that is taking place is the decision by many watch companies to open their own "boutiques" -- small stores where only their own product is offered. This is just plain bad news for the consumer, and more bad news for the independent jewelry store industry. So not only will customers pay exorbitant prices for watches, they won't even have a chance  to compare features and value among multiple brands.

So to sum up, I feel tremendously fortunate to have had this chance to visit Wonderland. Every watch aficionado should try to make this pilgrimage once in his or her lifetime. But having seen what is happening in the world of modern watches, I'm even more content to play in my little garden of vintage wrist watches, and steer clear of the rabbit hole.

Bruce

Brand Impressions from Baselworld

Here are my impressions of some of the brands. My choices were subjective, and based on what interested me. I made no attempt to make a marathon of the show and include every maker, as I am simply not built for it, physically or mentally. I tried to focus on second- and even third tier brands. I deliberately avoided "jewelry" watch brands, high end brands, and brands connected with the conglomerates, such as Swatch Group, LVMH, and Richemont Group, as they get plenty of press, and gotten too crazy anyway.

OK, in no particular order:

1. Eberhard. Excellent. They let the product speak for itself. Zero celebrity ambassadors. They had a wonderful display of vintage watches. They granted me a private interview, and their general manager, Mario Peserico, had some interesting insights into the concept of "luxury," which I will share later. Their PR contact promises to work very hard in the next 30 days to get me some nice archival material for an article.

2. Glycine. Very good. Celebrating their 100th anniversary this year. They also had a nice display of vintage watches. No time for an interview, but they did refer me to their web-based heritage project on Facebook, which they are doing in conjunction with a private collector.

3. Doxa. Poor. Very sad what has happened to this former great watch brand. Despite a very nice display of vintage watches, their booth was staffed by fembots who referred me to the company website for historical information.

4. Edox. Trying hard. Edox has a small but loyal following among sport and dive watch enthusiasts, and I had hoped they could assist me with some historical information. They granted me a private interview, but could shed little light on their history, as most records were discarded in the 1980s.

5. Enicar. They were very nice to me and presented me with a nice hardcover book, but they are basically catering to the Asian market with big gaudy watches. Their vintage "Sherpa" series watches were so nice and are so very collectible.

6. Alpina. A real pity. I had high hopes with this brand going to the show, i.e. that they could provide me with some artifacts for a historical story. But it has been bought by the husband-and-wife company who own Frederique Constante and is being used as the "sport brand" compliment to the FC luxury line. I got the impression they would just as soon forget that Alpina ever made a dress watch. Although they DO mention, by no small coincidence I'm sure, their role in the production of the caliber 877 movement for the Rolex Prince.

7. Shinola. OK, I know. Quartz watches. But I love the back story of this company, and I got a 15 minute private interview with Steve Bock, the CEO. Although I could not pin him down definitively, he hinted that mechanical watches are on the horizon. Their big news at BW2014 was the limited lifetime warranty on all Shinola watches, retroactive to all watches sold previously.

8. Blancpain. Super nice dive and sport watches. They gave me a really nice hardcover book, but no vintage watches on display. Their vintage "50 Fathoms" and "Bathyscaphe" just keep going up, up, up. Hope to do a story on them some day.

9. Eterna. Fantastic brand in their day. Not quite sure what is happening with them. They were sold to the China Haiden Group. China will eventually own everything I suppose.

10. West End. They made some very neat watches in the early days for the British colonies. Now, a total money grab. They claims to be "Swiss," but they are catering to the Asian market. What a pity. The female Asian staffing the booth seemed like she could hardly stand my presence, shoved a catalog in my hand, and told me she had appointments to keep.

11. Mathey-Tissot. Made very nice vintage watches, now with a strong Asian connection. They treated me courteously and showed me several vintage pieces from their private area, and also had several nice vintage pieces on display. They are a different company from Tissot, but they were connected once upon a time, and I'm still not quite sure how all that worked. Will find out.

Next up will be my comments on the current state of the watch industry, comments are not likely to win me any praise from many of the manufacturers, nor from the Baselworld  media accreditation committee, but then neither is very likely to give a shit about my tiny blog or the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin, for that matter. But at least it is my honest opinion and my own original thoughts. I witnessed many so-called journalists here copying their stories verbatim from company and show press releases, and putting their bylines on them. In effect, much of the watch media is merely a "tool" of the industry, which is a sad thing when there is virtually no distinction in watch publications these days between advertising and editorial, but I'm sure that's just the way the industry likes it. Stay tuned for the commentary from this very small (but at least honest) fish in the big pond.

Bruce

Impressions of a Baselworld Newbie

Basel Switzerland Saturday March 29

The world "show" fails to capture the grandeur, spectacle, and sheer decadence that is Baselworld 2014. But for convenience sake, I will simply refer to this short hand version for my report.

This is my fourth full day at the "show," and I finally feel acclimated enough to give some impressions. First of all there is the sheer scale of this show in terms of physical size. Building 1 (the main exhibit hall) has three stories, with each story requiring ascent by two escalator flights. Each floor is like walking a shopping district in any major city, except each store is a watch or jewelry (or combination) establishment.

Except they aren't really "stores," but rather exhibit pavilions, but unlike any other I've seen. For all practical purposes, they resemble and serve as facilities to house their goods, and keep their staff and visitors comfortable and feeling like they are a brick-and-mortar facility, but they are built in modular fashion in such a way that they can be set up and disassembled in a few days. They are not only functional, but are works of art in themselves designed to dazzle the public and outdo the competition, and attract attention ("Come see what's going on over here."). But at the same time, not be gaudy or garish. Where that line is crossed I am not exactly sure, but as a final test, a pavilion's design must pass final approval by an exhibition committee for being "tasteful" and built to proper scale (they must be two stories tall, for example) and safety code. Take the Hermes pavilion, for example:



Hermes pavilion (Courtesy Baselworld)

A building wrapped in an exoskeleton of wooden slats. An attention grabber for sure, but beyond that I defer to your judgment. One my favorites was the Bulgari pavilion. Not a fan of the brand myself, but was impressed with the Disney Music Hall-inspired design:

Bulgari pavilion (Photo courtesy Baselworld)

Or maybe the sides are a representation of a watchband, who's to say. But these buildings are designed and built in great secrecy, and at a cost that I'm sure is into the millions of dollars. The exhibitor entry fee into the Main Exhibit Hall, street level, I'm told is $5 million, and then the exhibitor must build his pavilion in addition to that. The exterior walls of some pavilions are giant video screens, requiring an entire room inside the pavilion for computers and servers to keep the giant media presentation operational. Other pavilions, meanwhile, have restaurants with professional chefs to feed their staff and VIP guests.

I can't help but be in a certain awe of all this high tech, style, and ingenuity. Yet the average show-goer seems fairly blasé about the whole thing, striding down the walkways of the exhibit hall as though it were an everyday occurrence.

Then there is the whole central plaza, or "Messeplatz," which cuts through the main exhibit hall at street level and serves as the tram stop to deliver  showgoers to and from the train stations and various other destinations throughout Basel. Beginning in 2013, it was covered, with a giant "doughnut hole" built into the middle, which serves as a skylight.

Messeplatz (Courtesy Baselworld)

Unveiled at the show in 2013, it cost $365 million (comprising the largest chunk of a $500 million makeover of Hall 1). It was prebuilt in modules, and installed in less than 12 months after the closing of the 2012 show. The space above the new ceiling of the Messeplatz, on floors two and three, are now additional exhibition space.

Here are some more numbers and initial impressions of the show:

* An estimated 100,000 people will attend the show;
* There are approximately 4,000 journalists here from all over the world, from well known publications to obscure "I just made it up last week" blogs and Facebook pages. I would go so far as to say that print publications devoted to watches are on their way out. Virtual magazines are where the action is;
* 22 billion Swiss francs of watches were exported from Switzerland in 2013, making watches the backbone of the Swiss economy, even ahead of tourism and chocolate (but not banking, which the industry does not reveal, though I suspect is in excess of 22 billion!);
* Rooms at the Ramada Hotel, immediately adjacent to the fairgrounds, start at 640 Swiss francs (about $755 US) per night, and go up from there, and they are sold out. By comparison, my room at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg, Germany is $148 per night, plus $58 daily round trip for the train ride to and from Basel.
* The mayor of Basel, attending opening ceremonies, declared Baselworld the city's most important (read $$$-producing) event; and
* the new buzzword this year is "Swissness," both a noun and adjective to designate a singular origin of a watch to Switzerland. The Swiss watch industry successfully petitioned the Swiss parliament to trademark the word, which will give the industry group the right to sue any non-Swiss company that might try to use the word.

Finally, here is a photo of yours truly, a rare moment in a business suit, and holding my all-important media badge which gives access to the "media center," an oasis that affords me wi-fi access (where I am composing this entry now), bathrooms, snacks, and a multitude of caffeine-infused beverages.

That's it for this installment. More to come, including brand impressions.

Bruce

Baselworld 2014 Preflight Check

Dear friends,

I am off to Germany/Switzerland Monday March 24 to attend Baselworld 2014, the fulfillment of an aspiration long on my bucket list. For those who don't know, Baselworld is the granddady of all watch shows. Hosted in Basel, Switzerland, and dominated heavily by Swiss watch manufacturers, the exposition has evolved from an obscure show attended by a small cadre of well monied Euro-aristocrats, to an extravaganza with well in excess of 100,000 attendees, ranging from the superwealthy to anyone who can come up with $50 to get in the door. (That's for a day pass; attending all seven days of the show will set you back $165.)

For wristwatch aficionados, it is akin to visiting Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Even for those of us who prefer vintage watches over new, it's still a pilgrimage that must be made at least once in one's lifetime, if for no other reason than the sheer excess of it. If there is a downside to it all, it's that it's strictly a "look but don't touch" kind of show, with everything locked securely under glass display cases. And no buying, not that I could afford anything there anyway. But if I were rich (which I am not) and the impulsive type (which I am) it would drive me crazy to be awash in an ocean of watches and not be able to buy one or two or a dozen!

The outside of Exhibit Hall 1, which underwent a $500 million renovation, completed in 2013.

Which brings up an obvious question: What's a report on an expo showcasing expensive watches doing in a blog devoted to budget watch collecting?
     
The answer: Having some fun.

At the very least I will not be reporting on the super-expensive watches, the Patek Philippe minute repeaters and the Jaeger LeCoultre tourbillion Reversos with the "are you fu**ing kidding me" prices. I will be focusing instead on the second- and third-tier companies that are putting out fine quality watches that, while still beyond my modest means, are earth-based priced and one day might even be affordable to me once they have entered the secondary market.

So bear with me while I indulge in a flight of fancy. And speaking of flights, let me tell you about a few of my preparations and expenses for the trip:

* Round trip airfare on Lufthansa from Chicago to Frankfurt, Germany and back: $974
* Eight night's accommodation at the InterCity Hotel in Freiburg: $1,000
* Train fares (to and from airport, and daily commute to show): $475 (estimate)
* Clothes: $400

Total so far: $2,799

A few comments: 1. I managed to wrangle a press pass, so I get comp admission to the show. 2. I don't count food because I have to eat no matter where I am. At least my hotel includes breakfast with the room charge. 3. Why Freiburg, you may ask? Because if I stayed in Basel, my hotel expense would at least double.

An interior exhibit by Blancpain ... a 2-story television screen

Now, about the clothes. I'm basically a slob when it comes to clothes. I buy off the clearance racks at Eddie Bauer, and haven't worn a suit in 20 years or more. Baselworld is a dress up affair. Seriously. The stereotypes of the Swiss being a fastidious and persnickety people are all true from what I've heard. And everyone I spoke with who's attended Baselworld told me the Swiss reps won't give you the time of day (I can't believe I just wrote that) if you approach their booth looking like a bum, media badge or no.

So as much as I hated to do it, I had to go out and buy some duds. Luckily I have a friend who is ample of waistline like me and sold me one of his no longer fitting suits for $20. Picked up another suit at a discount retailer for another hundred bucks. Five dress shirts at various places, including Goodwill, and add another $50. Throw in some socks, used neckties, pair of dress shoes, a fresh batch of T-shirts (essential as the first line of defense against sweat and armpit odor), and about $65 worth of alterations, and we're up to $400. So I definitely won't be winning any awards for best dressed reporter at Baselworld, but I think I'll pass muster.

Oh, yes, and then there's some investment in electronic gear. I bought:

* a new Microsoft Surface RT tablet with detachable keyboard: $400;
* a quad-band unlocked cell phone with reloadable SIM card that can be used most anywhere in Europe, $100 plus whatever I spend on calls. (Purchased mostly for emergency and peace of mind.);
* digital voice recorder for interviews and notes to self, $30;
* universal voltage adapter to recharge all my electronic crap, $30.

I already have a perfectly adequate digital camera, and a perfectly good courier bag in which to put all this crap into, so no money spent there.

So I figure I'm into this trip $3,560 so far, give or take. So not exactly cheap, but some items on a bucket list require busting loose a few bucks, and this is one of those times. Guess that ride aboard Richard Branson's spaceship will have to wait a few years.

Until Basel,

Bruce

Rolex Absent from Consumer Reports List of Best Watches

OK, the catch here is that the article is from November 1949 in which the magazine ranked 46 watch brands in order of their quality and reliability. Consumers Union, the parent organization of the magazine which conducts the actual product testing, did not actually test the watches, but rather surveyed a single "competent watch expert" to rank various watch brands, from best to worst, based on his experience.

The results are anything but scientific (CU would not even publish such an article today), but it sure makes for interesting reading. Not surprisingly, Patek Philippe, Vacheron & Constantin, and Audemars Piguet, were ranked first, second, and third, respectively. But the next 43 brands present an interesting snapshot of one "expert's" opinion that could easily have been debated at the time, and certainly would be debatable today, given which brands are most desired by collectors, versus those brands that have disappeared into obscurity.

For example, C.H. Meylan, and Touchon ranked fourth and fifth, and today are virtually unknown except for a select group of collectors who are into obscure high-end brands. The first American brand that made the list was Hamilton, at number nine. Elgin was next, at number 18, and Waltham didn't even make the list. Lonville, which distributed watches with inexpensive 7-jewel Swiss movements, came in last. Benrus and Helbros, generally considered the bottom of the heap by most contemporary collectors, ranked above such brands as Buren, Mido, and Croton.

Automatic, or self-winding, watches, by the way, were deemed "unreliable" by Consumers Union.

Conspicuously absent from the list was Rolex which today is without a doubt the most recognized watch brand in America. But what many people do not realize is that, prior to about 1960, the brand was not very familiar to the American market, and prior to probably the middle '50s was virtually unknown. The company's primary markets were Great Britain and its colonies at the time. (Rolex was founded in London in 1905, and founder Hans Wilsdorf, though born in Germany, was by this time a British citizen himself.)

I think more than anything, this 1949 article in Consumer Reports is a testament to the power of advertising. It has been said of Rolex that they are a company which produces a fairly good watch, but has the best marketing department in the world. Ask most any American to name a quality watch, and they will say Rolex.

I make no secret of the fact that I don't hold modern Rolexes watches (those made after 1960) in very high regard. I have nothing against them; I just find them boring. But I will concede one undeniable fact: If you find yourself down and out in most any city in the world, Rolex is the watch you want strapped to your wrist, because there isn't a pawnbroker in the world who would deny you a loan on that watch if you needed food in your belly or a plane ticket home. If  "watch-as-commodity" is your goal, then Rolex is your brand!

Interestingly, a primary distributor of Patek Phlippe watches in America in 1949 was Montgomery Ward, the giant catalog retailer. The Consumer Reports article told readers they could buy a Patek Philippe watch starting at $350 from Wards. I could scarcely believe it, but a friend of mine owns a 1943 Wards catalog, and there on page 475 are six Patek Phillipe men's wristwatches in 18kt gold, starting at $250!

At a time when a good quality watch could be purchased for around $40, this was certainly a lot of money. But think what those watches would be worth today!

Anyway, the article in Consumer Reports provides food for thought. Incidentally, the next time the magazine rated men's wristwatches was in 1958, and this time it appears CU actually tested the watches. Again Rolex was missing from the list. The highest recommended watch was a Croton Nivada Grenchen, a brand which had previously ranked 36th among 43 brands as "reliable." The watch was an automatic watch to boot, so CU's opinion of automatic watches had obviously improved since 1949!

Thanks to Tom Jeswald, of the Northern Illinois Watch & Clock Collector's club, for bringing this article to my attention. His more complete story is currently under editorial review at the NAWCC, and hopefully will be published soon!

Bruce Shawkey

René Rondeau on Building a Great Watch Collection

This week's post is by my good friend and fellow watch dealer/collector/historian René Rondeau on becoming a serious watch collector and building a great watch collection.

For those of you who may not know René, he is the one who, literally, wrote the book on Hamilton electric watches ... four of them to be precise. His latest edition of The Watch of the Future: The Story of the Hamilton Electric Watch, published in 2006, stands as the definitive reference guide to these amazing timepieces. In 1999, he also published Hamilton Wristwatches: A Collector's Guide, which stands to this day as the definitive reference on mechanical Hamilton wristwatches.

I've known René for the better part of 30 years, and I've always considered him a mentor figure. I have always admired, and tried to emulate, his business model of providing education along with the watch. Back in the days (1980s) before the Internet, René's paper catalogs were like no other. While other watch dealers would cram 50 and sometimes 100 watches into a couple of sheets of paper, with each watch maybe having a one-line description, René's catalog would have maybe 10-12 watches, with a half to full page of text describing every watch. It's a model that continued when René switched over to his website.

I have also endeavored to follow René's example of constant learning. Both René and I are perpetual students of horology and have been frequent visitors, among other places, to the NAWCC Library and Research Center in Columbia, Pa. You can never know too much about watches and their history. It's a lifelong learning process, and after nearly 30 years in this business I continue to be amazed and fascinated at new discoveries.

And most of all, I have tried to follow René's lead of impeccable integrity. Sure, we both love to "talk up" the watches we sell. But we never represent a watch as something it's not. And if the customer is not satisfied, we do everything within reason (and sometimes outside reason!) to make it right. René knows that the vintage watch business is a pretty small world. You live and die by your reputation, and it simply doesn't pay to start cutting corners; word gets out pretty quickly! Conversely, if you're good and treat people right, word gets out just as quickly. I have seen this time and again in René's business, and have tried my best to follow his example.

I recently asked René to reflect on his years both as a collector and dealer, and offer some tips on becoming a serious collector and building a great watch collection.

René in his workshop. This is a video still from a 2012
appearance on CBS Sunday Morning.

Here is what he had to say:

* Buy what you like. Pay no attention to what people say you should like. Your own taste is the guiding force.

* Become educated. As they say in coin collecting, "buy the book, then the coin". Knowledge really is power, and with all the great books out there, and the wealth of information on the Internet, there's no excuse for not learning as much as possible about anything you choose to collect.

* Focus. This is the hardest part, at least in the beginning. It's typical to start out scattershot, accumulating rather than collecting. But after a while your tastes will become refined. You'll find the area that holds more interest than others. Once you have found what truly inspires you, focus on that. Sell off less interesting pieces to finance acquisitions in your now-defined chief area of interest.

* To the best of your ability, always buy the best you can afford. Rare pieces tend to hold their value best. Common pieces are always common. Quality should be the goal, not quantity.

* Plan to upgrade. You have two ways to go if you're hunting a very scarce or rare piece: accept only perfection, and expect to hunt for a long time before finding your grail; or be willing to accept minor flaws like case wear, dial refinishing, etc., at least if the price is fair and reflects the condition, and be able to enjoy owning it while you continue your quest for a finer example. When a better one comes along, upgrade and sell off your lesser example. I spent my entire collecting career doing this. I'd rather own a less than mint example of a rare watch than to not have it at all. Sooner or later a chance to get the perfect one will come.

* Focusing doesn't necessarily mean limiting yourself to a single brand, or single type, as I chose to do when I became seduced by Hamilton Electrics. I know a lot of people who collect all types of early electrics. Or people could focus on certain shapes, or mechanical complications, or lesser-known watchmakers, or any of a thousand things that prove to be their chief area of interest. It all comes back to the difference between accumulating and collecting. We all start as accumulators; the 'eureka moment' where a more limited area of interest comes at different times for different people, but sooner or later I think everyone does find a focus, and that's when it really gets to be fun.

* And I think most collectors would agree that the thrill of the hunt is often the most enjoyable part.

Thanks, René!

Sincerely,

Bruce Shawkey

Visit Bruce's Vintage Watches

A Bevy of Bulovas

Continuing my search for inexpensive wristwatches, I did a little "horsetrading" a couple days ago with a collector friend who lives in nearby Rockford, Ill., who is a pocket watch enthusiast. I always keep a few inexpensive pocket watches around (usually part of "package deals") so I can work such trades. I went through this guy's "junk box" and came up with four Bulova wristwatches:

The one on the left I believe has the original band with it, and runs. The second one is a rare Academy Award model from 1953, also with original bracelet. It needs a cleaning. The third one is a "His Excellency" from 1949, running, with a 21 jewel movement. All three are gold filled cases, front and back, and in excellent condition. All have their original signed crowns. The last one is a stainless steel Art Deco styled "Senator" with a 15 jewel Caliber 10AE movement manufactured in 1936, gauged by the box-shape emblem engraved on the movement plate.

With what I traded the guy, I figure I have $20 apiece into the Bulovas. The stainless Senator should be an easy $100 sale all by itself, no work involved. With a $35 cleaning, the Academy award should bring $150-$200. The other two gold-filled Bulovas I will probably sell on eBay as resto projects. With their blemished dials, it will probably cost more to restore them than will bring.

So all in all, a good haul, and I'm sure my friend is happy with his two pocket watches.

Bulova watches are a budget watch collector's bonanza. They are plentiful, reasonably priced (most models anyway) and parts are readily available.

Joseph Bulova, a Czech immigrant, founded the company in 1875. Only 23 years old at the time, Bulova opened a modest jewelry shop in New York City. Initially, Bulova sold mainly pocket watches and other jewelry, but over time he expanded his line of products. He was manufacturing and selling his own desk clocks and other timepieces by 1911, the year he incorporated the operation as J. Bulova Company. By that time, Bulova's pocket watches had already attained a reputation for excellence, and New Yorkers bought them as fast as he could make them.

In 1919, Bulova introduced the first full line of jeweled wristwatches for men. In 1926, the company sponsored the first nationally broadcast radio spot commercials, featuring the immortal "At the tone, it's 8 p.m., B-U-L-O-V-A Bulova watch time" tag line. Bulova began selling the world's first clock radio two years later, and continued to make them into the 1960s. Meanwhile, the company's name was changed to Bulova Watch Company, Inc., reflecting the growing role of Arde Bulova, Joseph's son, in the firm's management. Arde Bulova, along with his head of sales, the brilliant John H. Ballard, are responsible for taking Bulova from a relatively small company to one of the world's largest watch companies. Though always based in the United States, Bulova is considered a Swiss watch, since nearly all their movements were imported from Switzerland, and then cased and timed in the United States.

Bulova continued to innovate in the areas of marketing and advertising over the decades that followed. The company launched the first million-dollar advertising campaign the watch industry had seen in 1931. Ten years later, Bulova aired the world's first television commercial. Broadcast just before a 1941 Brooklyn Dodgers baseball game, the advertisement showed a simple picture of a clock superimposed on a map of the United States. The message was simply "America runs on Bulova time."

Some people denigrate Bulova, saying they are all too common to be considered collectible. But Bulova has its legions of fans, and in fact there are two websites devoted exclusively to Bulova watches. One is My Bulova, and the other is Watchophilia.

Cheers,

Bruce

Mid Winter Regional Draws Fewer Dealers/Collectors

DAYTONA BEACH -- Wintery weather in many parts of the country may have played a factor in what many people were calling the most lightly attended Mid Winter Regional in memory. Two full days of the World Wide Traders (WWT) collectibles show also may have diluted attendance, especially among wristwatch folks, in what was, once upon a time, the largest regional show of the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors (NAWCC).

I arrived at the Plaza Resort & Spa Monday afternoon Feb. 10 to temps in the '70s, and promptly stripped down to cargo shorts and T-Shirt, and walked down to the Daytona Beach Pier and had an early dinner at Joe's Crab Shack. All of it was a welcome relief from sub-zero temperatures in Wisconsin.

The first day of the WWT show netted me three Omega Seamasters from collector/trader (he doesn't consider himself a dealer!) Keith Yarbrough, of Dalton, Georgia. We had agreed to meet ahead of time via email and telephone, and there is a good tip right there: It often pays to set up meetings with contacts ahead of time if you are both going to a certain show. This provides a good "ace in the hole" if the pickins' are slim. I also picked up an Elgin watch from one of my repair people. It's an oversize model with two-tone gold filled case from the 1930s, and I have never soon one like it. When I bought it, it was missing the bezel, and this fellow manufactured a bezel for me out of sterling silver. I have the hands for it back home, where I will complete re-assembly:

I also picked up two Hamilton electric watches that were repaired by Jarett Harkness of Longview Texas. These were a Summit II, and a Nautilus in one-piece stainless case. (I subsequently sold the Summit II at the NAWCC show on Friday). 

Summit II (left) and Nautilus

Jarett is an extremely nice fellow who runs a website, and also repairs Hamilton electric watches, having tutored under the great René Rondeau (René will be doing a guest post on this blog, by the way).

Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of dining with Fred and Joy Friedberg at nearby Anna's Trattoria (wonderful place, by the way). We talked mostly about Fred's new book on the Illinois Watch Co. that will be published by Schiffer sometime mid-year 2015. This is Fred's second book on the topic, the first one being published in 2005. You might ask yourself, "What else could be said about Illinois after the first book?" And the answer is "plenty." This book will focus less on the watches (though there will be plenty of info, including newly discovered models) and more on the company. Specifically, what happened when Hamilton bought Illinois in 1928, and closed it in 1932. The story is a lot more involved than originally thought, and involved a TON of original, forensic-style research through newspapers and trade journal archives.

Another good chunk of the book is devoted to the period during the 1950s when Hamilton introduced (and then quickly withdrew) the Hamilton-Illinois wristwatch models. The big question: Would the Illinois Watch Co. have survived had it been left to run on its own? I don't want to ruin the surprising answer to that question! You'll have to read the book.

From left: Joy and Fred Friedberg, Bruce Shawkey

The second day of the WWT show yielded two more Omegas, a manual wind, and an automatic, from a dealer I had not met before by the name of Francisco "Frank" Dumenigo, of Coral Gables, Fla. Like me, Frank is into a little bit of everything watch-wise, and is also collects/deals in writing instruments. He is a consummate professional, and a very nice fellow, and I hope to be doing more business with him in the future.

That afternoon (Wednesday) I also met Stan Czubernat (pronounced ZOO-ber-not) for a couple of beers in the Plaza hotel bar, to talk about American WWI trench watches in general. He identified and evaluated six American trench watches that I had brought to the show, and bought three of them. We also talked about Stan's book on WWI Elgin trench watches, which is coming out this summer. I will mention this again when I hear from Stan that the book is near publication. Do not miss it. The book will be the first ever devoted to this sub-genre of watch collecting, and I don't believe it's exaggerating to say it will turn this part of the collecting community on its ear.

Stan enjoying a cold one at the Hoffbrau beer garden in Munich, Germany

Stan is a frequent contributor to the Vintage Watch Forum, as well as running his own blog. He is extremely passionate about American trench watches, having restored over 150 of them to pristine and "as original" condition.

On a couple of non-watch related notes:

1. I'm sorry to report that the Plaza Hotel, long my favorite of the two host hotels for the WWT and NAWCC shows, fell way below standards this year, and forced me to bail after just two nights, and move about 1/4 mile north to a Comfort Inn. The issues/problems with this hotel can no longer be considered "quaint and charming"; they were just a damned nuisance and detracted from the overall experience. Certainly, the regional is about the "show," but at the end of the day you need a comfortable sanctuary in which to recharge your batteries.
2. A pretty serious storm moved through central Florida Wednesday night, and left in its wake temperatures that were colder than originally predicted this week. This makes three years in a row that Daytona has had unseasonably cold weather during the mid-winter regional. Luck of the draw, I guess.

The first day of the NAWCC show proved disastrous, sales-wise. I sold one watch, a 2-register Orloff chronograph with Valjoux 92 movement, that I mentioned in an earlier blog posting. Sold that for 60 bucks. I purchased another Omega Seamaster, an earlier bumper-wind model with gold shell case. That makes six Omegas that I'm coming home with, most of them Seamasters.

An Omega 6-pack!

I also purchased a Vietnam-era military watch with hack set (not sure if it's a Hamilton or Benrus yet):

Vietnam (1967) era miltary watch with hack

And also a beautiful 1930s era Alpina rectangular model with formed movement:

1930s Alpina rectangular wristwatch

I spent Thursday evening with Mike and Pat Porter, of Dayton, Ohio. at their rented condo along Atlantic Blvd. We had lasagna, fried calamari, salad, garlic bread, and strawberry gelato for dessert. Wine with the meal, and coffee with dessert. It was nice to have a home-cooked meal while on this trip. Mike has been a long-time friend and watch source of mine, and we always try to get together for a meal and some watch swapping during this regional.

The final day of the NAWCC show, I attended a morning lecture, Evolution of the Wristwatch: From Wristlets to Wrist Devices, presented by Randy Jaye, who is president of NAWCC Chapter 154 - Daytona Beach, Fla. Randy has done quite a bit of research into the past, present, and future of wristwatches, and has an article in the queue for publication in the NAWCC Watch & Clock Bulletin. Be on the lookout for it.

I sold one additional watch, the Summit II, and on a last pass through the mart room bought a bundled lot of 15 wristwatches for $20 apiece, or $300 for the lot.

eBay meat

This is further evidence of my statement in the home page of this blog that there are still a TON of watches out there that can be had for $50 or less, in this case much less. They were all in nice shape, most of them running, and all were complete with stems/crowns/crystals. All that remains is to "band" them and they will be coming soon to an eBay listing near you. I should easily double my money (or better), and the proceeds can be used to buy a nice watch for myself, or (more likely) pay next month's heating bill.

All in all, a great Regional, and I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventures and acquisitions.

Sincerely,


Bruce Shawkey

Diamonds in the Rough -- Working with Pickers

This week's post is about working with "pickers." Pickers are people who comb the flea markets and garage sales in search of items for dealers with whom they have a relationship and whom they trust them to pay a fair price for the items they find, in this instance, wristwatches. Pickers usually have no interest in selling wristwatches at a physical location (consignment shop, antique store, etc.) or online, for a variety of reasons. They want to sell the item(s), and usually for cash, and be done with it. They don't want to monkey around with eBay or with Paypal, or worry about money back guarantees, or IRS Form 1099s.

The Internet culture has definitely taken a toll on the number of pickers out there. There are fewer of them, as more and more are gravitating toward selling their watches "out in the open," despite the drawbacks mentioned. And the pickers who remain are getting smarter about watches, and want more money for them, oftentimes shopping the items around for the best price.

Despite all this, pickers are still out there, and remain an important resource for me, and I encourage people to cultivate this important resource as one more tool for collecting watches on a budget.

Just this week, I met with one of my pickers that I usually see once every couple of months or so. My deal with this guy is that I buy everything he has for sale ... the good, the bad, the ugly. And even beyond into the realm of "fugly," a term which my friend and fellow watch enthusiast, Amy, introduced to me about a week ago. The term is in the urban dictionary if you can't guess what the combination of the words is!

"Fugly" watches, possibly treasures to others!

 I price out the better watches, so he can see and hopefully learn what are the better watches to look for, and then I make him a package price on the "junk" ... the quartz watches, the Timex watches, the fake Rolexes (I always destroy those), the China-made fashion watches, and so forth. These I will resell as "bulk lots" to people who use them for arts and crafts, jewelry making, sculptures, steampunk, etc. This is a relatively new market that has opened up, and I've found it to be a great way to dispose of watches that are of little to no use to the average wristwatch collector. I sell this stuff in 20 pound lots, and usually get about $5 a pound for it. So the moral of the story is don't pass up a deal if you have to take some junk in order to get some good watches. One person's fugly is another's treasure.

Anyway, here are the four best watches I got out of the bunch:

Clockwise, from top left, they are: Bulova Accutron 214; Orloff 2-register chronograph with Valjoux Caliber 92 movement; Zodiac Sea Wolf; and Technos manual wind in all stainless steel case. All together, I paid $150 for these watches. A bargain, I'd say, but fair considering these are in rough, unrestored condition, and considering my picker probably paid $2 apiece, or less, for them. (I never ask him how much he pays for the watch by the way, because it's immaterial. I pay based on what they're worth to me, not based on what he paid for them. The biggest mistake a seller can make when negotiating with a potential buyer is to reveal what he paid for it. If asked, I always reply, "That's not relevant," or some variation thereof.)

The Accutron started right up when I put a new cell in it. And it has the original bracelet. It needs a new crystal, and the sweep second hand occasionally catches on the minute hand (an easy fix). A little spit and polish, and this will easily be a $150 watch.

The Orloff is one of a hundred or more brands from the 1950s that competed for the "entry level" chronograph market. World War II put the chronograph on the map, and everyone from motor sports enthusiasts to armchair adventurers wanted one, whether they had a practical use for it or not. Orloff was an import company, and did not make their own watch movements or cases, but merely bought them from other suppliers, stamped their name on the movements, purchased dials from a dial fabricator, and offered the watches to jewelers who wanted an entry level chronograph of offer their customers. The best thing this watch has going for it is the Valjoux Caliber 92 movement, a well built movement that has found its way into many more well known chronograph brands, including Wakmann, Movado, Zodiac, and even Rolex. The movement appears complete, including pushers and all linkages, and the balance is good. But the movement is not running and needs servicing. This is one of those pieces where the movement is probably worth more if sold by itself for parts. The movement alone should bring a solid $150 the way it sits. A servicing would likely be a zero net gain.

The Sea Wolf is arguably Zodiac's best known watch, and one of this vintage would fetch an easy $400 all fixed up (more if the watch had its original stainless steel bracelet). But it needs a lot of work, including having the dial and hands refinished, and the turning bezel ring replated. There's easily $200 worth of work involved in this, and it may be better to simply sell this one as-is for a hundred bucks or so, and let somebody else worry about restoring it! Want more information about vintage Zodiac watches? The best source is Butch Dunn's website.

The last watch is a Technos. Here's a 1950s ad from them:

Once upon a time (from the 1920s to the early 1970s, with its heyday in the 1950s), Technos was a very visible and respected brand. They used high quality movements, and usually the cases on their sport watches (for which they are probably best known) were all stainless steel, versus cheaper base metal. But the company fell victim to the invasion of cheap throwaway watches. And so far, the brand has not been resurrected. The watch runs, and all it really needs is a new crystal with white (silver colored) reflector ring, which might run $15-$20. This is one of these watches that might have to be "romanced" a bit, but it should bring an easy $100.

So all told, we're looking at around $500 on an initial investment of $150, plus maybe another $30 or $40 spent on crystals, and a little time spent on "spit and polish." I lucked out this time because the Accutron worked. They don't always, and I suppose it would be a good idea in the future to carry an Accutron cell to these meetings. I'll probably flip my guy an extra $50 the next time I see him, which will also go a long way to building trust and loyalty. But all in all, a nice return, whether you're a dealer looking to make some profit, or a collector looking for a nice return on investment and possibly trading one or more of these on a more desired piece.

So any way you look at it. pickers can be a good resource. They can be a little "weird" sometimes due to their lifestyle which is often "off the grid." Maybe not the kind of person you want to take home and introduce to your family. But they recognize and respond to respect just like anyone. Treat them nicely and fairly. Don't "cherry pick" their stuff and leave them with the junk. And a nice meal out (like a breakfast or a lunch) can often work wonders in building a good relationship.

Well, I'm off to Daytona Beach next week for the back-to-back World Wide Trader show and NAWCC Mid-Winter Regional. My next blog entry will be from there.

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