Outstanding Acquisition -- Gruen Pan American With Rare Sub Seconds

In 1943, the Gruen Watch Co. came out with a special watch for pilots and other flight personnel of Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am. At the time, Pan Am was one of the country's principal airlines, and the largest international carrier.

The watch dial had numerals for 1 through 12 as well as 13 through 24, so that time could easily be read in military time to distinguish a.m. from p.m.

While it was intended to do so, the model caught on with the general public, and several civilian models were made available after WWII. Over the next four years or so, Gruen came out with about 14 mens models and three women's models, presumably for female pilots and stewardesses (sorry PC-ers, but that's what they were called back then).

Recently, I had a chance to acquire this one:

The peculiar thing about this model is that it has sub seconds. All other Pan Am models had sweep seconds hands, and the efficacy is obvious: It is much easier for a pilot to keep track of seconds using a larger center sweep seconds hand. Why Gruen even made one with a sub-seconds is kind of a mystery, because it defeats the whole purpose of a watch designed for flight personnel!

The short production time of the Pan Am (1943-1949) makes most any genuine Pan American model hard to find. I emphasize genuine because numerous "put-together" Pan Ams surfact on the market regularly. Rarer still is the sub-second variety. Few of these models were ever sold, and fewer still survive today. Thus, the sub-seconds Pan Am has become a sort of holy grail for collectors of this sub genre.

The case for this model was not made by Wadsworth or Star, two of Gruen's usual case suppliers. Rather, it was imported from Switzerland. The bezel was made of base metal, while the screw-on back was made of Guildite, which was Gruen's terminology for stainless steel.

The caseback is stamped "GRUEN PANAMERICAN" on the outside and marked "Guildite" and "Switzerland" on the inside. This imported case was made for at least one other model (with the usual sweep seconds hand) and possibly others. It is 32mm diameter, and close to 40mm long, lug tip to lug tip. It was a very standard size men's wristwatch for its day, though is small by today's standards.

As you can tell by the profile image above, the case has pierced lugs. The dial and hands are original. Some of the luminous has fallen from the numerals and hands, very typical for a watch of this vintage. And look at the dial carefully. Notice anything about the luminous on the numbers? It's only only on the 18-24 on the outer ring, and 1-5 on the inner ring. The rest of the numbers are just black ink. This is because the night time hours were set up to glow in the dark ... a hand feature for a pilot. Also on the dial, you see one small scratch near the center post where no doubt some watchmaker was careless removing the hands. But overall a very nice original dial, and I wouldn't refinish it in a million years.

The engine on this model is the Grade 420, an 11.5-ligne movement that began production in 1942. Normally, you would find a Grade 420SS in this watch, the primary movement used in Pan Am series.

Overall, I would rate this specimen a very good, a solid 70 to 75 on a scale of 100, with 100 being new old stock. There is some pitting on the bezel, which is consistent with a watch that was used but not abused by its original owner. The watch was (and is) in good running order when I received it, and is keeping time to the minute within a 24-hour period. Thus, I have not had the watch serviced. This watch came out of an estate, and I am confident it is 100 percent original, and not put together from parts.

I have several Pan Ams in my collection, but this is the first sub-seconds model I have ever acquired. This is one of those "must-have" watches for any serious collector of Gruen wristwatches, especially the Pan Am series.

This specimen is for sale on my website, and can be found here, until it sells of course!

Trench Watch's 100th Anniversary, Part III

In this next installment, we continue to look at how the trench watch continued to evolve into the archetype of the modern wristwatch that we know today, 100 years later. The next essential element, following the movement and dial, is the case.

When the first men’s wristwatches were produced, the wire lugs that were soldered onto cases were quite thin because no one expected that these watches would be used for anything beyond light activity. However, when America entered the war, it quickly became evident that something thicker would be needed to withstand the rigors of the battlefield. Nevertheless, cases with thin lugs were the style most readily available by the major case manufacturers of the time: Illinois Watch Case Company, Fahys, Wadsworth, and others. Thus, the majority of trench watches that you will encounter will have these thin lugs. Notice, also, the oversized, knurled winding crowns. This was a deliberate design element to help soldiers wind their watches with cold, or even gloved, hands.

Typical case design of a WWI trench watch

Probably by the middle of the war and certainly toward the end, the fragile nature of these cases had become evident, and manufacturer were making cases with meatier lugs.

Another major problem with early watch case designs is that they were not very resistant to the elements. Dirt, moisture, sweat, and mud would often seep through the case and into the movement, causing it to stop. Several manufacturers invented various solutions to deal with this, but probably the most famous was Charles Depollier, of the Depollier Watch Case Co. of Brooklyn, NY.

Advertisement for the field and marine watch
featuring the Depollier Waterproof/Dustproof
case, and Waltham movement.

An actual specimen of the watch

Depollier’s case contained a screwdown bezel and back, combined with a screwdown crown to seal all the entry points. The back even had an extra plate of solid 14kt gold, supposedly to protect the movement from excess body heat. A bit of overkill in my opinion, but it was a great selling point at the time. The resulting Depollier Waterproof Watch Case was probably the finest example of wrist hardware that a soldier could wear at the time. Depollier partnered with the Waltham Watch Co. to make the complete watch, and it was a very successful venture. The watches with the Depollier case were available to soldiers as early as 1917. Many were contracted by the U.S. military, and many more were bought by soldiers and officers out of their own wallets. Some say the Depollier waterproof case was the inspiration for the Oyster case, made famous by Rolex a decade later. Today, trench watches housed in the Depollier Waterproof cases are some of the most desired by collectors. They are hard to find, and priced in the thousands of dollars. It is doubly rare to find one with the original solid gold back plate, as many of these were pried out of their cases and sold for scrap.

Crystal Guards

Next, we move on to crystal guards. From the earliest days of pocket watches, it quickly became clear that the crystal – made of glass -- was the most vulnerable point of a watch. Cracked or shattered, it left the dial and hands wide open to damage, not to mention dirt, moisture and glass fragments getting into the movement and damaging it. A couple of solutions for wristwatches were offered early on. The first was a case design with cutout coverings of one form or another that partially protected the crystal.

A couple of problems arose with this solution. One, these cases tended to be expensive and, two, many of covers nearly obscured the dial to the point of not being able to tell the time. So a second solution came along in the form of shields that could be snap fit over the top of an open case, and thus the crystal guard was born.

As you can see, they came in a host of designs, and again some covered the crystal so much as become a hindrance in viewing the time. But they did a good job of preventing crystals from being broken or shattered from bumps or hitting the ground from a soldier literally having to hit the dirt.

Somewhere along the 1980s, some collectors and dealers started calling these inventions “shrapnel guards,” probably because it sounds more sexy than crystal guards. But they were never called shrapnel guards, and the very idea that these covers would protect the watch from shrapnel is ridiculous. But the myth persists, legitimized by collectors guides which use the term. Trust me, it’s wrong. I’ve seen about 30 original ads for these devices, and they were NEVER referred to as shrapnel guards.

By the way, beware of modern counterfeits on these. The real ones will almost always have a patent mark and/or patent date stamped into the back.

Bands.

As you have seen in many of prior images, early watch bands, or straps, were narrow strips of leather or canvas that looped through the wire lugs of a watch. This was fine for motoring or horseback riding, but it was evident that something more substantial was needed for the rigors of the battlefield. Numerous designs were introduced, probably the most famous was the Kitchener watch strap.

Not only was it more sturdy, but it allowed for leather to sit against the wrist rather than the metal of back of the watch, which was ultimately more comfortable and absorbed sweat. Just as an aside, I find it amusing that this style briefly came back into vogue in 1970s in the form of the “Hercules Watch Band.”

So in the short span of two years, from 1917 to when the Great War ended in 1919, the wristwatch had undergone a fairly radical redesign, from somewhat feminine to something fairly macho. Look at the difference:

During the war, and right after, watch cases would undergo the next step in their evolution through a design where the lugs were fully incorporated into the case and were not soldered onto the case. And so we have the full formation of the modern wristwatch as we more or less know it today.

But I would say the vast majority of watches worn during the Great War were of the wire lug variety. You might wonder how many watches the military ordered during the war. We don’t really have any records that have survived, at least not that we’ve found, but surely it was in the tens of thousands. To give you an idea, here’s a picture that’s been seen often on the Internet of one jewelry store that bought up a bunch of surplus watches after the war.

Wouldn’t you like to have bought up a bunch of these watches at four bucks apiece? And straps for 10 cents apiece? And these watches are probably those that were issued by the government. Many other service men – particularly officers – who weren’t issued a watch often bought their own in fancier – gold and silver – cases.

The war’s end drastically changed the way the wristwatch was advertised and perceived by the public. Even though pocket watches continued to dominate the market until the early 1930s, the wristwatch was now solidly a masculine item. Here’s one of my favorite ads:

Image by watchophilia.com

What to look for when buying a trench watch

Let’s spend a few paragraphs summarizing what to look for when considering a trench watch purchase

1. Originality or at least replacement parts correct to the age of the watch. This especially includes the movement, which should have a serial number corresponding to the war years. Crystals should be glass, not plastic. Crowns should be correct to the period. Crystal guards, if present, should be genuine and fit snugly to the watch.
2. Engraving is good! Many watch collectors do not like personal engraving on the backs of their watches. But trench watch collectors LOVE engraving, particularly if a name is combined with a date and/or military unit. It helps immensely to authenticate the watch as a true trench watch that saw actual military service, as opposed to a civilian specimen. It’s important to remember that these trench-style watches were available to the general public as well as military personnel, though it’s correct to call either a “trench watch.”
3. Mechanical condition. Watch movement should wind and set smoothly, with no “grinding,” or “skipping,” indicating worn parts. Accuracy is not a huge concern to most collectors, but the watch should keep time to at least within 2 min/day.
4. Manufacturers. Most trench watch collectors seem to focus on U.S. brands, and particularly Waltham and Elgin. But to the best of my knowledge, all U.S. manufacturers made trench watches. Not all U.S. manufacturers, however, contracted with the U.S. military.  But as was pointed out in #2, “trench watch” refers to a style of watch, not necessarily whether the watch saw actual service or not. So watches by Illiinois, Hampden, and Hamilton from the 1917-1919 period could rightly be called trench watches as well. Things get a little more dicey on the Swiss side. We know that companies such as Omega, Tavannes, Longines, and more made watches that served on both sides of the battle … the Allies, and the Central Powers. But this is an area which, to my knowledge, has not been well documented. So if this collectors’ niche is of interest to you, proceed with caution. I’ve seen watches for sale/auction on eBay, for example, that are CLEARLY ladies’ wristlet watches, but are being offered as “trench watches.” Proceed with caution. Seek help from fellow collectors on trusted and well respected Internet forums.

Finally, I want to show you a couple of pictures of current production watches to show you how incredibly practical the design of the wristwatch was nearly a century ago.

Look familiar? These current production watches draw heavily of the design elements of a century ago, and they look completely up to date!

That’s the end of my series on trench watches, and I hope you have found my stories informative. If you have enjoyed this work, please leave a positive comment!

Trench Watches' 100th Anniversary, Part II

By Bruce Shawkey

In the evolution of the man’s wristwatch from a novelty to a rugged piece of military hardware, several components of the wristwatch needed to be improved or, in some cases, invented. Let’s take a look at each of those components now. In this installment, we'll look at movements and dials. Cases, crystal guards, and bands will be examined in the next installment.

Movements.  Of all the movement sizes available by American manufacturers at the time, the war department decided that the 3/0 size was the most optimal size for a man’s wristwatch. Other sizes were certainly available, and we see surviving examples today, including 0-size, the 6-size, and even up to a giant 12-size in rare instances. But I would say that most of these larger sizes were seen on officers’ watches that were bought and paid for by the officers themselves. For the military issued watches for your average “grunt” on the ground (and the few pilots in the air) the 3/0 was the size of choice. Three companies --- Elgin, Waltham, and Illinois – made 3/0 movement that had proven reliable. Let’s see what effect the war had on production.

Click on this image to see it full size

Here is Waltham’s 3/0 grade 365, probably the most used movement in Waltham trench watches. Look how production spikes in 1917 to 45,000 units from 7,550 the year before.

Click on this image to see it full size

Here’s another Waltham movement, the 3/0 size grade 310. Production spiked from 21,000 units in 1916 to 40,000 units in 1917.

Similar spikes in 3/0 size production can be seen with Elgin and Illinois. Hamilton, by the way, was not in the game. They had just introduced a 0-size wristwatch in 1917 and produced them in very limited quantity, just 500 units in 1917. They did not offer a wristwatch with a 3/0 size movement.

Before we move on to the next component, you should be aware when considering a trench watch purchase that the AGE of the movement, as reflected by the serial number on the movement, must be consistent with war time production. With Waltham, for example, serial numbers should be somewhere between 20,900,000 and about 22,000,000. Serial numbers can be easily found for all American watch companies on a number of online databases. Nothing kills the value of a trench watch to a true collector than a transplanted movement from a different era. Unfortunately, this occurred all the time, and still occurs to this day. Watchmakers would routinely transplant movements in customers’ watches where the existing movement was too much bother to fix. And the practice, unfortunately, persists to this day by dealers and careless collectors who replace movements with age-incorrect ones, or make up a watch using pieces from disassociated watches.

By the way, there is nothing wrong or incorrect about transplanting an AGE-CORRECT movement into a watch whose current movement is beyond repair. This is restoration, as opposed to jury-rigging, and it is performed all the time with collectibles across the gamut. It would be no different than replacing an engine in a Model T Ford with another factory-made, age-correct Model T engine. You would not, however, replace a Model T engine with the Ford Flathead V8 from a 1932 Model B Roadster! You get the idea. In any event, be aware of “put-together” watches in this genre. Perhaps no other types of watches have been so “fiddled with” than trench watches, due in great part to the fact they have simply been around longer than any other wristwatch!

Dials. At first, 3/0 movements were used in ladies wristlets or pendent watches. Dials were white enamel with fairly delicate Arabic or Roman numerals. The first wristwatches for men often kept the same dials, so this is perhaps one more reason wristwatches were considered too feminine for men.

Typical dial from an early man's wristwatch

But as the war clouds gathered and it became evident that America would join in the Great War, dials for men’s watches became bolder to make them easier to read. Watch manufacturers, including Waltham, Elgin, Illinois and Hampden came out with dial designs with larger, heavier numerals. Minute tracks became bolder to more easily tell time to the minute. Hour, minute and second hands became fatter with a more masculine look.

The most widely manufactured dial, however, and the one specified by the U.S. military, was the luminous dial for its ability to be read in the dark. This is the dial (below) you will see most frequently on World War I trench watches. Notice how much of the old luminous has flaked off the dial. This is perfectly normal, and many collectors prefer original dial to having the dials "re-lumened," but this comes down to a personal choice by the collector.

To be continued.

Want to learn more about WWI trench watches? My good friend and fellow historian, Stan Czubernat, has recently published his second book on Waltham WWI trench watches to compliment his first book on Elgin trench watches of the Great War. Together, these two volumes comprise a wealth of information about trench watches. The books are "must-haves" if you are thinking of collecting these great old watches. Click on the image below to obtain ordering info, and also have a look at the watches Stan has for sale.

Trench Watches Mark 100th Anniversary; NAWCC Bulletin Status

By Bruce Shawkey

This blog entry is adapted from a lecture, “Happy 100th Birthday Wristwatch” that I presented at the NAWCC 2016 Mid-Winter Regional in Lakeland, Fla., on Feb. 13. The lecture was not video recorded, and there were only about 12 people in attendance. So I am publishing it here in three parts to give it a little wider exposure. I hope you enjoy it.

The 100th anniversary of the trench watch (the archetype of modern man’s wristwatch in my opinion) is right around the corner in 2017, and I thought I would give my readers a little “heads up” notice. Why? Because I think the value of these early wristwatches is going to jump in the next year in conjunction with the 100th  anniversary of World War I. It wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world to pick up a few of these watches before prices increase. The media will no doubt hype the war’s centennial anniversary and cover all facets of it, including wristwatches. All it will take is for Brad Pitt or Christian Bale or some other big star to wear a period watch in some blockbuster movie, and thousands of movie fans will suddenly want a trench watch! Meanwhile, the glossy watch magazines will be all be all over this significant anniversary, and I have little doubt that watch companies will come out with reproductions, which will only increase the value of actual trench watches.

Now I know what many of you are already thinking: The man’s wristwatch is already a good century old and then some. And you’d be correct. Many of us have heard the stories of wristwatches being used by soldiers in the Boer war (1899-ish), and seen pictures of British infantry units wearing wrist-type watches (some going as far back as 1879).

Officer in middle of front row is clearly wearing some type of watch strapped to his wrist.

Source: National Army Museum, London

And we know that Elgin introduced its first fully finished man's wristwatch in 1911, with Waltham following in 1912.

 Elgin left and Waltham right. (Source: author’s image collection)

We also know that Europe was a few years ahead of America in introducing finished watches to the public, notably Omega and Longines, in the 1905 -- 1910 area.

Early wristwatches by Omega and Longines
(Source: author's image collection)

So I am ready to concede that men’s wristwatches appeared before 1917. But I would argue that wristwatches for men up to that point were little more than a novelty … specialty items for tennis, sporting, motoring, or technical applications. They were fragile; some even called them “toys.” And, most of all, wristwatches were considered feminine. Few self-respecting gentlemen of the day would be caught dead wearing one as an everyday timepiece. In fact Hamilton, which by that time had established itself as the timekeeper of railroad accuracy, steadfastly refused to even offer such a watch for sale.

All of that that changed in 1917.

It is no small coincidence that this anniversary also coincides with the year in which America entered the war, and what had been called the “War in Europe” was now World War I. As is the case so often, war is the catalyst by which public tastes and values change, and technology advances or at the very least shifts in some way. Think about most any invention – from M&Ms and microwave ovens, to global positioning systems and antibiotics, and you can trace their roots to the military.

But I digress. It was the outbreak of World War I that brought the wristwatch out of obscurity and into the mainstream. This is certainly well known among watch historians. But I don’t think it’s ever been well documented just how quickly and dramatically the man’s wristwatch changed in just two short years, from 1917 to 1919, to become more masculine looking and indeed the archetype for the basic man’s wristwatch that we know today, 100 years later. So let’s take a closer look.

First of all, how did the necessity for a wristwatch come about? The war in Europe had been raging since 1914. Many of the techniques and hardware of traditional warfare up to that time had proven ineffective in this new form of trench warfare. This was the first mechanized war in which motorized vehicles – tanks, troop carriers, and ambulances -- replaced horses and wagons. Long rifles proved cumbersome in tight quarters. And perhaps for the first time, it was necessary for coordinated movement of troops that might be scattered along a zig-zag trench or isolated from one another. It would be completely inefficient and unwieldy for a soldier to reach into a pocket for a watch. The time had come for a wristwatch suited to the trenches, and the American military needed thousands and  thousands of them … and quickly.

Several components had to come to together to make this new "trench watch," and we’ll look at those components in the next installment.

Resources: My good friend and fellow historian, Stan Czubernat, has recently published his second book on Waltham WWI trench watches to compliment his first book on Elgin trench watches of the Great War. Together, these two volumes comprise a wealth of information about trench watches. The books are "must-haves" if you are thinking of collecting these great old watches. Click on the image below to obtain ordering info, and also have a look at the watches Stan has for sale.

NAWCC Bulletin "Wristwatches" column

It is with regret that I announce I am no longer writing the the "Wristwatches" column for the Watch & Clock Bulletin, the bimonthly journal of the  National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors. It has been a great run for the past 19 years. But under new editorial leadership, the publication has adopted new policies and procedures with which I do not agree. I hope you continue to enjoy my work in this and other venues.

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