Bruce's Vintage Watches
Fine timepieces at reasonable prices from a name you trust.
All stainless steel screwback case measures 41mm long lug to lug, by 33mm wide, not including crown. Case is in excellent condition with minimal wear, no personalized engraving. Silvered dial is original and excellent. Excellent original signed crown, excellent crystal. 17J movement sets and winds perfectly, keeps time to within 2 min/day, though not known when last serviced. Date changes at midnight as it should. Date is slowset, requiring a full 24-hour turn of the hands to advance. Used by serviceable 18mm black leather band. Great watch, probably one of the five most under-valued watches on the vintage market today!
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The Oceanographer was one of Bulova's most successful models ever made. Introduced in 1965, or thereabouts, it was meant to cash in on the growing popularity of SCUBA diving or "skin diving" as many called it back then, spurred in part by the popular TV show "Sea Hunt" starring Lloyd Bridges. The line proved to be very popular, and was issued through the 1970s in a variety of styles, some more intended for serious diving, rated waterproof to 666 feet, and some more on the "dressy side with two-tone cases but still rated waterproof to 333 feet, which was (and still is) plenty deep for even the most serious of divers. The most popular of Oceanographer models was made in 1968 with a black dial and two-tone red and black turnable bezel ring, nicknamed the "Devil Diver" by modern-day collectors of vintage diver watches. In fact, Bulova is introducing a re-issue of this famous watch this month (March 2018) at Baselworld. Anyway, this particular specimen is is one of the later "dressier" "Oceanographers," manufactured in 1974, by which time many of the stainless cases were being imported from Taiwan. The all stainless steel case measures 44mm long lug to lug, by 37mm wide. It has a fluted bezel ring of yellow gold filled. Some of the two-tone Oceanographers had solid 10kt or 14kt gold bezel rings, but this one is gold-filled. The entire watch case is in excellent condition with...
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Was $195, now reduced to $175. Excellent all stainless steel case measures 38mm long lug to lug by 27mm wide. Case and back are secure by four screws ... interesting experimental case of the 1950s. Dial has beautiful honey patina. Original crown and crystal. 17J automatic movement sets and winds perfectly, keeps time to within 2 min/day, but not known when last serviced. 16mm tan pigskin band. Nivada was founded in 1879 in the town of Grenchen, Switzerland. Perhaps their most famous line of watches were their "Antarctic" series. The story goes, their brand name was deemed too similar to "Movado" and thus they changed it (either by choice or by force) to "Nivada Grenchen." Further, they teamed up with the company of Croton watch to help distribute their watches in North America, where the Croton name was better known. Anyway, this was a very cool watch they came out with in the eary 1950s. Several manufacturers used this same design to make their watches more water-resistant. The back is secured to the bezel by means of four screws. Further, the crystal uses a gasket and a rim around the edge to compress against the case when it is screwed shut. It did not do very well, and today this design is a quaint reminder of the failed gimmicks that watch manufacturers used to try to make their watches "waterproof," a term which was eventually...
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Was $295 now reduced to $275. White gold filled case measures 39mm long lug to lug, by 29mm wide, not including winding crown. Case is in excellent condition for its ago, showing minimal wear. Pierced lugs are in excellent condition with very little "stretch" on the lug holes. Back has a stylized monogram of "ACN". Dial is an older refinished. Luminous is gone from the numerals and hands. Crown is a replacement, not the original. 17 jewel manual wind movement sets and winds perfectly, keeps time to within 2 min/day, though not known when last serviced. Used by serviceable 16mm black leather strap. The Marquee is just one of many Illinois wristwatches oozing Art Deco, an art form of which the Illinois Watch Co. had no equal of the other American watch manufacturer at the time. The seconds bit at 9:00 just makes this model all the unusual and appealing. Watchmaking at its best; it's no wonder that the Hamilton Watch Company bought out this company!
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$135.00
Was $150; now reduced to $135. White gold filled Illinois Watch Case Co. "Tivoli" cushion case measures 38mm long, lug to lug, by 31mm wide, not including crown and is in excellent condition. Excellent condition white metal dial with large yellow gold Arabic numerals. Glass crystal. Correct crown from the era (probably a replacement). 7-jewel movement with serial number 330460000 is from 1932. It sets and winds perfectly, keeps times to within 2 min/day or better. Black 18mm leather strap. I usually consign Elgins to eBay, but this one is in such nice condition, I wanted to showcase it on my website first. A beautiful watch, a "survivor" from the Great Depression era.
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April 19, 2018
Bruce's Vintage Watches is open!
Dear Friends and customers:
Bruce's Vintage Watches is now open, as I have settled back in my "home base" of Janesville, Wis. I have a few watches up for sale from past listing, and I'll have some new watches up soon.
Sincerely,
Bruce
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