Reviews
Vintage Chronographs that Won’t Break the Bank
Reviews
Vintage Chronographs that Won’t Break the Bank
Luckily, there’s still value to be had; you just have to open your search filters and look a little harder. Lesser known and currently defunct brands made some incredibly cool watches, which can be had for less than marque brands. The trick, as with everything in life, is knowing what to look for.
Vincent Brasesco, manager of vintage and pre-owned timepieces at Analog/Shift has some advice on that front: “First things first — no matter the budget, the most important thing in buying any watch is, do you like it? So, always start there. Don’t be afraid to look at some of the private-label brand watches that used high-quality base movements from Valjoux or Venus, and had more exciting design elements than the bigger brands of that era. Watches like LeJour, Yema and Tradition all are well-built pieces but still fly under the radar — for now.”
This advice is echoed by Alistair Gibbons, founder of ATG Vintage Watches and author of Chasing Time: “Brand names have become far more important now because of social media, when actually collectors should look to the watch’s movement. Many lesser known makers used exactly the same movements as, say, Breitling or Heuer.” Checking out the internals of a vintage watch is always a good place to start, but hunting down more than introductory information about these sparsely researched watches involves a little more due diligence than simply googling a reference number.
So we’ve done a little digging of our own and come up with nine options that offer plenty of period-correct design, legit heritage and sheer wrist appeal without the hefty price tag. That’s not to say that our hypothetical budget of USD 3,000 is a paltry sum, but it’s an amount that’s by no means out of reach.
Bulova Deep Sea Diver
Why it’s Cool
First things first, don’t trust that depth rating on the dial, for so many reasons. Aside from that, this 38mm watch shows precisely the sort of age you’d expect for a piece of this vintage. The blue bezel has a lovely soft ghostly patina, and the dial is characterful without looking tired — equal parts charm and rigor. Expect to pay around the USD 2,000 mark for this little charmer.
Breitling Aerospace
Why it’s Cool
The Aerospace is a purpose-built watch incorporating the latest technology in the form of a quartz movement and an ana-digi display. Packed with features including calendar, chronograph, second time zone and an alarm (all operated via a single crown), this watch could do it all. Thanks to those rider tabs on the bezel and the fact that it was often seen in titanium and gold, it made for quite a style statement. Plus its smaller size and light weight make it a dream on the wrist. Expect to pay around USD 2,000, but keep your eyes out for limited editions and custom dials.
Concord Depth Gauge
Why it’s Cool
So many reasons. The cushion case is large, at 43mm, giving it plenty of contemporary wrist appeal. And then there’s that yellow color scheme. Really, though, it’s the depth gauge that takes this ’70s manual winder to the next level. This Concord appears to use a capillary tube style depth gauge, which sees a channel milled into the thick crystal, with a water inlet at the three o’clock position. As the depth increases, pressure pushes water further into the channel, allowing the depth to be accurately read off the fixed aluminum bezel. These watches don’t come up too often, so expect to pay between USD 2,000 to USD 3,000, depending on the condition.
Dugena Chronograph
Why it’s Cool
If we’re completely honest, this very nice example, with its instantly recognizable panda-style dial with blue accents is likely outside of our fictional budget. Still, it’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Dugena’s sports chronograph offerings, which can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands. But really, Dugena is a great way to get a taste of that automotive chronograph funkiness.
Ikepod Hemipode
Why it’s Cool
Ikepod was founded in 1994 by Oliver Ike and Marc Newson, the industrial designer. Newson went on to be a frequent design collaborator at Apple (you can certainly see Ikepod design influences on the Apple Watch). This pedigree means that the Ikepod Hemipode is a genuinely original piece of design. With a pebble-like case and fascinating interplay of a minimal aesthetic combined with functional maximalism, it makes for a fascinating watch. Pricing is in the USD 2,000 to USD 3,000 range, though thanks to Mr. West, people are finally starting to pay attention to this ’90s oddball.
LeJour “Broad Arrow” Chronograph
Why it’s Cool
Certainly, there’s more than a passing similarity to Heuer on this “Broad Arrow” Chronograph. The 38mm case has long straight lugs and is a pleasing size. Inside is an ever-reliable Valjoux 7733, but, as with so many of these watches, it’s the dial that gets the pulse racing. The faded bezel, the arrowhead hour hand and the giant lollipop on the red seconds hand are all delicious ’60s details, which make it a perfect piece of nostalgia. These watches come in a range of different bezel/dial variants, and aren’t too hard to find in the USD 2,000 to USD 3,000 range.
Omega Chronostop
Why it’s Cool
The Chronostop is cool because it’s quirky. Sure, a stopwatch that can time up to a minute isn’t super handy, but it is undeniably fun. This particular 1967 example is even cooler because it’s a “driver” model, with the 12 o’clock positioned where 3 usually is. This Chronostop is designed to be worn under the wrist, for greater readability when behind the wheel of a car. And then there’s the lightly tropical grey dial and orange highlights. Delicious. Omega Chronostops can be found from USD 1,000, with more unusual and attractive offerings (like this one), fetching close to USD 3,000.
Seiko 6139-6002 “Pulsation”
Why it’s Cool
Fifty years on and Seiko’s pioneering chronograph still manages to be competitive on the vintage market. While prices have gradually crept up in recent years, they’re still typically selling for less than USD 1,000. For that sort of money, you can get a lot of watches, like this 1970 6139-6002 “Pulsation”, an uncommon model with an internal pulsation bezel, and a rich chocolate brown dial. As with many vintage models offered over a long period, there’re many variants in the 6139 family, so it’s always a good idea to do your research. But that’s at least half the fun.
Tissot Seastar Chronograph
Why it’s Cool
Isn’t this everything you could possibly want in a vintage chronograph? A strong silhouette, 38mm case and a look that manages to perfectly capture the spirit of 1960s sports watches, with its tropical oxblood dial, chunky handset and blue and orange highlights and reliable Lemania manual wind. All for something in the region of USD 1,500 to USD 2,500. Even if you’ve got a collection packed with blue-chip names, it would be hard not to fall for this Tissot.