Congratulations you are now the owner of the most iconic watch in history.
I used to have a manual wind Omega that was very similar, but the case was stainless steel. My father had bought it (in Egypt or somewhere similar) while doing his National Service as a doctor in the RAF. He gave it to his father, my grandfather, after the first automatic Rolexes came out. I inherited the Omega on my grandfather’s death.
I’ve just got one of those. It is remarkably good for the price. My default travel beater.
I’m having a bit of a watch collection sort out this morning and I’m not sure whether I’ve ever posted about this rather interesting and very rare watch. It’s a Nivada Grenchen automatic chronograph which used a TDBK “Kelek” Caliber from around 1974/5. The sub-dials are all slightly different in size and seemingly randomly placed, earning the nickname of “drunken panda”. The dial is gorgeous with creamy aged lume and a beautiful grey sunburst pattern that shimmers in the light. It’s a bit weird but also rather wonderful and far more interesting than so many others - I love it!
In the background on the left is a ‘60s Avia Marino with a Landeron movement, and on the right a ‘60s Lator with a Valjoux 92.
Thank you Bob.
Kind of a perfect imperfection thing. Love it!
You must be “Lonesome for a Place I Know”
Cor. That’s a bit interesting. I will look it up.
Interesting.Love the sunburst. Is it a regular shaped dial? It looks slightly distorted but that may be the camera angle.
Yes, the distortion is down to the camera (iPhone).
The TDBK Caliber, a collaborative effort between Tenor-Dorly, Dubois-Depraz, Brac, and Kelek, was only made for one year as it proved to be rather unreliable. As such, working survivors are few.
I can’t stop looking at that Ventura watch. Is that the quartz model? The web site says dimensions 24x36.5mm which sounds a little small. What’s it wear like?
Yes, it is the quartz model. Mine is 32.3X50.3. I find it wears just perfect on my 6.75 inch wrist.
Thanks… I’ve found the model.
Talking of watches, my daughter (long story) needs some insurance cover. But not adding it to the contents policy as they are moving over the next 4 months and in temporary places. Anyone can recommend? Thanks in advance , we did see a company called Ripevaluables offering such insurance but was looking for anyone who had done the same. Cheers
I think they found that one during the Mary Rose excavation
Just the right size
It’s a bit of an Explorer II with a touch of Daytona, stuck in a DEEPSEA 44 mm,
crossed with a Yacht-Master 44 mm. It’s Apple Watch Ultra 49 mm, or is it an APPLEX
Well it looks like the Apple Watch Ultra is targeting the extreme sport smart watch market ( Garmin, Suunto, Polar) but looking at some of the adds you would think that Rolex was the target.
Apple Watch Ultra -20° C to 55° C
On-wrist operating temperature that can endure chilly mountaintops or searing desert heat.
I have taken some liberty with the filter and rotation settings on a couple of the Apple Watch Ultra pictures just to show how close the adds are to Rolex adds from the 60s.
Whenever I see an Apple watch I assume it is an electronic tag for some misdemeanor.
This is true. I am now called one of nine.
I understand Garmin have been poking fun at the usual Apple low battery life