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Post by carl on Mar 29, 2014 21:31:44 GMT -6
Here is at last the vintage military watch that I did not know I was looking for! Waltham 1942 RCAF WWII Military issue wrist watch. Nothing on this watch has been refinished or altered. The hands and dial are all original, with original luminous material, which has aged with a beautiful patina. The years old case has been cleaned but not polished, and all the nicks and scratches have many stories to tell I am sure. The crystal is original NOS. The case back has all the original RCAF markings. A screw in nickel back, signed "Keystone" for Waltham for Canada military. The original high grade military movement is a 6/0-42 Waltham manual wind, and is pristine. It has a protective dust cover as well. The case is 30mm without the large crown. 16mm lug width. 38mm lug to lug.  I asked Darryl at Darlor Watch to let me use his photos of the open case back. After the excellent service he does, I didn't want to start tampering with it: 
The dimple on the dust cover, is to ensure a tight fit against the case back:   These are my own photos:          I found a simple calf black Hirsch strap for it, the only model they make that has no taper. I will also look for a fabric olive green NATO, which is what the watch had originally.  I might even get a nice leather brown NATO to match up with the brown hands and markers. This really is a sweet little watch. I know I will get lots of pleasure wearing it. Now this really completes my modest collection. I have been searching for a vintage military for a long time, just waiting for the right one to come along. Darlor Watch in Ontario is a wonderful place to deal with. Darryl is a great guy, with tons and tons of knowledge about vintage watches. I would never hesitate to recommend Darlor Watch to anyone. Cheers  Carl |
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Post by ianmedium on Mar 29, 2014 21:39:41 GMT -6
Carl, I am so glad you went ahead and got it, its beautiful. And you know what, I now see that the hour hand has also left a mark on the dial!
I just think its perfect, lovely honest patina and completely un-touched except for a service, just what every collector wants.
The other thing that surprises me is that it wears much bigger than the case size suggests. I think that is in part due to like my fellow it is a deep case.
Like I said to you in the PM, I am not ashamed to say I envy you this one mate!
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Post by carl on Mar 29, 2014 21:48:08 GMT -6
Carl, I am so glad you went ahead and got it, its beautiful. And you know what, I now see that the hour hand has also left a mark on the dial! I just think its perfect, lovely honest patina and completely un-touched except for a service, just what every collector wants. The other thing that surprises me is that it wears much bigger than the case size suggests. I think that is in part due to like my fellow it is a deep case. Like I said to you in the PM, I am not ashamed to say I envy you this one mate! Yes, I hadn't noticed the mark from the hour hand until I took this photo. I didn't even see it on the watch. When I sharpened the image a little bit,there it was! Such markings on the dial make it that much more special. All the scratches on the case, and especially where the crown is worn down, just make it the perfect watch. There is not a thing on this one that I would change or want to have differently. I'm so glad I waited for this one, and that it was still there after my hesitation to get it. Cheers, Carl |
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Post by ianmedium on Mar 29, 2014 21:51:46 GMT -6
oh yes, as we said this past week one of the things we both liked about the dial is that it has those shadows of the hands, i love it, would not want it any other way, it tells a part of the history of the watch!
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CHIP
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Name: Chip
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Post by CHIP on Mar 29, 2014 23:11:43 GMT -6
Did I mention that you two are major enablers???
Maybe I should thank you for opening my eyes to the affordable part of horology, the forgotten timepieces that nobody thinks about.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro
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Post by ianmedium on Mar 30, 2014 1:25:50 GMT -6
You know Chip. I love my more expensive watches but there is something about the cheaper end of the scale, especially in vintage. If you look well as you have seen you can find some really interesting stuff out there for not a lot of money.
Stuff with real horological relevance that looks great and has history.
I mentioned this in my Sputnik post as well but because it is not a lot of Money ( my last two were in the weeks supply of Venti Latte range!) the pressure of spending thousands is taken off and for me that adds to more fun and enjoyment of the pieces.
I don't think many of us are multi millionaires here so we have to think about our purchases a lot more. This is a way of them being a bit more casual and fun and I tell you, the history I learn about the pieces and the fun of the find add up to 80% of the enjoyment when they eventually arrive and I am wearing them on my wrist.
Funny thing is as well with the vintage stuff none of it feels less than or cheaper than my Rolex due to the fact that stuff back then had a lot more hand built content and more solidly built even at the lower end of the spectrum.
Add in something like my Fellow which to all intents and purpose is a Gallet or Breitling without the cachet of the name and you can get some pretty good horology for lower end Citizen eco drive prices!
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Post by carl on Mar 30, 2014 6:10:19 GMT -6
Did I mention that you two are major enablers??? Maybe I should thank you for opening my eyes to the affordable part of horology, the forgotten timepieces that nobody thinks about. Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro  Well, I think you did mention it a couple of times! Interesting that the two watches I love the most at the moment, are a brand new Mark II and the oldest one I have, the Waltham RCAF (the only vintage I have that is actually older than I am!). Each one is comfortable and appropriate in size for the type of watch that it is. Funny how you get started on things. I sold my Speedy 3750.50 last year. As I thought, out of necessity. When I realized that I didn't need to sell it any more, and went to retrieve it from where it was on consignment, it had already sold. The money from that got me started on my first two vintage pieces. Now I have a brand new Mark II and one of the coolest vintage pieces I have seen. How lucky is that! There is still something about that 3750.50 that gets me every time I see photos, though. I really don't think that I will ever stop missing it. Cheers, Carl |
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Post by ianmedium on Mar 30, 2014 8:32:03 GMT -6
Did I mention that you two are major enablers??? Maybe I should thank you for opening my eyes to the affordable part of horology, the forgotten timepieces that nobody thinks about. Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro Interesting that the two watches I love the most at the moment, are a brand new Mark II and the oldest one I have, the Waltham RCAF (the only vintage I have that is actually older than I am!). I did not know this was made by Nebuchadnezzar  |
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Baco Noir
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Posts: 31,336
Name: Roger
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Post by Baco Noir on Mar 30, 2014 8:36:48 GMT -6
What a cool watch Carl. As I said in the PM, the thickness of the watch really make it wear larger than the 30mm diameter would suggest. And the history really shows on this one from the brass ing in the grown, engraved caseback, pitting on Hyde case, the patina of the dial and the mark on the dial from the hour hand. All seem like they are telling stories from the past. That's a great pickup and a cool one to have in the collection.
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Post by carl on Mar 30, 2014 10:08:05 GMT -6
Interesting that the two watches I love the most at the moment, are a brand new Mark II and the oldest one I have, the Waltham RCAF (the only vintage I have that is actually older than I am!). I did not know this was made by Nebuchadnezzar  The first chap who owned it was a friend of my Father's, who was a gardener at Babylon! |
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Post by rw16610 on Mar 30, 2014 11:19:13 GMT -6
Did I mention that you two are major enablers??? Maybe I should thank you for opening my eyes to the affordable part of horology, the forgotten timepieces that nobody thinks about. Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro Totally! With all the time I spent on forums over the years it now became apparent to me what a large segment was missed. I was too focused on just the big purchases which will eventually come anyway. It's nice to be reminded that watches don't have to cost $10,000.00 to be of good quality and fun! Heck, most of the people I know regardless to how much money they have to spare seem to not enjoy the watches like the Daytona as much. Watches like that spend more time in the safe over all and looking at the ones for sale proves this with their condition. Life's too short for that! |
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Post by ianmedium on Apr 1, 2014 19:07:47 GMT -6
I keep coming back to this page Carl. I cannot wait to see it in person!
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aquajoe
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Since: Jan 17, 2013 20:13:30 GMT -6
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Post by aquajoe on Apr 1, 2014 19:40:06 GMT -6
Y'all keep mentioning the patina from the hour hand. I see where the watch was left at 6:50 for quite a while and the radium from both the hour and minute hands burned the dial. Very cool I think.
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CHIP
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Name: Chip
Location: Dallas
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Post by CHIP on Apr 1, 2014 19:52:54 GMT -6
Y'all keep mentioning the patina from the hour hand. I see where the watch was left at 6:50 for quite a while and the radium from both the hour and minute hands burned the dial. Very cool I think. Good catch. Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro |
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Post by carl on Apr 1, 2014 20:33:08 GMT -6
Y'all keep mentioning the patina from the hour hand. I see where the watch was left at 6:50 for quite a while and the radium from both the hour and minute hands burned the dial. Very cool I think. I was wondering the exact reason that the dial had been discolored like that. I could tell more by the hour hand, then when I got the watch, by the minute hand. Thanks for explaining the exact reason for that. It was very cool to see the watch had been left for a long time, and even better now I know more about it! Makes perfect sense. The marking by the hour hand from the seller's photo was one thing, among many other things of course, that really attracted me to this particular watch. Cheers, Carl |
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Well, I think you did mention it a couple of times!
The first chap who owned it was a friend of my Father's, who was a gardener at Babylon!
