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Post by ianmedium on May 29, 2014 13:25:33 GMT -6
Just purchased a rare beast that probably not many people would want but it appeals greatly to me. A Soviet made Sekonda quartz, now there is a combo! This watch though is not your common or garden Soviet made Sekonda, its something rather more special. Brief History lesson! Sekonda came into existence in 1966. The brand name was created to sell Soviet made watches mainly in the UK and Commonwealth. They have always been known as reliable budget watches in the UK and their TV commercials were stuff of legend often hosted by Britain's top celebrities at the time. Here is one with the late great Ronnie Barker (for non UK folks Ronnie was just about the biggest name on TV at the time) Little known was the fact that Sekonda also brought in some much higher end watches which competed with the likes of Tissot,Seiko and their ilk, this is one of those watches! It houses a beautifully made 8 jewel quartz movement and the case though looking gold plated is actually plated in Titanium Nitride which has a hardness of 9 on the Mohs scale and as you can see from this thirty four year old watch wears really well, in fact so well this watch looks barely worn! Very excited to see this one arrive. I have a soft spot for Sekonda as probably many Brits of my age do. Here are a couple of pictures from the seller who is in Belarus.
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CHIP
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Ad Astra Per Aspera
Posts: 37,768
Name: Chip
Location: Dallas
Since: Oct 8, 2005 17:08:57 GMT -6
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Post by CHIP on May 29, 2014 13:32:01 GMT -6
Looks great for its age! Based on the USSR on the dial, I'd say this is late 80s and intended for export market. If it was domestic, the dial would probably read CCCP instead of USSR.
Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro
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Post by urtossen on May 29, 2014 13:35:48 GMT -6
Looks great !
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Post by ianmedium on May 29, 2014 13:37:55 GMT -6
Spot on Chip! Sekonda were only ever exported hence the USSR. The seller says the watch was made around 1983. Its in beautiful condition. I love these older quartz movements. This particular movement just ceased production though the ones made in the 90's and onwards were of much lower quality with no jewels.
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Post by iceman on May 29, 2014 13:49:18 GMT -6
Great find Ian, looks great. You sure can find them :-)
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CHIP
WWF Founder
Ad Astra Per Aspera
Posts: 37,768
Name: Chip
Location: Dallas
Since: Oct 8, 2005 17:08:57 GMT -6
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Post by CHIP on May 29, 2014 13:50:22 GMT -6
Growing up in a communist country, I had my fair share of soviet stuff. Everything was either soviet or Chinese. Now that I'm here, everything is Chinese. Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk Pro
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Baco Noir
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Name: Roger
Since: Mar 14, 2011 13:09:50 GMT -6
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Post by Baco Noir on May 29, 2014 14:39:33 GMT -6
That's really nice looking. I love the concentric gold rings on the white dial, Romans and blued hands - really classy combination. What's the diameter on this one?
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Post by ianmedium on May 29, 2014 15:11:50 GMT -6
Thanks Roger, its 35mm so traditional dress size. I love those gold bands too, the facets are going to be great at reflecting the light I think!
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Baco Noir
WWF Advisor
WWF Admin
Posts: 31,274
Name: Roger
Since: Mar 14, 2011 13:09:50 GMT -6
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Post by Baco Noir on May 29, 2014 15:14:17 GMT -6
Oh man, just watched that video - that's hilarious!
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Post by ianmedium on May 29, 2014 15:42:00 GMT -6
Here is another Roger..
And this one is from the TV show he was most famous for. He was part of a double act called "The Two Ronnies" a sketch show format that was loved by everyone in the UK. This is probably the most famous sketch from it!
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Post by carl on May 31, 2014 8:12:54 GMT -6
Looks like you've been busy, Ian! That is a great find, and I love the videos. Cheers, Carl
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