American Vintage Watches
It is true to say that the general British public is familiar with the reputation of the fine Swiss watchmaking industry. What is less well known is that the American watch market at the turn of the 20th century was both enormous and included very high quality manufacturers; Hamilton, Illinois, and Elgin et al, that led the world in producing precision watches - driven by the establishment in 1882 of railroad time standards (6 seconds/week).
The period 1920-1950 saw the height of the American watchmaking industry and my collection is drawn from the latter end of this Art Deco era with excellent examples of Hamilton, Bulova, Elgin and Wittnauer-familiar names in the USA but yet to be truly appreciated in this country – representing therefore excellent value-for-money.
THe Elgin Shockmaster shown-has been SOLD.
Gruen dress watch c1954 -10 carat gold-filled bezel and case. 34mm dial excl crown.
A classic Amercian dress watch from one the iconic American brands of the Art Deco era. A near pristine dial and (bubble) case- an elegant addition to any watch collection.
price £450 ono
Hamilton Lambert, 1950
Hamilton introduced this square-cased model with unusually wide lugs, for the time, at 18mm. The square dial is c30mm (excl’ crown) and has is silver with a golden patina reflecting its’ age and 18 carat gold Roman numerals. The movement if the the high grade 17 jewel Hamilton 747. set in a 10 karat gold-filled case.
F=18000 A/H and a generous power reserve of c48 hours. Movement details can be found at: http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Hamilton_747
Price £425
Wittnauer maybe best known as the local American agent for Longines, the A. Wittnauer Watch Co, was established in New Rochelle, New York in 1885. Albert Wittnauer, a Swiss immigrant, saw a market for fine yet affordable watches.
This Wittnauer Genève from 1958 demonstrates perfectly that original ethos. This rare example has a pearlesent dial with applied gold markers set a 32mm gold bezel excluding the crown. The attention to design detail is highlighted with the very fancy lugs-a feature of Wittnauer design of the time.
A stunning piece and an increasingly rare find in this condition.
Price £450 ono.
Lord Elgin, 1951 dress watch.
This 21 jewelled Lord Elgin represents the higher grade output from the Elgin brand. The textured matte black dial and very fancy bezel denote the competition between higher-end American watch companies in terms of their design investment. This midsize watch is 29mm (excl’ crown) with a near mint bubble-back 10 karat gold-filled case and bezel. Powered by a high grade Elgin 555 movement with reserve of c38 hours.
This is a very rare and lovely piece which will be of interest to those who love American beauties.
SOLD.
Lord Elgin 21 jewels-dated 1949 14 carat solid gold -bezel and snap-back case. Pearlescent silver dial 22mm (excl crown )and 31mm lug tp lug, with gold applied markers and Arabic numerals with subsidiary dial.
SOLD
Hamilton Sea Guard-1961.
A stunning, rare and classic piece of Hamilton"s history this line of Hamilton ‘Sea Guard’ was produced only from 1961-63. Rarely did Hamilton produce a gold and silver watch model-so this is particularly rare. The pristine stainless steel ‘monocoque (front-loading) case measures 33 excl crown and comes with the original crown.
The stainless steel case and pie-pan dial is in very good condition. The watch is triple signed and is powered by the Hamilton 688 with a power reserve of 47 hours and f = 18000 A/h
A rare and collectible piece priced accordingly. SOLD
Hamilton - 1954,
Rare mid-size unisex Hamilton watch in 10 karat gold-filled snap-back case and bezel. 30mm matte vanilla dial with applied gold roman numerals,
Price £425 ono.
Hamilton Dennis, 1948
Hamilton introduced this elegant tank-cased model in 1948 with a 4 yearproduction run. The dial is 27x30mm (excl’ crown) and has is silver with a soft vanilla patina reflecting its’ age and deep 18 carat gold applied Roman numerals. The movement if the the high grade 17 jewel Hamilton 980 set in a 10 karat gold-filled case.
F=18000 A/H and a generous power reserve of c45 hours. This very select and high grade movement was made in small numbers details can be found at:
http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db.cgi?10&ranfft&&2uswk&Hamilton_980
Sold.
Lord Elgin 21 jewels-dated 1948, 14 carat gold -filled bezel and snap-back case. Pearlescent silver dial with gold applied markers and Arabic numerals. Square subsid’ seconds dial.
SOLD
Elgin Shockmaster, 1954 with fancy 10 carat gold-filled bezel and case. Stunning textured dial with applied gold Arabic numerals.
Price SOLD