Founded in 1923 in Bienne, Switzerland, the Optima Watch Company was dedicated to making all their movements in-house, with exacting precision and Swiss quality. This particular "Art Deco" Optima is a very elegant, ladies' dress watch, executed in a very fancy, engraved, 18K solid white gold case that measures 15 mm wide (not including the crown), by 24 mm lug to lug, by 7 mm thick (including the crystal). It boasts a sapphire cabochon crown, case corners with sapphire blue stones, four diamonds (set north and south and east and west), and a silvered, engraved dial accented with blued steel hands. The silvered dial is just spectacular, with its engraved design and arcaded chapters. The bezel is also beautifully engraved and this gives the watch a wonderful look. The movement is a 17 jewel mechanical marvel that is winding, setting, and keeping time just as it should. This is a scarce watch from a company that did not compromise and it can be yours!
Novelty watches were in great favor because they only cost a few dollars and they were quite reliable for the price point. We here at Father Time Antiques have seen hundreds of them over the years but, this is the first one we have had with such an interesting dial. The entire dial is a golf ball that is branded "U.S. Royal". The nickel plated case measures 48mm in diameter by 58mm with the crown and bow, by 15mm thick (including the crystal). It was made in Bristol, CT by the Ingraham Company who made their fortune by producing reliable and inexpensive wristwatches, pocket watches, and clocks. It is running, winding, and setting great. The only thing you can fault is that someone in its past life tried to polish the case back and, in the photo you can see, they took off the nickel plating (down to the brass) by doing so. Everything else is fine. For the price point, you can't beat it. Fully restored and warrantied, for one year, for parts and labor!
It doesn't matter if you are Eloi or Morlock, this Hamilton "Flight II" will look great on your wrist. This reference to H.G. Wells' "Time Machine" does have its parallels with the passage of time and the ability to go back and re-live those forever-lost moments in time. Made over 60 years ago at the Hamilton Watch Factory in Lancaster, PA, this wonderful wristwatch was launched as one of Hamilton's avant-garde styling triumphs. The "Boomerang" motif was proof of their advanced styling, which was right in step with the automotive industry of that time. As a matter of fact, Hamilton had hired Richard Arbib from that industry to help bring the unusual shape to the Hamilton "Ventura" (the first electric watch). This "Flight II" is housed in a 10k gold-filled case that measures 28mm at its mid point (between the 9 & the 3), by 35mm at its extreme height, by 10mm thick (including the crystal). It is a manual wind caliber 770, 22 jewel movement that our head watchmaker has running like the day it was made. This is the nicest one of these scarce watches that we have owned in over 38 years. It sports its original gold dial that has Arabic numerals at all the cardinal points with gold "pips" at all the other chapters. It also has the cross hair "gun sight" markings at the dial center. The original finish is nothing short of spectacular. No one seems to know exactly how many of these watches were made or how many survive today, but I can tell you it is a fairly low number. When you take a look at the photo array, notice how crisp the cross-hatch texture is in the "Boomerang" shape at the top of the case and how it wraps all the way around the left side of the case. Many times this is where you will notice a great deal of wear...but not on this watch. We paired it with a textured expansion band that carries the motif all the way around your wrist. Our one-year warranty, for parts and labor, will allow you to put this watch on your wrist with complete confidence. We have only one... don't miss it!
Corum was founded in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland by Gaston Ries and his nephew, René Bannwart in 1955. One year later, the first Corum watches were being produced. Corum's claim to fame came early on, when the company introduced a watch made out of a $20 gold coin, which was an instant best-seller. That's what we have here and what a striking watch it is. The 18k gold $20 gold coin that it is made from has a beauty all its own. It's what is commonly referred to as the "Double Eagle". The pencil-line thin black hands are in stark contrast to the elegant, slightly rose colored, gold coin surface that displays the wonderful engraving of a coin from 1891. The reign of the "Double Eagle" as the premiere U.S. gold coin ended when FDR issued an executive order in 1933 which required all Americans to turn in their gold coins and bullion. So that is why so few of these beauties survive. You can see "In God We Trust" in an arch just under the twelve o'clock position atop the American Eagle holding a serpent in its beak centered by a shield and the motto "E Pluribus Unum" in a flowing banner. When you flip the watch over you can see the beautiful "Liberty Head" that is surrounded by an array of 13 stars representing the original 13 colonies. You can't help but feel the pride of country in this piece. The case sides have the original "coin edge" from which we derive the term, and the bezel is notched at the hour intervals to make it easy to read. The crowning glory is the "Blue Cabochon Crown" opposite the 3 o'clock position. The movement is a battery operated, highly accurate, quartz mechanism that is virtually trouble-free. The case measures 37mm in diameter (not including the crown), by 44mm lug to lug, by 5mm thick (including the crystal). We have fitted it with a genuine croco 19mm band in the "Havana" color for a interesting look. What's not to like here? Our one-year warranty will allow you to purchase with complete confidence and then you can show off your lucky $20 gold piece!
The Enicar Watch Company is a name that causes people to scratch their heads, probably because it is not immediately recognizable. Enicar was founded when Artiste Racine (Racine Watch Co.) spelled his name backwards and created a timeless brand that has been recognized for its high quality for over 90 years. They were situated in La Chaux de Fonds in Switzerland right in the middle of Swiss watchmaking. They were exporters of watches to Europe & Russia and in 1914 were among the first to use Radium for glow-in-the-dark dials and hands...a real innovation at that time.
Enicar was using movements made by Adolphe Schild (AS) a well known manufacturer, but due to successful sales increases the firm expanded and moved to Langnau. Racine was giving attention to the production of rugged military watches that were in great demand. By the mid 1940s, they had engineered their own chronographs and finally their own automatics by the 1950s.
The "Sherpa" (in reference to tough and resilient local packers of the expedition) was a real winner in their line-up and were named after the 1956 Swiss Himalayan expedition to Everest which relied on Enicar timepieces. The expedition members all wore Enicar watches that could withstand the harsh mountain environs.
With the breakthrough of the Sherpa models, the Enicar company began their "golden years". 1957 Enicar made headlines as a chronometer (the Ultrasonic Sherpa) were attached to the helm of the ship Mayflower II, this voyage was an Atlantic crossing of 50 days and the watch survived without any mechanical problems or leakage.
In the 1950s, Enicar had the slogan, "Precision time in space, on the earth and over the seas". Some say that Enicar was the first watch ever to been taken to the top of Everest and not the Rolex Oyster that Sir Edmund Hillary worn on his expedition in 1953. Because of the expedition not being documented properly Enicar could not claim to be the first to the top and tried again with the team of 1956.
This particular Enicar, "Supertest" is one that is very hard to find...it is an asymmetrical that will really provide excellent timekeeping and that will turn heads. It is a 23 jewel movement (very high grade) in a stainless steel case that measures 34mm wide (sans wings), by 40mm lug to lug, by 10mm thick (including the crystal) and it takes a 18mm band.
Once you put it on your wrist, you will find yourself looking in its direction more often than to just tell the time. It is very special! Our watch makers have it running, winding and keeping time just as it did when it came across the sea back in 1962. I don't know what the test standards are but this one is a "Supertest"....don't miss it.
This wonderful Empire-style French Pillar Clock, circa 1820-1860, has such a regal appearance that it is joy to behold. The porcelain dial is carefully adorned with hand painted floral garlands fired into the porcelain surrounding the chapters. Is is quite dramatic. This theme is repeated with the gilded gadroon that is draped between the two innermost pillars. Gilded caps surmount the pillars and the gilding is repeated on the urn finial, the base ornament, and the gilded feet. These French movements usually strike on a bell, as does this one, plus they are highly precise. If you wish to have an elegant clock for your mantle, this may be the one for you! All of our clocks are warrantied for one-year for parts and labor so that you may buy with confidence.
By 1838, brass clock movements had been introduced to replace the wooden and cast iron movements that were the standard of the day. Then, in 1844, metal dealer Anson Greene Phelps formed the Ansonia Brass Co. in Connecticut, to supply the expanding clock business with brass sheet goods. In 1850, the Ansonia Clock Company was formed as a subsidiary of the Ansonia Brass Company by Phelps and clockmakers, Theodore Terry and Franklin C. Andrews. Terry & Andrews were the largest clock manufacturers in Bristol, with more than 50 employees using 58 tons of brass in the production of about 25,000 clocks, circa 1849. Phelps decided to get into the clockmaking business to expand the market for his brass, while Terry and Andrews got access to better quality brass at better prices. They then sold 50% of their business to Phelps, and moved the business to Ansonia, Conn. By 1877, the Ansonia Clock company acquired a factory in New York, and moved the lion's share of their production there after it was spun off from the brass company. Henry J. Davies of Brooklyn, himself a clockmaker, inventor, and case designer, joined the newly reconstituted company as one of its founders. As President, he is thought to be largely responsible for the figurine clocks, swinging clocks and other unusual and novel clocks for which Ansonia became known.
A little known fact: the inventor, Thomas Edison, visited the factory in 1878 to experiment combining clocks with his newly developed phonograph. But the experiments proved unsuitable.
By 1879, a second factory opened in Brooklyn, N.Y. and by June 1880, Ansonia was employing 360 workers, while the Connecticut factory continued producing clocks as well with a work force of 100 men and 25 women. Hence, clocks marked "Connecticut" were generally produced before 1879, while those marked "New York" were all produced after 1880.
Alas, the New York factory burnt down in 1880 - with the reported loss to be $750,000 with only $395,000 insured. Like the proverbial Phoenix arising from the ashes, Ansonia rebuilt the factory on the same site, reopening the expanded factory in 1881, with capacity to exceed that of the Connecticut factory - which closed completely in 1883. By 1886, the company had sales offices in New York, Chicago and London, with more than 225 different clock models being manufactured. The prosperous and debt-free Ansonia Clock Company reported having an inventory worth $600,000 and receivables valued at $250,000. No small feat at that time. By 1904 Ansonia added non-jeweled watches to their line and produced an estimated 10 million of these by 1929.
Here we have one of the most popular Ansonia China Clocks, with their famous "Exposed Escapement." Royal Bonn made the cases for these clocks and they are simply splendid. Combined with the high quality of Ansonia's movement, you have a clock that you can't beat. The clock is an 8-day, time and strike (on a coiled gong) with a brass "Egg & Dart" bezel a double sunk dial, and the fabulous "Exposed Escapement" just below the 12 o'clock position. As the clock ticks, you can see two ruby pallet stones moving back and forth just under the 12 o'clock position on the dial. They are interacting with the escape wheel teeth and parsing the passing seconds with great precision. It is fascinating to observe. Our head clockmaker has it winding, running, and keeping time just as it did back in the late 1890s. Couple this with our famous one-year warranty, for parts and labor, and you have an unbeatable combination!
In the clock world, the German makers are kings. Everyone seems to know intuitively that their movements are superbly made. A good many of these 8-day time and strike clocks were exported to destinations all over the world with a good many finding their way to our shores. Our generic term for them is "German Box Clock" and this is by no means a pejorative term. These clocks are real champions in our world. They are strongly built, reliable, and made for precise service for a lifetime. This particular 8-day is a time & strike (on a Cathedral gong) made in the "Arts & Crafts" style which we think is very attractive. Our head clockmaker has expertly restored this wonderful clock so that you may enjoy it for a lifetime, provided that you take care of it. Our one-year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to purchase this clock with complete confidence.
The A. Wittnauer Co. was the exclusive sales agent for Longines starting in 1880, initiating a marriage that would stand the test of 114 years. In 1936, the Wittnauer family sold their interests and the brand was renamed the Longines-Wittnauer Co., a name that became so burnished in the public lexicon, that most people assume Longines and Wittnauer watches are one and the same. In fact, they produced different movements that were very individual to their brand. Wittnauer was a Swiss company that made very nice watches, and this one is exceptionally nice as it is a dress watch in a 14K Solid Gold Case that measures 21 mm in diameter (without the crown), by 32 mm lug to lug, by 9 mm thick. The band ends are hidden under a beautifully curved pair of lugs and the silvered dial displays stylized and elongated applied "arrowhead" gold markers with double arrows at the 3 and the 9. To make it even more spectacular Wittnauer has outfitted it with a two facet crystal that divides the dial East to West. You can detect the demising line looking straight down in the photos or it is more easily seen with the side view. We have fitted it with an 18mm, dark brown, croco grain band that suits it to a "T". It has a seventeen jewel movement that is in excellent running condition and is representative of watches made in the late 1940s. Our one-year warranty, for parts and labor, will allow you to buy with confidence!
Bulova was a watch company that was huge in the American market, from the early parts of the last century right through modern times. They advertised in all of the national media and made watches with Swiss movements that were real workhorses. Bulova was founded and incorporated as the J. Bulova Company in 1875 by Joseph Bulova (1851 - November 18, 1936), an immigrant from Bohemia. It was reincorporated under the name Bulova Watch Company in 1923, became part of the Loews Corporation in 1979 and was sold to Citizen at the end of 2007.
Bulova had a huge presence in the American watch market and it became the "Chevy" of the watch world. It was very reliable and affordable. By the early 1940s, when this watch was made, long rectangular watches were in great demand. This is a watch that will give you years of service with minimal fuss. The yellow gold-filled case measures 25 mm in width (without the crown), by 40 mm lug to lug, by 11 mm thick. It has a stainless steel back for wearing longevity and the Caliber 10A6, 15 jewel movement is setting, winding, and keeping time just as it did when it was new. We have fitted it with a dark brown, lizard band that really suits the watch, but we think it is the dial that will capture your heart. It is a rose gold beauty with applied gold Arabic numerals and a seconds bit at the 6 o'clock position that imitates the overall shape of the case (a very nice touch). The case back is stainless steel with a personalization reading, "To Jim From Royals SAC May 9th, 1941." It is very faint but still readable in good light. It is an iconic Bulova that can grace your wrist for not much moolah!
Our one-year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to buy with confidence!
The Wittnauer Co. had a longstanding relationship with Longines that endured until 1936. We think that the brand is one that is often overlooked, but this is a big mistake because they made very nice watches like the one we are offering here. The Wittnauer family sold their interests in 1936 and the brand was renamed the Longines-Wittnauer Co., a name that became so burnished in the public lexicon, that most people assume Longines and Wittnauer watches are one and the same. In fact, they produced different movements that were very individual to their brand. Wittnauer was a Swiss company that made very nice watches, and this one is no exception. It is a 17 jewel, round case with tapered lugs. The 10K solid gold case measures 31 mm in width (without the crown), by 36mm lug to lug, by 11 mm thick (including the crystal). It takes a 18 mm band and we have fitted it with a very nice black croco grain beauty. The dial is a "Pie Pan" shape with its original finish and great patina. It flares down at the chapters giving it two surfaces to catch the light at different angles. The Arabic numerals are applied gold that stand proud of the silvered dial surface. The gold dagger hands complete the look. Made in 1950, it exemplifies the age. Our watchmakers have it well within factory specs so that it winds, runs, and keeps time just as it did circa 1950. Our one-year warranty will assure you of years of reliable service.
Movado is a Swiss manufacturer probably best known for its "Museum Watch". Designed in 1947 by Bauhaus-influenced artist Nathan George Horwitt, the watch dial has a very simple design defined by a solitary dot at 12, symbolizing the sun at high noon, but Movado also made some very nice solid gold dress watches that are of superior quality...and this is one of those. It is an 18k solid gold gentleman's wristwatch that is "chronometer" rated, indicating that it has passed rigorous standards for accuracy. It is, in fact, at the pinnacle of mechanical watches in a world where few qualify for this mark.
Some Movado watch models had Esperanto names such as Bela ("beautiful"), Belamodo ("beautiful fashion"), Fiero ("pride"), Brila ("brilliant"), and Linio ("line"). The company's name itself means "movement" in Esperanto. This model's name probably has a simpler origin: "King" for being top-of-the-line in terms of case material and movement precision, and "matic" for the automatic winding feature.
This Movado has the high grade 28 jewel "Kingmatic S" movement with the model name just above the 6 o'clock position indicating that it is an automatic (self-winding) watch. The case, which measures 34 mm in diameter (not including the crown), by 40 mm lug to lug, by 9.5 mm thick (including the crystal), is a beauty to behold. To gild the lily, we have fitted it with a luxurious, medium brown, genuine lizard band that really suits it. Here is a solid gold watch, in a nice size case that is a top quality performer for a very reasonable price when you compare modern watches of the same quality but at twice the price. Our one-year warranty will allow you to buy with confidence.