Very mod and cutting edge for its day! This is the gentleman's Bulova Day/Date "Accutron", with a date feature at 3 o'clock and a day-of-the-week feature just next to it. Made circa 1970, it is a very unusual "Accutron" that is a functional piece of art. The contrast of the white background for the day with the black background for the date, plus the sleek 14k gold filled case cushion-style case all combine to make this watch a real winner.
The story is told that in the 1960s, the American government wanted to keep this timing technology out of the hands of the Russians. So, they asked Bulova to keep it a secret a little longer since we were using this very accurate timekeeper in our space program. When you take a look at the informational pamphlet that Bulova put out to introduce this new idea to jewelers and watchmakers, it has a very space age, cutting edge look (for the day). In the pamphlet, it is explained that the seconds are parsed into very discrete segments by the vibrations of the "tuning fork" mechanism at the heart of the movement. Bulova advertised it as the "Watch that Hums!" The general public was very much into innovative and stylish watches and Bulova made this very interesting day/date, electro-mechanical watch for discerning men to strap on their wrists.
It is in great condition, and our watchmakers have it humming along just like it did when it came from the Bulova factory over 50 years ago. Like all Accutrons that are Cal. 218, it is set by the crown at the 4 o'clock position. The case measures 34 mm wide, by 40 mm from lug to lug, by 11 mm thick (including the crystal). Just think -- it could be humming on your wrist! We warranty all of our watches for one year for parts and labor so that you may buy with confidence.
Caravelle is Bulova's other line of watches that were made in Switzerland and are a bit more unusual. This Diver's Watch is in great condition and is very handsome on the wrist. It is a 17 jewel, manual wind watch with a central sweep seconds hand that is contrasted against a beautiful gloss black dial. The stainless steel case measures 36 mm in diameter (not including the crown), by 45 mm lug to lug, by 12 mm thick (including the crystal). This watch is better than all its parts because the overall effect is wonderful. There is a tactile quality that makes you want to put it on your wrist. It is "Anti-Magnetic", "Shock Resistant", and "Water Resistant". Our head watchmaker assures me that the 17 jewel, Swiss movement is winding, setting, and keeping time just as it did over 50 years ago. It can be yours along with our one-year warranty for parts and labor. Don't miss it!
Omega is a legendary watch manufacturer. Not only did they make wristwatches, but pocket watches as well. With today's larger standards for case size, this Pocket Watch-to-Wristwatch Conversion stands out as an exemplary piece. It is a 15 jewel, 19 lignes, gilded movement, in a modern, stainless steel case with a display back. Here you have the best of both worlds....a watch that was made after the first World War but was later adapted for the wrist. The flat black dial is so handsome that you can't wait to put it on your wrist. It displays the minutes in a large format as the first concentric chapter. This makes it very easy to see your timed mission vitals. The inner dial carries the conventional Arabic Numerals for times when you are not engaged in a life and death struggle. The seconds bit is located at the nine o'clock position for an unusual look. At the 12 o'clock position there is the ubiquitous military triangle with a dot at either side. The hands and numerals are all luminous, with a sustained glow-in-the-dark contrast after dark. There is a large brass crown that completes the look.
The case measures 48 mm in diameter (not including the crown), by 56 mm from lug to lug, by 16 mm thick (including the crystal). Yes, it is a big puppy! On the reverse you can see the gilded movement through the display back. You will see a three-quarter plate engine that is as clean as a whistle and running like the proverbial top. It is a joy to behold.
Our one year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to buy with confidence. Don't miss, we have only one!
The Ingersoll Watch Company grew out of a mail order business (R H Ingersoll & Bro) started in New York City in 1882 by 21-year-old Robert Hawley Ingersoll and his brother Charles Henry Ingersoll. The company initially sold low-cost items such as rubber stamps.
The first Ingersoll watches, called "Universal" were introduced in 1892, supplied by the Waterbury Clock Company. They were in reality small spring-driven clocks, about three inches diameter and over one inch thick. These were put into watchcases with pendants that carried bows and crowns like contemporary watches. The crown was not functional, the watch was wound by a captive key that hinged out, and a central wheel was used to set the hands, both accessible when the back was opened just as in a clock. At first they were sold wholesale to dealers, but later in 1892 a mail order catalogue was produced and watches were sold directly to the public.
The Waterbury watch company also initially sold the watches, but the Ingersolls soon negotiated a sole agency deal. In 1893 a smaller version of the Universal watch called the "Columbus" was made.
In 1896 Ingersoll introduced a watch called the Yankee, setting its price at $1. This made it the cheapest watch available at the time, and the first watch to be priced at one dollar; the "Dollar Watch" was born. It was cheaply mass-produced from stamped parts and without jewels so that it would be affordable to everyone.
By 1899 the Waterbury Clock Company were producing 8,000 of these watches per day for Ingersoll, who started advertising that 10,000 dealers carried their dollar watch. By 1910, Waterbury was producing 3,500,000 dollar watches per year for Ingersoll.
Over twenty years nearly forty million dollar watches were sold, and Ingersoll coined the phrase "The watch that made the dollar famous!" Theodore Roosevelt mentioned that during his hunting trip in Africa he was described as "the man from the country where Ingersoll was produced."
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In 1904 Ingersoll opened a store in London, England. In 1905 Robert sailed to England and introduced the Crown pocket watch for 5 shillings, which was the same value as $1 at the time. These were made by a British subsidiary, Ingersoll Ltd, initially assembled from imported parts, and later made entirely in their London factory. These watches were made until the late 1920s, after the American parent company had collapsed.
Ingersoll bought the Trenton Watch Company in 1908, and the bankrupt New England Watch Company in Waterbury, Connecticut for $76,000 on November 25, 1914. By 1916, the company was producing 16,000 watches per day in 10 models. In 1917 they produced another popular watch with 7 jewels called the Reliance. In 1919 Ingersoll developed a watch with the so-called "night design", the Radiolite with luminous dial.
n the 1930s, the company, now called Ingersoll-Waterbury manufactured the first Mickey Mouse watches. Over five million of these watches would be sold in the first 15 years of production.
The watch on offer here is from their later, upscale production, circa 1940 when their watches were real competitors for the US pocket watch market. This watch is a 7 jewel, 3/4 plate, nickel movement that is winding, setting, and keeping time just as it did over 80 years ago. The white gold filled case measures 50 mm in diameter, by 63 mm from the case bottom to the top of the bow, by 13 mm thick (including the crystal). The porcelain dial has bold Arabic Numerals and blued steel hands for ease of viewing. It is a great looking watch that will give you years of service without breaking the bank. Our one year warranty, for parts and labor, will allow you to buy with confidence.
Waltham was a wonderful and prolific watch manufacturer located in Waltham, Ma. and they were in business from 1851 to 1957, in various iterations. Their earlier efforts, circa 1850, in Roxbury, Massachusetts resulted in the Howard, Dennison & Davis moniker. Later the name changed to Boston Watch Company, then Appleton, Tracey, & Co., then The American Watch Co., and finally the Waltham Watch Company. They were one of the giants of the industry and second largest only to Elgin. This particular Waltham is in a "Tip Out", sterling silver case and is the only one we have ever had in sterling after being in the business for over 42 years. Not only is it in a very desirable case, but it is also an "Up/Dn Winding Indicator."
The "Winding Indicator" is one of the most desirable watches for railroad engineers because they can see at a glance how much reserve is left on their mainspring. There is a subsidiary dial (at the 12 o'clock position) which indicates how many hours are left in reserve for the use of the timekeeping ability of the movement. This is a 23 jewel (the top grade), 3/4 quarter plate, nickel movement that is in fantastic condition. It is housed in a sterling silver case that measures 53 mm in diameter, by 76 mm (from the case bottom to the top of the bow), by 14 mm thick (including the crystal). The porcelain dial is in fantastic condition showing not only the Up/Dn indicator sub dial at the 12 o'clock position, but also the seconds bit at the six o'clock position. This very interesting railroad pocket watch can be yours. We have only one in this configuration....don't miss it!
Are you in the market for a real clean classic-looking, affordable wristwatch that harks back to the 1960s... if so then this may be the one for you. Elgin produced watches in Elgin, Illinois (a Chicago suburb) for over 100 years. They were the largest and most prolific of the American manufacturers and the "Lord Elgin" was their premier product. This particular Elgin is a 17 jewel beauty that is a very cool watch in more ways than one. First, the movement is a thing of mechanical beauty. Second, the classic angular case gives it a great vintage look. It is also fitted with an unbreakable "Durapower" mainspring... quite a feat back in the day. In short, this is one killer wristwatch from the 1960s. The case is stainless steel measuring 33 mm wide (not including the crown), by 41.5 mm lug to lug, by 10.5 mm thick (including the crystal) and is running like the proverbial top. The dial sports raised Arabic numerals and a central sweep second hand that is silver to match the hour and minute hand. It takes a 16 mm band and we have fitted it with a genuine, black lizard band that gives it a very luxe look. This handsome timepiece is in fantastic, original condition and just waiting for a wrist to adorn. Remember all of our timepieces come with our famous one-year warranty, for parts and labor, so that you may buy with confidence.
Caravelle is Bulova's other line of watches that were made in Switzerland and are a bit more unusual. This one is in great condition and is very handsome on the wrist. It is a 17 jewel, automatic (self-winding) watch with a date window at the three o'clock position. The brushed stainless steel cushion case measures 35 mm wide (not including the crown), by 40.5 mm lug to lug, by 12 mm thick (including the crystal).
The dial is a pale cream color with a brushed texture finish. The "12" and "6" Arabic numerals are applied stainless steel, while the other chapter markers are applied stainless rectangular pieces with blue inserts. A dot of lume on the outer minute track at each chapter is echoed through the stripe of lume in the rectangular hands. While the lume no longer glows, it adds to the overall effect. There is a tactile quality that makes you want to put it on your wrist. I think that the red sweep seconds hand really gilds the lily. Lastly, the crown carries Caravelle's "C" mark as a subtle finishing detail.
Suffice it to say, we really like this perfect vintage watch from the early 1970s. Our head watchmaker has the movement winding, setting, and keeping time just as it did over 50 years ago. It can be yours along with our one-year warranty for parts and labor. Don't miss it!
In 1864, the Dueber Watch Case Company was founded in Newport, Kentucky, by John Dueber. They made pocket watch cases that were used by many of the manufacturers of watch movements. It was custom at that time to select the movement and the case separately so there was a large selection that was available to the consumer and the watch dealer alike. The Dueber Watch Case Company provided the cases for many companies, including the Hampden Watch Company, which was located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Hampden Watch Company's product so impressed Dueber that in 1886 he purchased a controlling interest in this company. In 1888, Dueber relocated the Dueber Watch Case Company from Newport and the Hampden Watch Company from Springfield to Canton, Ohio. In this new location, the two companies shared manufacturing facilities. The Dueber Watch Case Company produced the cases for the watches that the Hampden Watch Company manufactured. In 1923, the two companies formally united together, becoming known as the Dueber-Hampden Watch Company. This particular Hampden was made circa 1882, in the Springfield, Ma. facility and it is their Model II movement. It was a preferred custom at that time to produce what were called "jeweler's contract watches." These were watches that were produced by all the major companies but which bore the names of local jewelers on the dial and sometimes on the movement (as is the case here). If an order was placed in sufficient quantity, the manufacturer would print the jeweler's name on their watch, so the jeweler could sell it as his private label, all the while knowing that the full force of Hampden or some other manufacturer stood behind the engineering and parts supply. This is one of those. The porcelain dial has the overlaid inititials "HW" to represent the Chicago jeweler's name. His first initital and full last name are in full view on the movement. It was labeled as the private label of H. Weidehann and is a 15 jewel, nickel, full-plate movement with striped damasceening. The 18 size, yellow gold-filled case measures 55 mm in diameter, by 80 mm from the case bottom to the top of the bow, by 18.5 mm thick. The porcelain dial is perfect and it displays a nice, large seconds bit at the six o'clock position. Bold Arabic numerals and blued steel hands complete the look. This is a very desirable Hampden that is rarely seen. Our head watchmaker has it winding, setting, and keeping time just as it did 100 years ago. This is a very nice watch for the dough even though it has some case wear from loving use over the last century. It is now ready for your pocket. Our one-year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to buy with confidence.
Elgin is a brand that is known worldwide and, we here at Father Time, see a good many Elgin watches that were made over the 100 years that they were in business. In almost every instance, we can restore these wonderful timepieces to the timekeeping ability that Elgin originally intended them to have... a testament to their quality. Elgin can certainly be proud of what they accomplished, because they had an excellent product that has stood the test of time. This particular Elgin is an 18 size, open-face, nickel case, with a porcelain, Roman numeral dial that has a seconds bit at the 6 o'clock position. It sports blued steel hands that really stand out for easy reading and a handsome look. The nickel case measures 58 mm in diameter, by 82 mm (including the bow), by 22 mm thick (including the crystal). It houses a seven jewel movement that is in fantastic condition. The bezel has a coin edge for ease of removal to gain access to the tip-out movement. The case back is plain polish. Our head watchmaker has it winding, setting, and keeping time just as it did way back in 1900. This really nice open face, 18-size Elgin pocket watch can be yours for not that much dough. It is fully restored and warrantied for one year for parts and labor.
Tuning fork watches were introduced by Bulova in the 1960s, and they were the most accurate watches of their era. Other companies like Omega also jumped on the bandwagon and they produced this wonderful 300 hz "Chronometer" rated, stainless steel wristwatch. It is reference 198.001, made circa 1974. It is a watch that hums when held to your ear. The date feature at the three o'clock position gilds the lily. The watch is in great condition and our head watchmaker has it humming along just as it did back in 1974. These watches were most often sold in gold-colored cases and the stainless steel watches, like this one, are scarce. It still has its original factory finish with a brushed stainless expansion band and its original Omega marked crystal. The case measures 38 mm wide (not including the crown), by 42 mm lug to lug, by 11 mm thick (including the crystal). The silvered dial is in fantastic original condition to complete package. What's not to like? Our one-year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to buy with confidence... don't miss it!
Bulova was a very prolific, Swiss company that made great watches for which there are many parts still available. These were well designed, not only from a cosmetic perspective, but also from an engineering standpoint. This is a really nice pocket watch that was made in 1952. It has a very clean 15 jewel movement, in a yellow gold-filled case, with a cream colored dial, gold "Sword" hands, and a seconds bit at the 6 o'clock position. The case measures 42.5 mm wide, by 50 mm (from the case bottom to the top of the bow) by 11 mm thick (including the crystal). This is a very nice example due to the stylized, applied gold Arabic Numerals. It's an elegant pocket watch, in great condition, that is easy to carry and that will give you years of service. Our one year warranty for parts and labor will give you the confidence you need when purchasing a vintage pocket watch.
We here at Father Time have a close relationship with Elgin watches just like you do with your hometown team. We get more Elgin pocket watches than almost any other company's production, due to our proximity to the Elgin area (a suburb of Chicago) and we are delighted that this is so because, Elgin was a wonderful company that made a really nice watch. The plus side for you today is that we have also purchased a large stock of Elgin parts, over the years we have been in business (38 and counting) and we can fix anything they made, with all original parts. This 15 jewel, three-quarter plate, nickel movement in a yellow gold-filled, 12 size hunting case measuring 47 mm in diameter, by 61 mm from the bottom of the case to the top of the bow, by 11 mm thick. The watch has been lovingly cared for since 1902 and our head watchmaker tells me that he thinks it is good for another 100 years, if you take good care of it. The porcelain dial is very nice and it sports black Roman numerals and blued steel hands. Notice the seconds bit at the six o'clock position and how nice the inlaid blue enamel is on the case lid and back. The outer case back design is engine turned creating a interesting effect. It is quite unusual and dramatic. It is a very nice cress pocket watch that can be yours. Our one-year warranty for parts and labor will allow you to enjoy it worry-free!