I don't have a particular theme this week, and finding anything that really caught my interest enough to post wasn't easy, so let's get to it.
Burgundy Randomness from Gallet
I love the deep ruby red dial on this pretty clean watch. Photo courtesy of eBay listing, click through for more details.
This one is super random, but just the kind I like to find in the budget chrono category. I've featured other lower cost chronographs from the 70's before with this case and a similar Valjoux 7733 manual wind movement, but what makes this one particularly great is this fantastic and unexpected ruby dial. It has some patina and is almost pearlescent or stone like with a nice deep garnet color. The large lume plots and applied markers add to the package to make a really interesting and fun watch. Condition seems very clean and honest overall, and I would have to think anything under five or six hundred is going to be great pickup. Currently sitting at $189.50 on eBay here.
The dial and lume are so, so good, and the V92 movement will be a joy to use as well. Photo from eBay listing, click through for more details.
This one is pretty strange in that it has 3 different brands on the watch: Dreffa Geneve, which I've never heard of, Chronograph Suisse on the dial, which made a lot of rebranded and "off-brand" style chronos, and Ollech & Wajs who made some pretty killer diver chronographs. At first this would strike many as a put together, and I suppose it could be, but this was not that uncommon in this era. Plus, it's hard to ignore such an otherwise attractive watch. The glossy black dial and big lume plots appear to be immaculate and beautifully aged, and the diver appropriate ladder hands compliment it nicely, though they are showing a bit of wear. The bezel looks very strong, though it might have seen a repaint at some point in its life and the compressor style case is a bit soft, but wearable overall. The bonus to that fantastic dial is really the movement. The Valjoux 92 was a two register compliment to the venerable Valjoux 72 and is a real pleasure to use... you gotta love manual wind column wheel chronographs. The seller states it was just serviced, so you might want to clarify what that entailed. Currently sitting at 620GBP on eBay here.
I'm not exactly sure why, but I'm a sucker for these vintage Tudor Prince watches. There's so much charm and they're just so classy for reasonable money. I especially like them with these dauphine or dagger hands, and Rolex signed caseback, crown, and bracelets. This one is admittedly not in top condition, but it still looks great and has so much vintage Rolex charm for so much less money. It's a classy, understated, refined, and less-assumingly good. This one has radium lume plots and filled hands that have aged quite dark, and the oyster bracelet has some stretch, but the watch seems fair over all, like it has some miles on it, but it also has the stories to go with its life. For $1000, including an additional leather strap and Rolex buckle, I like it a lot.
I love how much character this watch has... 666 Feet!
And last but not least, my shameless plug of my own sale. I go into all of the nitty gritty in the linked for sale listing, so let me just hit home on why I love this watch and why you should buy it or keep your eyes out for the next one. At 36.5 mm without crown and 40 mm with the large signed crown, this watch is a fantastic vintage diver size in an all stainless steel case. But the real show stealer is the dial. If this were Rolex, it would a cliche of buzz words: matte, two-liner, explorer dial, no-date, the list goes one. My unedited and high resolution photos are not complimentary to just how charming this watch is on the wrist. The lume is thick and honest, aged to a fantastic yellow patina with matching dagger or dauphine hands. The manual wind movement is super clean, a joy to wind, and sets buttery smooth. This is a tool watch at its best, pure and simple. These were said to have been a popular buy among US soldiers headed to Vietnam that were not issued a watch otherwise. The M6 stamp on the case back indicates it's from 1966 and this is honestly one of the best dial and handsets I've seen on one of these, and I own two, and have been watching them for years. Whether you're looking for your first vintage diver or field watch or wanting to add an affordable vintage beater to your collection, this one garners attention and respect from collectors of all means. $500 net to me, shipped within the CONUS here or via the Omega Forums post. (International sale shipping with be discussed with buyer based on costs).
A very clean seventeen jewel, manual wind Japanese movement. The movement is super clean and gained only 2 seconds over 24 hours when left face up.