the sub register - late June 2017
Straight to it with one of the most specific and unusual complications of mid century watches...
Lip STOP Parking Meter Timer
Doesn't get much more nostalgic and retro than this classy piece. Photo from eBay listing, click through to purchase.
I have a real soft spot for these specific usage complications of mechanical watches of yore. It’s so cool they used a mechanical watch as an actual tool for things such as phone calls, diving, setting an alarm, and in this case, parking meters. The description isn’t super helpful, but this is presumably a single pusher elapsed minutes chronograph to show how long you’ve been parked / when you need to feed the meter. The gold plated case is in pretty good condition overall, as is the dial. On the wrist, I imagine this watch would make you look like a real avant-garde business man with its classy clean layout and useful city-slicker complication. I’m guessing the seller is a watch guy, based on the picture next to the Lip chronograph, so I would try asking a few more questions, but overall, this is a very cool watch at a pretty low price: Asking $450 on eBay here.
Image courtesy of Tudor Watches, click through for FS listing on WUS forums.
This one should appeal to everyone from those deep into collecting looking for an everyday reliable “beater” all the way to those looking for their first mechanical. With an asking price of less than $2000, this Tudor Heritage Ranger on bracelet comes with box, papers, and even a few extra NATOs, and for a really solid, modern take on a vintage classic, you really can’t beat that. The watch features the shovel style hour hand and paddle seconds hands from the original Tudor Ranger as well as a similar dial layout. The straight end link Oyster bracelet continues the vintage theme, just as the earliest Oyster bracelets and Rolex sport models. The watch appears to be in really nice shape overall, and should prove to be very versatile, more under the radar (and affordable) than many others, and very clean and cool. This is just a nice watch at a good or dare I say, accessible price at $1800 and sitting.
Fantastic photo courtesy of FS listing on OmegaForums, click through for more details.
It just doesn’t get much cooler than this. This early no-date Oyster Perpetual Rolex with crazy patina from the radium lume just exudes character and has so much warmth. The hands, the applied logo and indices, and that rivet Oyster bracelet all represent what made early Rolex so good. Kyle L is a reputable seller and an unofficial king of finding early watches with killer patina. I’m just going to let the pictures do the rest of the talking on this one offered at $2450 on OmegaForums.
Just such a cool watch. So much patina and character, and the rivet Oyster bracelet just completes the package. Photo courtesy of FS listing on OmegaForums, click through to purchase.
Dirty, grimey, Glycine Camaro, ready for a second life. Photo from eBay listing, click through to bid.
In a developing theme of #thesubregister, this week wouldn’t be complete without a “poor man’s” watch, much less a “poor man’s Camaro”. This Glycine 2 register “Camaro” Dato, presumably powered by a manual wind Landeron 187 movement, with the unique date placement at 12. Coming in truly barn find type condition from Goodwill of Seattle, the watch is filthy overall, but I think it will clean up nicely. The dial and hands appear to be in good shape and all original, and the case is in pretty good condition overall as well. I’m not sure how well the end links of the bracelet fit the case, but I have seen a Baylor Camaro in this same configuration with the same style bracelet that looked really good, so that’s promising as well. As with purchasing any vintage watch, you’ll particularly want to factor in the cost of a service for this one, but if the price stays south of $1000, you should end up in pretty good shape. Currently sitting at $610 on eBay here.
Thanks for reading, and as always, if you have any questions or comments, please leave them below, reach out on social media @meticulist, or contact me. Until next time, happy hunting.