Helbros Invincible
Had the chance to pick up this little beauty. Haven't yet been able to take a look at the movement, only lost about 30s in the last 24hrs. Any thoughts?
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The way the day/date is displayed is different, but otherwise inoffensive.
Who can't love a name like Invincible, especially in that interesting typeface with that little flourish under it? Anything saying West Germany is a historical artifact at this point. Is that an expansion bracelet?
Yeah, like Oscar said, the day/date is different, and I think it's cool. Nice score! How's the band?
Helbros sold a lot of watches at one point, but they are mostly forgotten now. By the time this was made in the 1960's they were owned by Elgin. It probably has a PUW movement of some sort. Helbros bought German and French movements when the Swiss were too expensive. This was meant to compete with Timex in the affordable end of the market. They branded many types of watch as the "Invincible", including divers.
William Helbein (originally Wladmir) fled pogroms in the old Russian Empire (he was born near Odessa). Helbros is the "Helbein Brothers", although we don't know for certain that William had any brothers. He gave a good bit of his fortune to Brandeis University.
After Elgin folded Jules Jurgenson bought their name. They may be finally defunct now.
This is a really nice example of a 1960's watch that has no pretensions.
The way the day/date is displayed is different, but otherwise inoffensive.
Who can't love a name like Invincible, especially in that interesting typeface with that little flourish under it? Anything saying West Germany is a historical artifact at this point. Is that an expansion bracelet?
Yes, the band is expansion and in pretty good shape. I had not seen that day/date setup before either.
Yeah, like Oscar said, the day/date is different, and I think it's cool. Nice score! How's the band?
The band is in good shape, a few signs of wear, but functionally sound.
Helbros sold a lot of watches at one point, but they are mostly forgotten now. By the time this was made in the 1960's they were owned by Elgin. It probably has a PUW movement of some sort. Helbros bought German and French movements when the Swiss were too expensive. This was meant to compete with Timex in the affordable end of the market. They branded many types of watch as the "Invincible", including divers.
William Helbein (originally Wladmir) fled pogroms in the old Russian Empire (he was born near Odessa). Helbros is the "Helbein Brothers", although we don't know for certain that William had any brothers. He gave a good bit of his fortune to Brandeis University.
After Elgin folded Jules Jurgenson bought their name. They may be finally defunct now.
This is a really nice example of a 1960's watch that has no pretensions.
Hadn't done the deep dive on the watch or brand yet, thanks for the history lesson and the head start. Pretty new to the whole horology/watch scene, but looking forward to the experience and education.
Hadn't done the deep dive on the watch or brand yet, thanks for the history lesson and the head start. Pretty new to the whole horology/watch scene, but looking forward to the experience and education.
A few years ago I became interested in what happened to the American watch industry. Where did it go? I keep notes and links. Helbros seems to have been a company that could not long outlive its oversized founder. Helbein had no children. When he died in 1960 the company was directionless and soon became a brand, not a company. Helbros relied on catalog and door to door sales for most of its existence. I have owned a few.