NA! Won in online auction - a small piece of horological history :-)

A little over a week ago, I was stuck at home / in bed with the flu for a couple of days. So what does one do when not sleeping or sneezing: browse online watch auctions! Now I had been on the lookout for a vintage type rectangular watch for a couple of months already, identifying among others the Patek Gondola and the Alpina Carree Heritage:

Both 30s art deco type watches, with the highly typical flanged sides.  

Then on the second day of vintage and auction site browsing I found this little gem, dating back to the 1930s:

Little bit of background: Junghans is a German watch (and clock) maker, founded in 1861. By 1903, Junghans was the largest watch and clock factory in the world. During the 1930s Junghans begins to fit movements of its own design and manufacture in wristwatches. The first of these is the J80 calibre (which later, in a more refined version, became the heart of the "Meister" series). And that very J80, their first in-house movement, is what we have here in my new arrival:

Junghans continued to use this calibre for over 20 years, with the J80/12 as the final iteration - by then a shock proof automatic, fitted with 22 jewels and a power reserve indicator. Fun fact: The J80 / 12 was the first German movement with power reserve indicator. During this time, some customers did not trust the automatic winding, therefore Junghans decided to solve this problem with a display of the power reserve :-)

Anyway, back to the new arrival, on the wrist (first order of business: change the strap! Luckily, Hirsch have some very nice open end leather straps for fixed lugs watches).

As you may have concluded by now (if you made it this far) - I am pretty excited about this 1930s gem :-) I know it’s extremely intangible, but the history behind it makes it so much more special than say the Alpina Heritage i also fancied. And as a bonus: the cost of the Junghans is only a fraction of said Alpina (let alone the PP). Yes, the case is fairly lightweight (and has quite some scratches) and the calibre is quite loud (audible at about 15 centimeters); it is not nowhere near the solid vintage 'heavyweight' the VC is I recently acquired at action -- but for a couple of hundred euros, I am very happy indeed with this 90-year old Junghans!