Ok kids, apparently back in 1927 this was the equivalent to the internet, and this was how we ordered watches.
20 comments
Sort by
Oliver
Not the fanciest of collections. Just an amateur enthusiast, with a little interest in some things EDC as well. And tennis. And F1. And nature. And science.
Brentwood, California
Member since
Last active: 1 min ago
19.05 cm
Jump in the water is fine.
I have been using Bulova's tag line in my profile. I did a quick Google search and my WatchCrunch profile is the second listing.
Jump in the water is fine.
I have been using Bulova's tag line in my profile. I did a quick Google search and my WatchCrunch profile is the second listing.
Of course it is.
I think a C-case Hamilton with railroad minute track might tempt me, if thats out there.
Of course it is.
I think a C-case Hamilton with railroad minute track might tempt me, if thats out there.
@Aurelian like this bad boy:
@Aurelian like this bad boy:
There is nothing new in the world of watches.
There is nothing new in the world of watches.
Tell that to Moser, and Ressence.
Interesting that even that late in the game the case and movements were essentially sold separately. I'll also note the reference to green gold, which needs to come back.
$30 in 1927 is $500ish in 2022. Decent prices, especially for the solid gold pieces. :)
This is really cool. Thank you for posting. My favorite is the everyday pocket watch for .92 cents … lol
Beyond cool!!! Thanks for sharing!
Interesting that even that late in the game the case and movements were essentially sold separately. I'll also note the reference to green gold, which needs to come back.
So does that mean most watch owners had the tools and know how to fit their movements?
Green Gold? Do they add a touch of copper to it? How dis?
This is really cool. Thank you for posting. My favorite is the everyday pocket watch for .92 cents … lol
Roughly $6.50 in todays cash according the chairsprings conversion rate. Hell of a deal.
Of course it is.
I think a C-case Hamilton with railroad minute track might tempt me, if thats out there.
Here is a Hamilton ad from 1951. $49.50 to $12K.
In todays dollars $564 to $136,758.
Damn, what the hell was Hamilton selling for $12K in the fifties?!
That's really cool - thanks for sharing. I've seen lots of similar ads from the 50s and later, but never anything like this.
Did you know that folks used to use their Sears catalogs as toilet paper?
Did you know that folks used to use their Sears catalogs as toilet paper?
Stranger Things made me think about ordering heavy metal t-shirts from the back of blurry catalogs in like 1986.
This is kinda like that, but without Eddie.
I'm always blown away by the photo realism of old shopping catalog illustrations. Truly a lost art.
So does that mean most watch owners had the tools and know how to fit their movements?
Green Gold? Do they add a touch of copper to it? How dis?
You got to order the case with a selection of movements. It's my understanding that this was just how it was done everywhere, sort of like cars used to be seaprate from the coachbulding body that came from another specialist. It's so honest that they admit who's making what and the customer gets that made-to-order option. They were in standard sizes and there's usually just that one stem, so installation was no major feat.
Allegedly there were two extremes that would occur, expensive (gold, ornate) case and cheaper movement for people all about appearance, and people that were about function (or just dicreet) and got the higher jewel precision watch and a basic case. Of course usually the level of eachwas comparable.
Green gold is an alloy of mostly gold and silver with some copper and zinc to add a bit of hardness.
https://www.mgsrefining.com/blog/2020/10/28/what-is-green-gold/
The coloration is subtle but I am a big fan despite only knowing it from online photos.
image courtesy The Pocket Watch Guy
Back in the early 1990s, this was the equivalent of the internet:
(Source)
Huge, 2" thick large format magazine every month.