Thrift Shop finds: found myself a tiny vintage watch + pocket/desk alarm clock
This was some weeks ago. It was actually my first time ever going to something like a thrift shop, here they are called "antiquários" or "brechó". I always wanted to do a sort of treasure hunt and find hidden gems for a bargain.
Being a watch nerd now, I of course had to find where they had their watches. There were only a handful of watches that were truly vintage, some were trashed quartz, but this one got my attention for being adorably tiny. There was another working one, but the design didn't appeal me. The brand is "Tressa", seems to be one of these old swiss brands that made some dials but bought off the shelf everything. At least the dial is in a nice blue sunburst.
Alongside them, there were the alarm clocks bit only two that were mechanical. A Cyma one that costed a lot, and this one I laid my eyes on.
For both the watch and clock, I got a 2 for 1 deal of 100 reais (around 20 dollars), and since they were non working, I got to the watchmaker of trust and the repair was 150 reais (30 dollars) and 20 reais for the watch's strap.
The curious bit was that my watchmaker recognized Silco, the company that made this clock. He said he was actually invited to work in São Paulo, but a friend warned him it was a trap, because back in the days there was a scam practice (called "empresa gato") that they pretended they would pay you and guarantee housing, however they didn't deliver any promises and pay was worse than the agreed upon, so the workers would be enslaved though debt, or so if I understood it correctly. Funny how this clock, despite being solid, has now an intriguing plot behind...
I am curious about collecting watches with unique features, may it be a function packed monster - like Casio digital models - or features that are not obvious to find around. Still, I am still new to...
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I always pop in to the thrift/ vintage shops in the area in hopes of find a small treasure but no luck yet.
Tressa is an odd one. It was only around from the mid-60's to the mid-80's before Rado bought what was left. They always seemed to concentrate on the South American market.
The Tressa watch is great. That green band really sets it off. Congrats.