This is a 1960s Libelle watch with an Ancre 17 jewel manual winding movement. Not much is known about the brand, but these watches are likely Italian-assembled with Swiss movements. I bought it NOS from a small store in Italy and had it checked and lubricated at my watchmaker’s.
Tag Archives: Watches
A 1970s Tressa Automatic Watch
This is a 1970s Tressa Automatic wristwatch with an Incabloc 25 jewel movement and date function, serial number 81272. I purchased it in the autumn of 2016 and had it fully serviced by my watchmaker. This watch keeps incredibly accurate time and is very sturdy, in spite of its currently low market price. It has about a 2-day power reserve. The date can also be adjusted separately from the time, once again pretty surprising for a watch of its price. The elastic metal band is also very nice, although it’s a bit tight for my wrist.
A 1950s MuDu Doublematic Watch
This is a 1950-60s (more likely 1950s) MuDu wristwatch with a 25 jewel Doublematic movement. It has a fairly unique metal mesh band that clasps securely around the wrist. It was gold-plated but most of that has worn off. I’ve had it cleaned, serviced and polished and it looks pretty good now. I’ve also had indentations refiled in the crown, because it had become so worn that I couldn’t adjust the time anymore. It works great now. I like MuDu watches, they’re affordable and fun to collect.
A 1950s Elton Automatic Watch
This is a 1950s Elton Automatic wristwatch with a 25 jewel Autorotor movement. I purchased it in the winter of 2017. It has a matching metal band and gold plating that has pretty much worn off. It’s a watch that’s been worn a lot, both by its previous owner and by me, because it’s quite comfortable to wear, accurate and fairly shockproof. It was working fine when I got it, but I sent it in anyway for a thorough check and lubrication, plus a replacement of the plexiglass.
A 1930s Bulova L4 Watch
This is a late 1920s or 1930s Bulova L4 wristwatch with a 21 jewel movement. I purchased it in the spring of 2017. Serial number is 7351974. It has a matching metal band and a 10K gold-filled case that opens quite easily and is not watertight. It required some cleaning and service, and was also missing its crown. Now it works beautifully.
A 1956 Wostok Watch
This is a 1956 Wostok watch with a manual 2605 movement, 17 jewels and a date function, which I bought toward the end of 2016. Serial number is 949864.
A 1970s Slava “TV Style” Watch
This is a 1970-something Slava watch with a manual movement, 26 jewels, and a distinctive “TV style” dial. It was in pretty bad shape when I bought it, and it needed a lot of work and cleaning from my watchmaker.
A 1940s Cornavin Geneve Watch
This is a 1939-1941 Cornavin Geneve, manual winding with an Arogno 152 movement, 17 rubis, purchased toward the end of 2016.
A 1960s Guda-Matic Watch
This 1960s Guda-Matic watch with a distinctive dial design has a 30 jewel Omega 1481 automatic movement and a date function. The movement needed to be serviced, nothing too wrong with it, but the rotor wouldn’t charge the watch properly and it would stop while it was being worn. Now it seems to work okay.
A 1950s JW Benson Watch
This early 1950s J.W. Benson watch has a 16-jewel Smiths movement and a sub-second dial with Roman numerals. When I bought it, it was in pretty terrible shape, but with the help of my watchmaker, it now looks and works great.
