22 September 2010

Watch Wednesday (9/22/10)

Yes, it's another vintage Caravelle. I had to do some rummaging around to come up with a watch for today--could I possibly be running out of watches to feature?

Back when I first got into collecting watches, there were loads of watches like this on eBay, as people started cleaning out their drawers and attics for stuff to sell, and many of those watches went for just a few dollars because they are not intrinsically valuable, and there were not as many eBay shoppers as there are now.

I bought plastic zipper bags full of old Timexes and Caravelles for a few dollars for the lot, just because they were there and they were so cheap. Most of them didn't work, and I had grand ideas about learning how to fix watches so I could start assembling working watches from the ones I had accumulated. I still have a couple dozen, and some of them even run, so a few may end up back on eBay at some point.

I do not believe this watch was part of a bulk-lot purchase, because it's condition is too good. Sure, there are scratches on the crystal, like the Timex from last time, but I think they could be buffed out (by the way, Put This On recommends Meguiar's Clear Plastic Polish for acrylic crystals; I need to get some and try it).

The strap is a plain Speidel with a fairly pronounced grain and no accent stitching on the edges. This watch dates to the mid-1960s, and this style of strap is period-accurate in its appearance, like something the elfin copywriter Danny on Mad Men might wear.

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