Newbie, inherited watches

[James78]

Hi,

I was recently given a few old watches but haven't been able to find out much about them.

What do you guys think?

Thanks,

Jim

 

[tsellati]

I don't know anything about old watches except for the fact that vintage watches have 'swagger' that their modern counterparts cannot touch. I also don't know anything about the particular brands shown, but they are Swiss Made and I cannot imagine that the Swiss would make any watch that was not of the absolute highest quality.

I am truly envious of your inheritance and I am sure very knowledgeable watch aficionados will chime in on exactly what you have.

Tim

 

[ajkel64]

Nice watches. I have some watches from my Grandfather that I should wear more often. If they are heirloom watches I would look at having them serviced and wear them with pride.

 

[dojpros]

Google the names. Google for swiss vintage watch forums. IIWM, and they ran within a few minutes a day, I suspect I would buy new straps with quick of pins so I could more easily swap out the straps and drive on.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZLN1Y8R/ref=twister_B07ZLXYPHH?_encoding=UTF8&th=1

You could easily spend 50- 150 per on them for lube/oil/adjust/case polish and new crystals.

 

[The Knize]

I do not know these brands. I am no expert, though.

 

[StillShaving]

I don't know anything about them either. Perhaps those brands were more common in Europe than the US? I would not expect them to be very valuable, but worth investigating. I would consider getting the most appealing one serviced.

 

[Norman Gunston]

I was once a passionate collector, and have retained some knowledge.

• They all appear genuine and are good quality entry level swiss mechanical watches.
• They all appear to be in very good condition. I wouldn't worry about the slight discoloration of the dial on the Olma, as such patina is often valued by collectors.
• All three watches are hand wound (i.e. they do not have a rotor that winds the mainspring automatically, powered by wrist movement). The power reserve is likely to be 24-36 hours; i.e. you'll need to wind pretty much every day.
• I would suggest that the Olma is the best made of the three.
• By the styling, jewel count and branding, I would date these watches in the mid 1960's, maybe early 1970's.
• The term 'Incabloc' refers to a patented shock-proof mechanism which was relatively new at the time and hence was printed on the dial as a desirable feature.
• The case shape of the Montine is characteristic of the fashionable watches of the time period mentioned above.
• The 'T' markings on the dial of the Montine designate the use of Tritrium paint for the indices. Tritrium is slightly radioactive, and this provides luminescence, such that the indices glow in the dark. Rolexes of this era also used Tritrium paint, but I should point out that these watches are entry level; their individual value would be maybe 5% of a Rolex from the same period.
• If you can get a jeweller to remove the caseback, there will likely be hallmarks on the inside of the case that will indicate the metal composition of the case. From my observations, I would suggest that the Olma is either stainless steel or possibly nickel-plated; the Montine is gold-filled (similar to gold plated, but a slightly thicker coating), and the Corvette is gold-plated or possibly gold-filled.

If you need further advice, PM me.

 

[Ladit]

This are like forementioned nice swiss made entrylevel watches. Google for a watchmaker that services vintage watches and use them, they were made to be worn. Most of these watches have standard ETA movements, so spareparts are in most cases not a real problem, but especially the Olma seems to be exposed to humidity and the lubricants in all three have gone for sure after all this time.

 

[BigJ]

I was once a passionate collector, and have retained some knowledge.

• They all appear genuine and are good quality entry level swiss mechanical watches.
• They all appear to be in very good condition. I wouldn't worry about the slight discoloration of the dial on the Olma, as such patina is often valued by collectors.
• All three watches are hand wound (i.e. they do not have a rotor that winds the mainspring automatically, powered by wrist movement). The power reserve is likely to be 24-36 hours; i.e. you'll need to wind pretty much every day.
• I would suggest that the Olma is the best made of the three.
• By the styling, jewel count and branding, I would date these watches in the mid 1960's, maybe early 1970's.
• The term 'Incabloc' refers to a patented shock-proof mechanism which was relatively new at the time and hence was printed on the dial as a desirable feature.
• The case shape of the Montine is characteristic of the fashionable watches of the time period mentioned above.
• The 'T' markings on the dial of the Montine designate the use of Tritrium paint for the indices. Tritrium is slightly radioactive, and this provides luminescence, such that the indices glow in the dark. Rolexes of this era also used Tritrium paint, but I should point out that these watches are entry level; their individual value would be maybe 5% of a Rolex from the same period.
• If you can get a jeweller to remove the caseback, there will likely be hallmarks on the inside of the case that will indicate the metal composition of the case. From my observations, I would suggest that the Olma is either stainless steel or possibly nickel-plated; the Montine is gold-filled (similar to gold plated, but a slightly thicker coating), and the Corvette is gold-plated or possibly gold-filled.

If you need further advice, PM me.

Very informative post! Enjoy the watches!

 

[James78]

I was once a passionate collector, and have retained some knowledge.

• They all appear genuine and are good quality entry level swiss mechanical watches.
• They all appear to be in very good condition. I wouldn't worry about the slight discoloration of the dial on the Olma, as such patina is often valued by collectors.
• All three watches are hand wound (i.e. they do not have a rotor that winds the mainspring automatically, powered by wrist movement). The power reserve is likely to be 24-36 hours; i.e. you'll need to wind pretty much every day.
• I would suggest that the Olma is the best made of the three.
• By the styling, jewel count and branding, I would date these watches in the mid 1960's, maybe early 1970's.
• The term 'Incabloc' refers to a patented shock-proof mechanism which was relatively new at the time and hence was printed on the dial as a desirable feature.
• The case shape of the Montine is characteristic of the fashionable watches of the time period mentioned above.
• The 'T' markings on the dial of the Montine designate the use of Tritrium paint for the indices. Tritrium is slightly radioactive, and this provides luminescence, such that the indices glow in the dark. Rolexes of this era also used Tritrium paint, but I should point out that these watches are entry level; their individual value would be maybe 5% of a Rolex from the same period.
• If you can get a jeweller to remove the caseback, there will likely be hallmarks on the inside of the case that will indicate the metal composition of the case. From my observations, I would suggest that the Olma is either stainless steel or possibly nickel-plated; the Montine is gold-filled (similar to gold plated, but a slightly thicker coating), and the Corvette is gold-plated or possibly gold-filled.

If you need further advice, PM me.

Thanks for the post, I'm currently wearing the montine and looking at getting it serviced soon. The good news is, they all still work!

 

[Ladit]

Please let these watches service before wearing them, else you risk damage on the movements.

 

[James78]

I had a quote for the montine...£250!

 

[dojpros]

That strikes me as being rather expensive. What did the 250 pounds entail re the watch?

 

[The Knize]

I had a quote for the montine...£250!

To service it? That seems really high. Sounds more like a complete overhaul, whatever that really means. I doubt that the watch is worth it, unless worth it to you in sentimental value, which is always legit!

 

[Merle]

To service it? That seems really high. Sounds more like a complete overhaul, whatever that really means. I doubt that the watch is worth it, unless worth it to you in sentimental value, which is always legit!

Swatch Group tends to mark around this price point for the lines they'll do a complete service on. Some higher, some lower.

 

[MarkM10431]

yep they are entry-midlevel swiss movements from the 50's and 760's amybe as late as the 70's Depending on the watchsmith fee they may or may not be worth the overhaul.