Congrats on making it through another week, Baller, and your reward, sadly, is not more information about an extraordinary new Rolex, nor is it a pretty fantastic video with a legendary rapper, but instead just a quick roundup of some excellent watches out waiting for new owners.
Scorekeeping last week’s picks, the Smiths DeLuxe sold for 6,000 GBP, the Smiths W10 for €1,400, the Gübelin 18k triple-date moonphase remains available, the Universal Genève FS went for 600 GBP, and the Autavias sells today.
Strays
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
If you’ve been holding onto an old steel chronograph pusher cap and don’t know the case it works with, maybe have a look at this Heuer chronograph (presumably ref. 2444) and consider the JLC Memovox in the same lot an added bonus. Speaking of Memovox (I’m not guessing the plural of that noun), this sure checks a few boxes should you find yourself in the market for a lovely vintage example. I covered a Hamilton Cross Country a few weeks back, and here’s a similar example if that one managed to get its hooks in you. For the Beatles mega-fan in your life, this Old England Apple watch is unlikely to be something they’ve seen (it’s also unlikely to sell for less than 3x the €200 high estimate). This Vacheron Constantin 2045 is just lovely; this Corum bears a shocking resemblance to David Bowie’s 1979 SNL performance look, and if there’s a cooler tropicalized Carrera up for auction this week than this one, I didn’t see it.
Omega Suverän
You’re Sweden. World War II has broken out. You’re a neutral country, but that doesn’t mean you can simply sit back and watch world affairs play out—neutrality, after all, can go awfully sideways, as the Netherlands showed everyone in 1940. So you decide to make some changes and increase defense spending, all in the name of just-in-case readiness.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
But of course such choices aren’t free, and instead of imposing more taxes, Sweden came up with an incredible model for funding such spending: the Omega Suverän (suverän means sovereign, btw). These watches were purchased by Sweden directly from Omega and then sold directly to consumers (which, at that historical moment, were largely Swedish citizens), with the profits funding new expenditures. Regardless of the horology, the Suverän represents a really interesting method for government funding.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
Powered by a 30T2 movement within a stainless steel 35mm case, the Suverän came in two references: the ref 2425, with a central seconds hand, and the far more common ref 2400, with subseconds at 6. Both references were only made for a few years in the mid-40s, and there was a truly stunning variety of layouts to choose from. Dials were white or black, with or without contrasting color bands surrounding the hour markers, with the luminescent hours in either Arabic or Roman numerals, and with those numerals oriented vertically or radially (feel free to scan the current options available on C24 if you’re curious to confirm the breadth).
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
The example under consideration is the black-dialed variant—I’ve never seen production numbers on this model, but the black ones seem most common—and the dial and hands look fantastic, aged and faded and lovely. The case seems likely to have been polished—it’s certainly not as sharp as you’d hope—but it’s not so shabby as to be dismissible. While there’s nothing horologically breathtaking about Suveräns, they’re great-wearing and historically interesting watches. With an estimate of €1,800, this watch sells next Thursday, on the 24th, at an auction in Denmark.
Universal Genève Microrotor Cabriolet
Introduced in 2008, when Universal Genève was still owned by an Asian investment firm, this Universal Genève Cabriolet makes a ton of sense as a play for new buyers. First, it used the then-new UG101 microrotor movement, and while plenty of companies used microrotors, Universal Genève sure seems to be the affordable brand most associated with that particular mechanical attribute. Second, the 2008 model was a refresh of a legendary 80-year-old design.
Photo courtesy of The Saleroom.
The Cabriolet was UG’s reversible watch, designed in the 1920s, when companies sought to offer watches offering some protection for their glass crystals. Like Jaeger-LeCoultre’s Reverso, the Cabriolet could be flipped around, backside visible and crystal protected, allowing you to Charleston (or whatever) as rambunctiously as you wished.
Photo courtesy of The Saleroom.
Photo courtesy of The Saleroom.
The 2008 refresh came with a number of dial variations, though this example is best of the bunch simply for being generally subdued (most of them were fairly loud and featured huge numerals). The watch is 35mm wide, 52mm lug-to-lug, and though the auction includes no pictures of it, there’s a sapphire-covered cut-out on the reverse side of the watch, through which you can spy parts of the movement. The listing notes that there’s still plastic on the caseback, and while it doesn’t come with box or papers, the watch looks all but unworn, with few marks and a signed buckle on the strap.
Given the Cabriolet is one of the models introduced in this year’s relaunch of Universal Genève, this neo-vintage example’s got a lot going for it. With an estimate of 1,800-2,200 CHF, it will be auctioned on the 24th.
Vacheron Constantin Overseas Ref 42050
Vacheron Constantin had gotten into the integrated-bracelet steel sports watch with the 222 in 1977, but it never got the traction the other two Big Models did (Royal Oak in 1970, Nautilus in ’76). With 50 years of hindsight, it’s a breeze to be confounded by the fools who failed to recognize that watch’s greatness, just as it’s simple to be mystified by the dolts who slept on Daytonas in the 1980s, but taste is taste and the times are the times and the list of foolishly underappreciated cultural items is infinite (albums from Big Star or Judee Sill or Nick Drake, Confederacy of Dunces, etc etc etc.)
Photo courtesy of Pushers.
Imagine the meetings at Vacheron Constantin in the 1990s that led to the decision that the company would again enter the integrated-bracelet steel sports watch market. Imagine how unnerving and scary it would’ve been. No matter what they tried, whatever they came up with couldn’t go back in time to be situated with the other marquee models (or even the IWC Ingenieur). However, whatever Vacheron came up with had to fit into the lineage established by the Royal Oak and Nautilus (and Ingenieur). Worse, all three of those watches were designed by Genta, and regardless of how any of us feels about the tired fawning over watches designed by the man, it’s inarguable that the most significant and desired models in the integrated-bracelet steel sports category have his fingerprints on them and operate with a relatively clear design framework.
Photo courtesy of Pushers.
So, quite a bind Vacheron Constantin found themselves in in the 1990s. A real pickle. The 222 was quietly killed in the mid-80s because it wasn’t popular, so refreshing that was a no-go, but they needed something. Their ultimate response was the Overseas, which somehow manages to thread the needle, seeming like a missing part of an older conversation.
This particular example, reference 42050—available for $11,000 from Trib2ka, a Singaporean dealer—is an excellent option. It’s hard to tell for sure, but the wear on the watch telegraphs that it’s unlikely to have been polished, and the watch seems to present well. The blue dial has softened with age, and while the four pictures available don’t make it totally clear, it’s a safe bet there are sigma symbols before and after the Swiss Made markings at the bottom of the dial. This was still the era of tritium, and, again, the pictures leave a fair bit to be desired, but it looks like the lume in the hands and on the dial is all complete and has aged well.
Photo courtesy of Pushers.
The elephant in the room is that the 42050 is the 35mm variant of the Overseas; the 42040 is the larger 37mm iteration. However, those two millimeters are pricey, with decent 42040s featuring original dials selling for 50% more than their 35mm brethren. This thing’s hardly a steal at $11k, but it comes with a box and papers and is an essential model from one of the big three.
Zenith Ref 1305
Let’s finish with pure fun. This Zenith reference 1305 HU is sort of everything you could want from a mid-century chronograph. It’s powered by a Zenith 146 DP; the stainless steel case is nicely sized at 37mm, it features the sporty dauphine-like hands you’d see on other great chronographs of the era (from Zenith and, obviously, from Universal Genève), and the dial’s pretty enough to distract you, with an outer tachymeter scale and an inner telemeter scale and no real marks or issues.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
Photo courtesy of Drouot.
Please note that this is the only other example I can find of this model with that specific configuration, and while I could be wrong, it looks to be literally the same watch available now. While that gives me a little pause, it’s hard to imagine this dial being anything other than original. The rest of the watch looks great, with a presumably unpolished case, nicely faceted lugs, and a movement that’ll go the distance with proper care and maintenance.
This Zenith goes up for auction tomorrow, the 19th, in France, with an estimate of €3,000-4,000, and while none of the other 100 lots blew my mind, there are some fun watches to take a gander at if you’ve got the time.
