Between a Jays fan and two Mets fans, the W4L team is chock-full of fall classic excitement, and we’re also excited to bring you another round of picks from the four corners of the internet. Over half of our picks are chronographs, but each one of them is awesome. Buckle up, because here’s this week’s Market Watch(ing)! (Also, LET’S GO METS!)
Neil’s Picks
Orfina Porche Design ref 1704
Porsche Design watches, or anything else really, are hit or miss for me. There are many I’m not a fan of but this rare one from Orfina isn’t one of them. One obvious reason I picked this watch is because it features the venerable Lemania 5100 movement. I’m also a fan of old school military watches with “3H” on the dial indicating hydrogen-3, more commonly known as tritium. At 40mm, it’s the perfect size and the hidden lugs will help it to wear nice an low on the wrist, not unlike the Omega Flightmaster‘s case. This is a great chronograph with that quirky ’70s/’80s design that appeals to us all here at Wound For Life, and at a very attractive price. The fact that it has been recently timed, oiled, regulated, and comes with a 6 month guarantee should ease the minds of any potential buyers.
$1,704
Wittnauer Professional Chronograph ref 7004A
Once again we have a vintage Wittnauer 7004A. There are many great chronographs that showcase the Valjoux 7733 but few do it as well as this piece. The watch we featured previously was certainly a good buy, and although this one is more expensive, it’s clear to see why. I absolutely love this watch. I hesitated to write about it this week with aspirations of buying it myself. Those thoughts soon faded though since I’m a man of the people and want to spread the horological love. Everything from the dial, hands, case, and bezel are all in astounding shape. The lume is even throughout, with no visible flaking or corrosion. It even comes with a tropic strap which looks good on damn near any vintage sports watch, especially this one. This Wittnauer has also been recently cleaned and regulated and comes from a reputable seller to ensure a worry free buying experience. Hurry up and buy this before I do.
$1,950
Dean’s Picks
Hey folks, I’m gonna be straight with you. I didn’t really do my homework. I was busy trying to entertain a 2-week old and watch the Mets and Dodgers in game 5, and you know what? Sometimes the sun shines on a dog’s ass, and here we are, 9 long years since our last playoff win with the Metsies in the NLCS against the Cubs. If anyone has an extra ticket you can reach me at ghotihead2001@gmail.com. Seriously.
Girard Perregaux 1968 “Mets Watch”
$295 (Or make an offer)
Rolex Submariner 1680 Red
$35,500
Isaac’s Picks
Omega Speedmaster 105.012-66
I’ve been doing a bit of shuffling within my collection over the past couple weeks — moving this piece for that, and that for another. It’s all about getting to a place where you’re happy with your collection’s current state, and I think I might be almost there. Lately, Speedmasters have been on my mind yet again, after owning a modern one a while back. Now it’s the vintage examples that are keeping me up late at night, more specifically, Pre-Moon models in the most iconic, turned lug case form. To provide some context, these watches were born in a time where the Speedy was yet to become “the Speedy“, which in today’s world seems quite novel. Additionally, references like the 145.012 and 105.102 also have a leg up on their younger cousins in that they’re powered by the Cal. 321 movement, which is a genuinely dreamy sight.
Kevin Acuna of “UBERZ” vintage watches just listed a solid looking 105.012-66 the other day, and I certainly think it’s worth a mention. The applied logo dial has what you’d look for in a notable vintage sports model, in that it is clean, but has a decent amount of custard colored patina on the luminous markers. Its case is also quite sharp, and is being listed as unpolished. I’d have to say that the only thing about this watch that could potentially bother me is the bezel insert, since it’s not the desirable DO90, but it’s a terrific piece that’s priced right, and I’m sure it’ll prove to be a good investment after auction season is over.
$5,550
Doxa Valjoux 22 Chronograph
In my constant quest to find the best watch accounts on Instagram, I’ve become familiar with a group of collectors that exclusively buy and wear chronographs. It’s not a limiting mindset at all, seeing as the number of different manufacturers of chronographs back in the day is practically endless. Each marque was producing a wide range of designs, some more desirable than others, and the prices in today’s market reflect this. Though what’s most curious about this segment, is that you often have to completely disregard what name is printed on the dial when justifying the prices of pieces like these, and instead focus on the present details, which can be equal parts exciting and confusing. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the whole thing.
What we’ve got here is Valjoux 22 powered chronograph, and it happens to be coming from Doxa. Dating back to 1940, this piece would’ve definitely been oversized for its time at 38mm across, and the case itself is supposedly a Spielmann. In other words, it was manufactured by Charles René Spielmann — a notable supplier of cases to a number of brands at one point in time. The aging on the dial is an appealing, speckled shade of light orange, and although the two scales may have faded a bit, they’re still clearly visible, and sure to induce a nerdgasm of sorts. For the price of €3800, you’ll get the watch, the original box, and a JB Champion mesh bracelet.
€3,800
Shane’s Picks
Oris Star ChronOris Chronograph
I typically like to find unique and strange pieces for our weekly roundups, and I think I’ve done it with this Oris. Here we have an Oris Star ChronOris Chronograph, from the 1970s. It’s got a quirky, sort of cushion style case with hooded lugs, and heavy orange accents on the dial. I love the browning that’s happening in the dial, as well as the nicely aged lume plots. Although the case has a funny shape that — from the pictures — looks like it could be large, the 36mm diameter assuages that fear. For me, the rotating inner bezel seals the deal. Finally, the handwinding monopusher chronograph caliber 725 looks as clean as the rest of the watch. With a price of $1,500, this is a fantastically preserved and interesting vintage piece.
$1,500
Omega Seamaster 60
From the house of Omega comes this lesser known vintage diver, the Seamaster 60. I’m a fan of a lot of the old Seamasters, and this one being no exception. It’s a really cool piece that is very much affordable. The example I came across appears to be in great shape all around. I love that it comes with the correct bracelet. According to the seller (and I completely agree), the only potential non-original part is the bakelight bezel, which if it is, it’s very well done and doesn’t bother me much. These old bezels are not exactly built to last forever. What’s more, the movement was just fully serviced, so this should be good to go for the forseeable future.
€1,800
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