Kelton watch (Timex brand) uses an unjewelled movement. Keltons were known for being good bargains, and the movements reflected the price. I really like the green luminous numbers on the black ring. This watch has some old fungal growth spotting the dial, but it's not bad. Jewels in watches are used in order to reduce friction in the going train of the movement. Unjewelled watches need a stronger mainspring in order to overcome this friction, and move the train. This Kelton ticks quite loud. I was told by a watchmaker that it is the strong mainspring in these cheaper movements that is indirectly responsible for the noise. I kind of like it actually. Click here for another picture and more info on this watch.
Here is a nice little watch from Mido, "3/4 size." This was a popular size for men's watches in the '40s and '50s, but by today's standards looks smallish. More and more, women today are wearing these smaller men's vintage watches, rather than the more dimunutive ladies ones. Who can read the time on those tiny watches? The Swiss maker Mido was known for excellent engineering, waterproofing, and automatic innovation. This "Multifort" model is an auto, and uses an early "bumper" type of winder, where the winding rotor weight is not allowed to swing a full 360 degrees (as in later autos), but is limited in its swing by two spring-protected bumpers. Because of this, the wearer can sometimes feel (and even hear!) the rotor smacking into the bumper. The bumper auto was less efficient at generating power for winding the mainspring, so if you were a real slug, the watch might slow. In general, they kept good time. This one has a nice SS case, copper dial, red central second hand, 24 hour markings, and a white outer seconds chapter. It's one of my favorites. The idea for an auto winding watch is acutally quite old, few centuries. But pocket watches generally stayed in the pocket upright, and the rotor didn't get much chance to move and wind, so the idea hibernated for many years until it was resurrected in the first half of the last century.
This is another small watch by "Calin," a name created up by some company buying Swiss movements and assembling the watch on their own. Dial is very clean, and has bright mustard-colored radium hours and hands. SS case is in great shape. Click here for other picture of this Calin. This is a classic generic Swiss wristwatch.
What's my ugliestwatch? The awful truth, later in the site...
Vintage bands, hard to come by, can complete the look of a nice older watch. Click picture for more pictures, and info on old straps.
