No 181 - Rolex Datejust 1601

Oh darn! Just opened up a can of bad memories. I rarely don’t do vintage watches and here’s yet another perfect example of why. Of course it’s all about doing your homework before buying anything and you should be fine. That rule is to be concerned even more when buying a vintage watch. But I got this 1968 Rolex Datejust from a friend and I felt pretty confident that everything with it was OK. It turned out that wasn't the case and sadly I found out about it later when I was selling it. The buyer, who obviously knew how to do his homework, wanted us to meet at a local Rolex AD to have it checked. Not to verify if it was genuine or not but to check the condition of the movement and if it needed a service. The watchmaker came out after a couple of minutes shaking his head while saying, with his German accent, “Uh uh, this watch is not good. It has a lot of pitting and the threads for the case back are very worn down. It also has signs of rust inside the case from taking in moisture." So the deal was therefore cancelled. The buyer probably walked home happy knowing he didn’t stepped on that mine, while I walked home being disappointed but also angry thinking about how my friend could have sold me something he obviously hadn’t controlled the condition of. I told him about what had happened and he wasn’t too happy to take it back. He finally agreed on it but it cost me $250. Expensive lesson! We haven't talked much since.

But before all this happened we still had a good time together. It was a cool watch. I wore it loose on the stretchy jubilee and felt like the stereotype of a tacky car salesman. Its gold linnen dial was very beautiful and glowed really nice in the sun.  

#181 - The Rolex Datejust 1601 from 1968.

Preparing some BBQ together with my dad.

I have had a couple of vintage watches since this incident. As I said, you always learn new things; what to look out for and what to be extra aware of. EVEN if you are purchasing from friends! And of course, the more you do it the the higher the chances are that you avoid falling into an unexpected pit of shit. 

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 3 - Victorinox Infantry Vintage Day/Date

I have always had a thing for Victorinox. To me Victorinox is associated with quality. I guess it is because everyone tried to copy their folding knives and no one could compare with their standard. When I discovered Victorinox also made watches I immediately expected them to be built well. The first model I fell in love with was the Dive Master 500. It came in a PVD version and was called "Black Ice". I lived in Uppsala at the time, a small university town an hour away from the capital, and took the train to Stockholm one evening after school to visit the only store who carried Victorinox in their assortment.

Unfortunately they only had a blue faced Dive Master in stock, no Black Ice. But my eye caught something else. The Vintage Infantry Day/Date. "Wow! A military watch!". It was love at first sight. Who cared it cost a little over $700? Who cared it had a push/pull crown, was wearing huge with its 44mm and had a quartz movement with a second hand that was totally off the markers? It looked so good and I was going to keep this watch my whole life anyway! Yeah right...

Product image of the Victorinox Infantry Day/Date ref. 241291

I actually kept this watch for at least six months. I tried selling it but quickly realized I wasn't going to get back nowhere near what I paid for it. It was a cool watch though and I still think the quality felt really good. But I was a poor student who wanted new watches and I couldn't afford keeping it if I wanted to buy something new. It had to go. I'm ashamed to say that I gave it away for $200. I wasn't that much of a businessman back then. I could actually consider buying one again if I find a used one for $200 and then make up for the loss.



#3 - The Victorinox Infantry Vintage Day/Date.

Tucked away in its box right before I sold it.

A walk in Stockholm on a spring day in April in 2009.



Chilling out in Zürich in mid June 2009.

UPDATE - April 29th 2016.

I recently came home after spending a weekend i New York visiting one of my best friends. Only a couple of days before I left I found out that Ashford were selling out this exact model for only $200. So I asked my friend if he could get one for me and he ordered it straight away. Ever since I sold it back in 2009 I've regretted it and every now and then I've checked to see if there's been any used ones for sale but without any luck. But now finally it is back! And even though it's not the original one I purchased I'm going to pretend it is and instead of adding it as the next number in my chronological order it is going back as #3. Done! The new story is that it was never sold and has been a part of my collection since 2009.

I had actually prepared a nice suede strap from Hirsh for it, to replace the steel bracelet, which I brought with me to New York. I was 100% sure that the space between the lugs was 22mm. Imagine my frustration when the lug space turned out to be 23mm. It was impossible for me to wear the watch with that 1mm spacing between the case and the strap with the springbar visible. Uh uh, ain't happening!

When I came home I started to look around for nice leather straps and that's when I came across MJ Leather. I contacted Micke and asked him if he happened to have any 23mm straps in stock. He didn't but he offered to have one custom made for me. The final result turned out to be fantastic. 23-20mm at the buckle. Beautiful red leather which is going to age super nice. Fantastic craftmanship! Couldn't be happier with the strap.

With the new strap from MJ Leather.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.

No 1 - Omega Seamaster quartz

This is the watch I consider to be my first. I got it from my dad. He claims that it was the first quartz model Omega sold in Sweden when he bought it in the mid 70's. If this information is correct or not I'm not sure of. Anyway, I wore this watch a lot from 2005 - 2007. During this time I think I had to change the battery at least three or four times and also the movement ticked really loud. When I started to study economics in the fall of 2006, the library was all quiet except for my watch that echoed down the hallway. It measured 35mm without crown and 20mm between the lugs. It was a nice dresswatch that went pretty much unnoticed. 
 

#1 - The vintage Omega Seamaster quartz.

Wristshot on black/yellow nato.

I later passed it on to my younger sister who still wears it sometimes but here are some pictures from moments when it was worn by me.



Pike fishing in May 2005.

An important moment in march 2007. Later this evening I met the woman who six years later became my wife.

During a gig at O'Learys in Uppsala in June 2007.

Drinking beer after the gig with Daniel, one of my best friends.

These vintage Omega quartz watches are pretty easy to come across today for a rather low amount on eBay. If I were to pick one up again I'd prefer a mechanical or an automatic version in solid gold as a dress watch.

© All pictures by a Watch Flipper's Diary unless noted.