eBay Finds: A Legendary Seiko Diver, an Unusual Mondia Chronograph, and an LCD Watch by Texas Instruments

eBay Finds is back! This bi-monthly installment will feature a selection of watches currently listed on eBay that have caught the eye of editor Christoph McNeil (@vintagediver). If you come across any hidden gems on the ‘Bay drop us a note at [email protected] for potential inclusion!

Vintage Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster

By now I think most vintage watch collectors are familiar with the fantastically named Nivada Grenchen Chronomaster Aviator Sea Diver. I mean, you just can’t beat a watch that literally covers all the bases right? There are numerous iterations of the Chronomaster, and this is one of the better looking ones in my opinion. The black dial is nice and clean with gorgeous lume, with bright white hands for excellent contrast. The chrono seconds hand has a large lollipop tip. The large steel case is unpolished with sharp edges and sweet chamfers on the lugs. Even the crown is signed with the Nivada logo. Overall this is a great piece. The seller states the watch works but is a little slow and the chrono seconds hand doesn’t quite reset to zero, so keep that in mind when bidding. 

View auction here

Vintage Wittnauer 

Here we have a really cool looking vintage Wittnauer. The steel case is nice with really good looking lugs, and it looks unpolished with sharp edges. Seller doesn’t state the size but I’d guess about 34mm wide. The silver dial gives off Polerouter vibes with the outer chapter ring. Thin steel hands with nice lume plots that match the three small lume plots on the dial. There is a date at 3 o’clock and the acrylic crystal has a date magnifier window. Crystal could use a polish. The partially recessed crown is signed with the Wittnauer logo. Great looking unique piece that is a model you don’t see often. 

View auction here

Vintage Texas Instruments LCD Watch

Well, I don’t have an LED watch for you, but I do have a nice vintage LCD to check out. This is a Texas Instruments watch, the company more known for their calculators, but they did dabble in watches during the early quartz digital craze. This one is simple looking, but it does have a blue dial around the LCD window which has the cool little Texas Instruments logo on it. The watch features a calendar and alarm function….handy! It runs and has all the LCD segments going. Neat piece!

View auction here

Vintage 1970’s Mondia Chronograph 

Here’s a cool, funky vintage Mondia chronograph, with a blue ‘big eye’ dial. The matte blue dial has two subdials, and the right one is much larger than the left, and has only six applied raised steel hour markers, three up top and three at the bottom. The large 40mm rectangular cushion shaped steel case had a great 60’s-70’s vibe that paired with the dial gives the watch a truly unique look. A nice touch is that the crown is original and signed with the Mondia logo. This one is powered by the workhorse Valjoux 7733 manual wind movement which is clean and runs well per the seller. If you want something different, check out this one!

View auction here

Vintage Bulova 

Next up is a nice little 1965 Bulova. This simple watch is time only, with a black dial that has applied steel stick markers and a super stylized 12 o’clock marker. There is a sub-seconds dial at 6 o’clock, and the steel dauphine hands are lume filled. The 34mm steel case is a simple, clean and classic, with minimal wear and looks unpolished. No movement picture, but the seller states it runs well and keeps time. 

View auction here

Vintage Seiko 6105-8119 “Captain Willard” 

Finishing this week with an icon, the vintage Seiko 6105-8119 diver. This should need no introduction or hype, as the quality and value of the 6105 is self-evident. This example shows honest wear from a life of use, but is not abused, and looks all original. The Hardlex mineral glass crystal needs to be replaced, but you can find NOS crystals as well as high quality aftermarket ones too. The bezel and case have some nicks and scuff, but the case is unpolished and shows the original brushed finish. The black dial looks good, with only a few tiny specks of black funk on the lume. A new crystal and light cleaning will make this beauty come to life. Original examples of the 6105 are few and far between at auction, so if you pine for one of these, give this one a good long look!

View auction here