eBay Finds: Classic Chronographs and Gold Cases

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 Pierce Chronograph

First up this week is a gorgeous early vintage Piece jumbo chronograph. The fancy stainless steel case measures a healthy 37mm wide, and features brilliant curved lugs with stylin’ chamfers. The case does show some light wear, but overall looks pretty sharp. The dial looks original and shows a bit of patina as it should. The up/down subdial configuration with the upper dial being larger than the lower really stands out. The hands are diamond shaped and lume filled. I’m guessing the hands have been relumed, but they look good to me. Seller states the Pierce manual wind chronograph movement has just been serviced and works perfectly. Really sharp early chrono that has lots of character.

View auction here.

Solid Gold Bulova Accutron Calendar

Need some bling in your life? Check out this vintage 1967 killer asymmetrical solid 14k yellow gold Accutron 218. If you don’t already know, the Accutron 218 is their second generation tuning fork movement and is an absolute classic. These are great movements that usually keep great time and the batteries are readily available. This model has a vertically asymmetrical shield shaped case with skinny lugs on top and fat integral lugs at the bottom. As usual for these movements, the signed crown is at 4 o’clock. The case is solid 14k yellow gold and seller states it weighs 43 grams. The gold dial is super cool and features the Accutron tuning fork logo as hour markers at 12, 6 and 9, with a date window at 3 and the Accutron name at 9. Standard Accutron lume filled dauphine hands complete the look.

View auction here.

Vintage Ollech & Wajs Precision

This vintage Ollech & Wajs Precision chronograph diver is an absolute banger. O&W is famous for their Caribbean divers, and this chrono-diver definitely takes its styling cues from those Caribbeans. The classic skin diver styled steel case measures a solid 39mm wide, and looks razor sharp and unpolished. The 12 hour bezel has a gorgeous black acrylic bezel insert and is in superb condition. The black dial is minty fresh and sports three chronograph subdials at the classic 3/6/9 configuration. Nice big dauphine lume filled hour and minute hands hands and a lume filled arrow tipped chrono second hand have a perfect latte colored patina. The Landeron caliber 349 manual wind movement looks crisp and clean and seller states it runs well. Really bold, classic chrono-diver from one of the more respected vintage diver brands.

View auction here.

Vintage Gruen Precision

Not every watch is a killer chrono or beefy diver, but this vintage Gruen Precision still has lots of vintage character. The 36mm stainless steel oval-ish cushion case looks unpolished, still exhibiting the original finish and sharp edges. Simple silver dial with steel block markers and stick hands give it a kind of space age look. There is a trapezoid shaped date window at 3 o’clock. The acrylic crystal looks to have a small crack down at the bottom, but it doesn’t appear to need to be replace imminently. No pictures of the manual wind movement, but seller states it currently runs well. Nice vintage piece that should be quite affordable.

View auction here.

Vintage Omega Seamaster

Next up we have a very nice vintage Omega Seamaster from 1966 with a service award engraving on the back. The 34mm wide case is in yellow gold fill, and clearly has been worn and enjoyed but is still in good shape. The lugs are fancier than usual for a Seamaster, with nice beveled edges that look really sharp. Coupled with the flat, wide bezel, this watch has a fantastic look. The crown is the correct and classic ‘clover leaf’ type, signed with the Omega logo. The silver dial with brushed finish looks nearly perfect and has no noticeable patina. The caliber 550 automatic movement is clean as a whistle (why are whistles clean? Who knows…) and is simple stunning, you can’t beat these Omega movements to be honest. The caseback is engraved with a 25 year service award for RCA from 1966, which is really neat and gives the watch a story behind it which is what vintage watches are all about!

View auction here.

Longines Art Deco Split Case

Finishing this week off with more gold! Last up is this brilliant vintage Longines tank dress watch in 14k solid yellow gold. Seller states it is from the 1940’s, but it looks early 1950’s to me. Can’t tell for sure unless you look up the serial number on the movement which sadly is not pictured. In any case, this watch is a stunner. The 25mm rectangular case is wedge shaped with beautiful angles and notches on either side of the bezel to give is a split case look as the seller notes in the listing title. The thick acrylic crystal is angled in the middle to match, and looks amazing. The dial looks original and has arrow markers and an applied Longines winged hourglass logo. There is a sub seconds dial a 6 o’clock. Some of the hour markers seem to have some oxidation or discoloration on them, but otherwise the dial is crisp and clean. This is a rare (this is the first example of this model I’ve ever seen) vintage gold Longines with incredible details that make it a real gem.

View auction here.