April - June 2024 Q2 review

As you can see from Q1, I have really put in efforts to slow down my watch collection. For Q2 where I have sold or traded away 17 non core watches in order to bring in only 8 new addition. I am refocusing back on vintage Bubbleback watches as key plus one or two unique watches.

For Q2, the first watch that I have found a watch that I have been looking for a long time. For the coming months, I have decided to stop collecting so that I can help JJ with his down payment for his apartment.

 This is a Vacheron & Constantin ref 6694 with Batman lugs and nice gold caliber 1072 automatic rotor. It fits my requirement of having the gold rotor, screw back case and big watch.

Rolex Bubbleback ref 2940 from 1946 with a nice history and all original conditions 

Rolex Bubbleback ref 5010 with nice overall case condition.

Traded Avia Watch and telephone dial watch for a nice Longines Tonneau from the 1920s, brining back nice memories of my time with Longines.

Traded a Roger Debuis ass tray for this watch

Rolex ref  4645 square Bubbleback 

Rolex Bubbleback with subsidiary seconds ref 2764, from 1942 

Traded Omega Seamaster 168.005 & Rolex Steel BB 2940 for a Vacheron & Constantin Ref 4996 (Special Gift from JJ)

During my early years of watch collecting, I collect all sorts of watches. I have started my process of streamlining seriously and are determined to keep the total number of watches under 200.

Traded/Sold Watches:

1. Jan 14 : Sold Vintage Mickey Mouse Watch

2. Jan 22 : Sold Big Bubbleback 5075

3. Feb 26 : Sold spare CWC Military

4. March 25 : Sold Ernie watch

5. May 9 : Sold JLC new old stock steel auto date

6. May 9  : Sold Seiko slim watch

7. May 11 : Sold Silvana steel watch 

8. May 15 : Traded Avila jumping seconds plus telephone dial watch for a Longines Tonneau watch

9. May 29 : Traded a Roger Debuis asstray for a 1972 Nixon watch

10. May 23 : Sold Zenith square automatic date

11. May 25 : Traded Eska for a Seiko 6138-0040 bullhead 

12. May 27 : Sold a spare Rado Lapis dial watch  

13. May 31 : Traded Omega constellation plus cash top up for a Rolex Bubbleback 

14. June 13 : Sold Seiko Bullhead 6138-0040 

15. June 19 : Sold IWC steel with bracelet

16. June 28 : Sold Omega Constellation 168.005

17. June 28 : Rolex Bubbleback ref 2940 

How to treat your watch for best service

Vacheron & Constantin Ref 4996 from the 1950s

I have regretted selling my automatic Vacheron & Constantin ref 4870 to a friend several years ago. Luckily I was able to find a VC Batman Ref 6694 with a unique watch case.

This is another Vacheron & Constantin Reference: 4996, Calibre: P454/5B, manual winding watch with a 35mm diameter watch and screw back case from the 1950s. It has an interesting lugs look similar to the Ref 6694 Batman but the ref 4996 lugs straighter and longer. The watch case looks like a space ship. Some collectors named this as Devil's Horn.

Most traditional watch design are either round, square or rectangular in shape. To be able to break the norm during 1950-60s requires confidence and futuristic eyes as well as a strong desires for self expression. Often such design will result in extreme views namely either you like it or hate it. It’s a design that’s is acceptable for certain small group of watch collectors.

For my watch collection, besides collecting the Rolex Prince & Bubbleback, some Rolex sports, i shall focus mainly on watches with unique case design, and with case size above 35mm plus screw back case as part of my streamlined criteria. There are many nice VC watches 30-32mm diameters but i need to be discipline enough to stay focus.

The Vacheron Constantin ref 4996 has a nice screw back case. I have just send the watch for a complete service and awaiting its return.

lugs look similar to the REF 6694 Batman but the ref 4996 lugs straighter and longer.

I have goggled the Internet and only found three similar examples from the Internet. One from a watch website, another from auction and the tird on a watch market place.

https://www.jomashop.com/preowned-1-vacheron-constantin-4996.html

Model/Reference: 4996, Movement No: 495827, Case No: 342219,Calibre: P454/5B

Model/Reference: 4996, Movement No: 495834 , Case No: 342226,Calibre: P454/5B

There is another version of  VC that look similar but with a snap back case: 

There are several differences between the two namely one is snap back vs screw back case and there are also differences at the lugs' design plus one is 35mm and another 37mm.

Vintage Omega constellation C Case

This is another Vintage Omega constellation C Case in rare Rose gold together with my favourite Vacheron 6694 “Batman”. There are many Omega C case in steel and yellow gold. The white gold and rose golds are relatively rare.

Here we have a 18k rose gold 1960s Omega Constellation C-Case 168.027 with a satin-brushed and polished 34.5mm stainless steel C-shaped case and it will comfortably sits on your wrist like a cushion. 

Omega first introduced the Constellation in 1952, at the time it was Omega's flagship timepiece, the first models had a Cal. 354 bumper movement in them. Later in 1955, Omega introduced the Automatic Cal. 50x, followed in 1959 by the Cal.55x (no date) and 56x (date) versions. 

Many of the Constellations came with pie-pan dials, diamond indexes, and fancy lug configurations, and all the gold Constellations of that time had the Observatory of Geneva's hand engraved on the back. The stainless steel and stainless steel/gold versions had a gold medallion on the back with the Observatory of Geneva, the eight stars above the Observatory stand for the many exploits of Omega in the world Chronometer competition, celebrating the fact that all Constellations are Chronometer Certified. 

In 1964, Omega introduced its first Constellation with the “C” case, due to the case resembling two mirrored Cs, the “C” case was a modern move away from the popular round Constellations of the 1950s. The curvaceous flanks have a polished bevel edge leading to a lug-to-lug length of 40.5mm and a case thickness of 10mm ensuring a comfortable fit on your wrist. 

At 3 o’clock a framed date window. At 12 o’clock an applied Omega and “Automatic Chronometer Officially Certified” printed in black. Below at 6 o'clock “Constellation” and an applied star completes this sophisticated dress watch. On the reverse a screw-down case back with an embossed Observatory and eight stars, inside an automatic Omega Cal. 564, 24 jewels, 19,800 beats per hour.

There are two groups of collectors. One group will hate its design while the other group will embrace it. I must say that the design is quite avant-garde as it goes against the traditional round, square or rectangular. Even in the modern era of 2024, there are still group of people who can’t accept its design. 

Some similar C cased watches

The Omega Constellation C case appearing in Japanese comics 島耕作

Vacehron Constantin ref 4217 handwind watch

It is not an easy tasks to collect VC watches as they are are not as widespread and popular comparing to Patek & Rolex. Moreover, there are also much smaller in quantities. 

The Vacheron & Constantin Reference 4217 is considered a second-generation descendant of the early Calatrava-style watches from Vacheron Constantin, first introduced in the 1930s. These so called early Calatrava models utilized base movements from Jaeger LeCoultre as Vacheron Constantin began serially producing more modern wrist watches.

The Reference 4217 specifically began production in the early to mid 1940s, featuring the Caliber 454 center-seconds movement. A related Reference 4073 model used the Caliber 453 sub-seconds movement. It was produced in Yellow gold, white gold, platinum and steel.

Examples of the Reference 4217 have been documented from 1944 through the mid-1970s, with the bulk of available models dating to the late 1940s and 1950s. This aligns with the fashions of those decades, as the model seems to have been discontinued in the early to mid 1970s.

The case numbers for the Reference 4217 provide clues to the production timeline - beginning with 277xxx in the 1940s, reaching 37xxxx by the end of the 1950s, and 382xxx in the 1960s. This suggests this particular watch 358xxx likely dates to the late 1950s. I like this watch very much as the earlier 4217 watches from the 1940s only has “Vacheron & Constantin “ on the dial while the late 1950s model has added the VC Maltese Cross on the dial, making it vintage with a modern touch and made the watch more “complete” in my opinion. The ref 4217 from the year 1955 is still without the VC Maltese Cross.

VC 4217 from 1955 without the VC Maltese Cross

These Reference 4217 watches featured 18 jewels and were stamped with hot/cold isochronism and the Geneva Seal indicating their high quality. The dials were typically finished in nitrocellulose varnish.

For further reading, please see :

https://www.beyondthedial.com/post/collector-guide-vacheron-constantin-reference-4217-time-only-calatrava-style-dress-watch-1940s-1970s-complete-information-on-an-undervalued-classic/

https://www.tooveys.com/lots/514515/a-vacheron-and-constantin-steel-cased-gentlemans-wristwatch/

Besides this, VC has made special VC 4217 enemal dial as below