Henry Moser & Cie 1920s Art Deco Watch

The original H. Moser & Cie. was founded by the independent Swiss watchmaker Heinrich Moser in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1828. Notable early clients of H. Moser & Cie. included Russian princes and members of the Russian Imperial Court; Vladimir Lenin also owned a Moser watch.

Heinrich Moser, was born in Schaffhausen, in 1805, into a family of watchmakers. He followed the footsteps of his forefathers and learned the watchmaking trade. After making his way to Saint Petersburg and becoming the specialist for the aristocracy, he founded H. Moser & Cie. in 1828, building a factory which employed several hundred artisans in Switzerland. The watches ranged from basic three-hand watches to “grande complications”. Heinrich Moser is also well known for his involvement in the industrialisation of Schaffhausen, notably the building of the first Swiss dam featuring hydro-mechanical turbines to produce energy. 

After Moser died in 1874, the company was split up between its Managing Directors. One of the Swiss parts in Le Locle went to the family of Paul Girard, the business in Russia was expropriate in 1918 due to the October Revolution.

After the 1917 Russian revolution, the owners of the Moser Cie returned to Switzerland and this was not the good time for business. All warehouses and shops were nationalized by new Soviet government and many Moser movements remained on Russian territory. 

This is a unique watch. Taking its name from the French for barrel, the tonneau has an elongated lozenge-type shape with parallel flat edges at the top and bottom. lugs. I have always wanted to look for the original Moser watch in Tonneau shape.

The watch deserves attention not only because of the short production period, but also because hand made dial.

Tudor ref 7962 from 1964

Some history from the Internet. Just after the second world war, Hans Wilsdorf, Founder of Rolex, knew that the time had come to expand and give the Tudor brand a true identity of its own. Thus, on 6 March 1946, he created the “Montres TUDOR S.A.” company, specialising in models for men and women. Rolex guaranteed the technical, aesthetic, and functional characteristics, along with the distribution and after-sales service. 

In 1947 Tudor introduced the Oyster, their first waterproof watch, building on the success of the Rolex Oyster of the same period. In 1952, 26 Tudor Oyster Prince watches were included in the British scientific expedition to Greenland organised by the Royal Navy and sponsored by The Queen. This showed the world how robust Tudor Oyster watches were.

Here we have a 1960s Tudor Oysterdate Big Rose 7962 with a 34.5mm stainless steel Oyster case produced by Rolex. A lug to lug length of 41mm and a thickness of 8.5mm ensures a comfortable fit on your wrist. A signed screwed-down crown with the Rolex crown on the right side—polished and brushed surfaces transition with crisp edges. 

The slim polished bezel holds a domed crystal above a silver dial. Applied bullet-shaped indexes mark the hours. At 3 o’clock, a framed date window with cyclops magnification on the crystal. Elegant dauphine hands are complemented by a tapered sweeping seconds hand. At 12 o’clock, we have the applied Tudor Big Rose with Tudor Oysterdate printed underneath. On the reverse, a coin-edged screw-down case back. Inside a Manually Wound ETA 2403. 

These Tudor Oyster watches from the late 1950s and 1960s feature small and large flowers on the dial are not difficult to find. This watch is from 1964 with serial nos 4468XX. The challenge of course is to find it in excellent conditions. It comes in two versions: with calendar date and without. 

The large flower was later replaced by the famous shield symbol that many of us are familiar with today. This Tudor Reference 7962 Tudor Oyster dates back to the 1960s and measures 34mm, which is perfect for slender Asian wrists.  It features the same authentic Oyster case design as its Rolex contemporaries, but features a hand-wound 17 Jewel movement with date function.  Satin-finish silver dial with polished dart markers and dauphine hands.  Specially adorning this beautiful watch are the 12 rare and lovely “Big Flower” Tudor emblems, a stunning and intricate applied element that was actually reduced in size in subsequent models.

USSR Navy Diver watch Zlatoust Caliber 191-yC

In the past, almost every USSR Navy diver wore these famous military watches. In the 1950s and 1960s, the Zlatoust factory produced 191-ЧС (ChS) watches for USSR navy divers. The watch is unique. It is one of the biggest wristwatches in the world, with a diameter of 60mm excluding crown and lugs, and it weighs around 250 grams. Production of the single block stainless steel case is a complicated process, but it produces an unbeatable product. In the early days, radioactive material was even used in the luminous dial markers! Production of diving watches in the Zlatoust Watch Factory ceased in the early 1970s, and gradually the watches were withdrawn from professional use, but still, the legend lived on. However, demand creates supply.

The black dial has luminous numbers and hands. The case is closed and sealed with the bezel clamp ring screwing the glass down from the top. The strap is made of rubber and is designed to stick to the surface of the diver’s suit. As the watch is rather heavy, it can be used as an extra weight to help the diver submerge. The movement is a very reliable mechanical hand-wind mechanism composed of a monometallic balance with screws, a Breguet balance spring, brass lever, and cogs. A screw-on canteen cover secured by a chain protects the crown. Each watch bears a serial number on the back. They are waterproof to between 200 and 250 meters.

Patek Philippe ref 2420

This is a rare Patek Cartier dual name watch reference 2420 using 10-200 manual winding calibre. The watch is in 1947 but retailed sales on Feb 24th 1948. 

Vacheron Constantain Overseas

For those of you who know, I have been obssessed with Vacheron Constantin watches lately. Recently, I have been attracted by the Vacheron Constantin Overses series. A direct descendant of the 222, this was the intermediary step between 222 and the calatrava cross-inspired case that many know today. 

In particular, I am attracted by the first generation VC Overseas. The Vacheron Constantin Overseas 42040 is a classic and sought-after sports watch from the renowned Swiss manufacture. The Overseas 42040 was introduced in 1996 as a more contemporary interpretation of Vacheron Constantin's earlier 222 model, which debuted in 1977. It features the brand's signature integrated bracelet design and octagonal notched bezel, giving it a distinctive and sporty look.

For the 3 hands Time-only, first generations Overseas can be split two ways. There are two case size and two generations of movements. References that end in 0 : 42020 & 42050 have the Girard-Perregaux 3100 ébauche that was still COSC certified. The references that end in 2 : 42042 & 42052 have a movement 1311 VC revised to be slightly more durable but shares the same architecture. 

References 42040 & 42042 are this ‘jumbo’ 37mm case, references that end in 42050 or 42052 are the midsized 35mm. Within those references, there is a wealth of variation including guilloché dials, three LHD cases, non-luminous iterations, Arabic dials, or rarer dials such as tropical examples or this salmon. That’s not even to mention Geneve vs Genève dials, or sigma, Swiss, and T Swiss signatures. There’s an almost infinite degree of variation to early Overseas, which makes collecting and learning a rewarding challenge. 

A simple white guilloché 42040 just broke to around 10K USD for the first time in awhile recently, which is the value buy of the century. The rarer dials will still command 20-30K. Gold is low production enough to have remained quite valuabe, always near 40K. But just three years ago, prices for all of these were nearly double. It is one of very few categories that feels almost unsustainably undervalued for how objectively well-made and finished these cases and dials are. Look at tritium Royal Oak or Nautilus, even the midsized are more valuable. Perhaps this design is just too polarizing; of all 90s holy trinity cases, the Overseas probably has the most aggressive character. The case has broad shoulders. Its bezel is harsh and serrated. The bracelet taper is minimal. 

The prices of these varies. A solid gold white dial costs about HK$160000-180000. However, a stainless steel with salmon costs almost the same. The difficult question is which one should one get?

Summary of the Vacheron Overseas Series notes extracted from Internet are as follows:

The first generation VC 42040 was marketed from 1996 to 2004. Measuring 37mm in diameter, this first generation piece is powered by the COSC-certified VC1310 caliber. The watch has a crwon giard and has a sqaure bracelet link plus The Maltese cross 8 notches Octagonal bezel.

The second generation VC was introduced in 2004 and retired from the catalog in 2016. It was launched, with a more modern design, notably with its metal bracelet featuring a half Maltese cross motif and optimized for greater comfort. Its integration to the case was reworked and its center link was extended up to the bezel. The crown guard disappeared and new, patterned dials completed the overall sportier feel. Muscled up at 42mm, the Overseas 2 was relying on the VC1126 (JLC889-based) and the VC1137 (FP1185 with big date) while a soft iron antimagnetic screen gave the movement an all-around protection. The bracelet has the modern Maltese cross was redesigned to resemble its current look. The crown guard disappeared and the case was enlarged to 40/42MM. It retains the Maltese cross 8 notches Octagonal bezel.

This third generation VC In 2016, Vacheron Constantin presented a revamped Overseas collection with a more elegant and refined style while retaining its distinctive character. The overall design (by Vincent Kaufmann) is cleaner with more fluid lines. If the case takes more of a barrel shape, a disc below the bezel underlines its round, enlarged opening. The Maltese-cross bezel now has 6 notches versus 8 previously and spread out to the very rim of the case. The case back no longer features naval engravings but a sapphire crystal revealing mechanics worth a close look: 3 new in-house movements, new complications and the return of a horological classic, the VC1120. Really quite something all the more as all new models bear the Geneva Seal and are fitted with convenient interchangeable straps/bracelets. now proudly holds a factory caliber ref. VC5100 with the prestigious Poinçon Genève quality standard and a 22K gold oscillating weight. An ingenious new system now lets you change the strap to an alligator wristband or even a sportier rubber strap.

https://monochrome-watches.com/history-vacheron-constantin-overseas-1970s-icon/

 https://www.41watch.com/en/blog/vacheron-constantin-overseas-an-historical-review-n137

https://www.watchtime.com/featured/overseas-mission-the-history-and-evolution-of-the-vacheron-constantin-overseas/