Vintage watch experience 古董手錶: January 2026

Tuesday, 13 January 2026

Alain Silberstein Krono Bauhaus 2 Lacquer Cloisonne watch

Famed for the signature design that almost all of his watches share, French architect and designer turned watchmaker Alain Silberstein’s timepieces have become increasingly sought-after thanks to their whimsical handsets, colorful designs, and the plethora of complications they often-times feature.

By utilizing colours and shapes and colors never seen before in watchmaking, Alain’s design philosophy quickly caught on as collectors saw the value in a unique design language removed from the traditionally conservative styling used by the vast majority of watchmakers.

As a result, the Krono Bauhaus 2 is a joyful piece of watchmaking exuberance. Its mechanical complexity works wonderfully to accentuate the variety of colors and shapes shown on the dial and handset. Powered by the Valjoux cal. 7751, based on the legendary cal. 7750, the Krono Bauhaus 2 is an annual calendar chronograph with a moon phase and day/night indicators. With Alain’s signature tall round case with eccentric pushers, the entire design is cohesive and complete, just as Alain’s timepieces often feel as the legendary designer-turned-watchmaker exhibits total unwavering control over his creative process.T

This is another Alain Silberstein watch with special black lacquered design on the side. One of the unique feature of this particular Alain Silberstein, the Krono Bauhaus 2 is a limited edition of 999 pieces (in reality much less) and comes set in a 40mm stainless steel case with colourful lacquered (燒青殼 ) sides. My previous one has green, blue and yellow (camouflage) design and this one comes in black with silver lines. During the early period in the years 2000s, the watch was too

Avant-garde and were not successful. As a result, hunting for these special closionne case watch depends on luck too!

There are several versions:

Finally managed to find two versions of these cloisonne watch

According to the internet news, Alain Silberstein is officially relaunching his eponymous brand, with new watches scheduled for release in 2027. This follows a 15-year hiatus since his original company closed in 2012.

Key Details of the 2027 Comeback

New Collection: The relaunch will feature seven in-house movements.
Pricing: Models are expected to range from €20,000 to €100,000, with most priced around €30,000.
Distribution: Silberstein plans to work with a exclusive network of 15 to 20 trusted retailers worldwide

Friday, 2 January 2026

Citizen Super Jet Auto Dater Parawater 150m SADS 51202 Y 1967

This is an earlier version of Citizen diver Citizen Super Jet Auto Dater Parawater 150m AUDS 51202 Y. This model number of SADS 51202 has a close relationship to the SADS-52801 unibody divers (with the additional outer bezel) both watches are with 39 jewels).

The Citizen Super Jet Auto Dater Parawater 150m reference SADS 51202-Y is a rare 1966 vintage diver from Japan’s early automatic era (without the usual outer black diving bezel).

Key Specifications

This model features a robust monobloc stainless steel case measuring 37.5mm across with nice 20mm lugs. It houses the iconic Caliber 1150 or 1161 “Jet” automatic movement with 39 jewels, hand-winding capability, and quick-set date via crown pull. Rated for 150m water resistance (Para 150m), it includes luminous trapezoidal markers, black dial, and a unique geared rotor design.

Collectibility and Value

Priced around $850-1000 USD on secondary markets, its unibody “X-case” design and high jewel count appeal to vintage enthusiasts. Servicing requires crystal removal due to the sealed back, preserving dive-ready integrity.

For this model, On the dial was printed text :

Citizen Super Jet

Auto Dater

39J,

Para150mwater,

3 stars within white rectangular

Similar Recommendations

• Citizen Super Crystal Date 52801-Y: Near-identical twin with 33-jewel Cal. 5410, 18mm lugs, and matching 150m rating—slimmer profile for daily wear.

• Citizen Jet Auto Dater 1120/1130 series: Earlier “Rookie” sibling with 17-27 jewels, more affordable entry to Jet rotors.

When looking at the watch, please note that there are several similar looking refences and these include another versions of Citizen Super Jet Auto Dater in 39 jewels as below (example from the internet). There is also versions with 33J with minor differences. One can actually collect a series of these Citizen Jet Auto Date Parawater 150m

EXAMPLE 1 :

Spear

Citizen Super Jet

Auto Dater

39J,

Para150mwater,

3 stars within silver rectangular

Markers are slimmer

Photos from the internet SADS 51202Y, Unibody X case design but markers are slimmer and longer plus has a spear on top dial (serial nos 60701561 from 1966)

EXAMPLE 2

Spear
Citizen Super Jet
Auto Dater

33 J
Three Stars within white rectangular

CITIZEN Super Jet Auto Dater Parawater, black dial type 2, 1968.

https://chronographes.net/2018/03/17/citizen-super-jet-auto-dater-para-water-sads-51202-y/citizen-super-jet-noir-img-rakuten-01/

EXAMPLE 3

Spear
Citizen Super Jet
Auto Dater

33 J
Three Stars (with NO rectangular)

There is yet another example that looks similar from the net example 2 but with some small differences:

Citizen (Metal raised logo)

Super Crystal Date

34 jewels

Para150water

No more Three Stars

52801-Y 33 Jewels (serial 70401572 from 1967)

https://adventuresinamateurwatchfettling.com/2019/11/11/citizen-parawater-150m-part-ii/

Lemania Series III Royal Navy Nuclear Submarine Non-Lume Chronograph (year 1964)

For 2026, my key collecting focus shall be on Quality then quantities of watches with a clear focus on filling the missing gaps in my military watch collections and diver watches.

The Lemania company specialised in the production of chronographs (watches with a built-in stopwatch function). Chronographs are inherently complicated things to manufacture and for this reason, many watch companies brought in movements from specialists like Lemania. They supplied, amongst others, Omega (the movement that powered the first watch on the moon was made by Lemania), and luxury brands Vacheron Constantin and Patek Philippe. Because Lemania often supplied movements to other brands (for which they were uncredited), watches which are signed by Lemania are especially prized.

Lemania has also supplied chronographs watches for the Royal Navy for use by pilots and navigators in the late 1940s and Lemania continued supplying them until the early 1960s.

I have been eyeing on this extremely rare single-button Lemania chronograph for several years. What makes this watch particularly rare and distinctive is that this Lemania watch was one that was delivered to the navy use during the mid-1960s to coincide with the commissioning of the United Kingdom's first nuclear submarine. The quantities of these watches are so few that not many people actually know the uniqueness and rarity. I can tell by the number of likes received from Xiao Hong Shu ( little red book ) from China as not many people knows about these niche watches.

The first British nuclear-powered submarine was commissioned in 1963; at that time the Royal Navy was using Lemania chronographs which had been issued from 1945 onwards, starting with the Series 1 and 2 watches with a round case until 1955, and then the Series 3 with an asymmetric case from 1957 until 1970.

To meet the new need for non-luminous watches a number of existing Lemanias were converted from lumed versions (which generally had a black dial) by fitting a white un-lumed dial and non-luminous black metal hands. The NSN was then re-marked by crossing out the 3306 and marking 3312 above it. These very rare and special watches were issued to crew of the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines from the early 1960s until around 1990.

The general shape of these watches evolved over time to become asymmetrical (in order to protect the push piece), but the movements remained almost identical in their construction. This one here is part of the third series of military mono-pushers delivered to the British military and it looks a little different to the others.

These Nuclear Submariner’s chronographs were produced in very small numbers and are one of the most highly sought after of all military watches. The single button operates the chronograph (stop-watch function) - the button in turn starts, stops and resets the chronograph. There is an elapsed minute counter, which allows for timing intervals up to 30 minutes.

For safety reasons, the radiation levels onboard nuclear submarines needed to be constantly monitored. Consequently, no luminous material was applied to the dial and hands of these chronographs so as not to affect the readings of the onboard radiation monitoring equipment.

Other than the absence of any luminous material, the Lemania Series III chronographs issued to crew of the Royal Navy’s nuclear fleet were essentially the same as those issued to pilots of the Fleet Air Arm.

The Lemania Series III differs from its earlier predecessors Series 2 in that it features an asymmetrical case with an integrated crown and pusher and is powered by a rhodium-plated shock-resistant version of the 15CHT known as the calibre 2220.

The vast majority of the Lemania Series III watches issued to the Royal Navy were assigned the NATO stock number 0552/924-3306. However, and as can be seen with the watches issued to nuclear submarine crew had the last four digits replaced with the number “3312”, which refers to the dial and hands being non-luminous.

Sadly, the Lemania watch company is no longer in existence as it has been bought by Breguet in 1992. So the Lemania watch brands has become something of a cult brand in recent years and its watches are very much cherished by collectors.

The case back has the original military markings: 0552/924 is the stores code for a chronograph wristwatch, 3306 denotes a black, luminous dial. This is stuck out and re-engraved with 3312 which is the code for the Nuclear Submariner’s chronograph with no luminous compound and a white dial. The number below, 80xxx is the unique identifier for this particular watch. The nuclear submarine fleet was small and so obviously the overall issue was small too. These watches would only have been issued to those whose job on-board involved making timing observations. It is believed only a few hundred Lemania Series III Non-Lume Chronographs were ever issued and good original examples are very rare and seldom offered for sale.

https://www.phillips.com/article/30699037/the-lemania-royal-navy-nuclear-submarine

https://vintagewatchspecialist.com/products/lemania-single-pusher-chronograph-falklands-conflict-belgrano-hms-conqueror-royal-navey-nuclear-submarine-watch-c-1960s?srsltid=AfmBOorrGQOpRter9g95WpVcKITcMHZDaJbU7njee8hG28TvGWpMsRcB

https://www.watchprosite.com/horological-meandering/royal-navy-chrono/17.1497861.14356001/

Please visit a very detail write up below :

https://vintagewatchlife.com/en/blogs/%E3%83%8B%E3%83%A5%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B9/%E3%82%A4%E3%82%AE%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E8%BB%8D%E3%81%AB%E7%B4%8D%E5%93%81%E3%81%95%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9F-%E3%83%AC%E3%83%9E%E3%83%8B%E3%82%A2-%E3%83%9F%E3%83%AA%E3%82%BF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%A6%E3%82%A9%E3%83%83%E3%83%81%E3%81%AE%E3%81%9D%E3%82%8C%E3%81%9E%E3%82%8C%E3%81%AE%E3%83%A2%E3%83%87%E3%83%AB%E3%81%AE%E8%A6%8B%E5%88%86%E3%81%91%E6%96%B9?srsltid=AfmBOopBmscZhrHEdGgoL3N88zYprzPQHLvnkNx2uwqAKzgt_cvT2A6X

I have tried to goggle and search for the Lemanai Series 3 onlines and the Issued watches number ranges from 768, 5243,4838xx, 800XX, 80022, 80062, 80202, 80135, 80331, 80582. 80683, 81201, 81202, 81212, 81215, 81234, 81385, 81437, 81952. There are not many of these around.