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Vintage Wristwatches For Sale From The 1960s

The 1960s were a very interesting time for the luxury Swiss watch industry. The previous decade had been one of enormous success. Production figures had been at an all time high with the quality of movements by Omega, Rolex, IWC, Zenith and Jaeger LeCoultre being of a standard that would have been impossible to achieve in the pre-war era due to the limitations of manufacturing technology at the time.

The first half of the 1960s was essentially a continuation of what we’d already seen in the 1950s. There was some polarisation of the market, with most of the major houses offering a selection of masculine, chunky sports models with a typically diving or aviation theme while also strongly catering for those with more classical tastes. Both steel and gold cased models were equally popular, with those in gold tending to be found less often today simply because, being significantly more costly when new, they were bought in the first instance in smaller quantities.

Dials, case shapes and hands were not noticeably different from those of the 1950s. However, when we open up the majority of watches manufactured in the second half of the 1960s, we can immediately see that the quality of finish present is cruder and less refined than it would have been even five years earlier. Fully automated production lines had been introduced on a widespread basis to the Swiss watch making houses with the consequence that in some instances, the creation of finished movements could be achieved with scarcely any touch of human hands.

It would be very misleading to suggest that there was a universal decline in quality at this time. This simply wasn’t so. The highest grade of Swiss makers, the products of which are the specialities of this website, kept a consistent standard of quality and retained the same degree of hand craftsmanship that they’d always done in the past. But it is important to appreciate that further down the price ladder, where movements by lesser Swiss makers made in the 1950s were often actually surprisingly well finished, they were now very plain and non-descript. When buying a watch built post-mid 1960s by a less well known maker, it is vital that close up photographs of its movement be studied in order that an accurate assessment as to the standard of finishing present can be made.

By 1969, after a decade of playing second fiddle to Omega in terms of market share, Rolex had finally achieved the pole position in the marketplace that it still occupies today. The outline shape of its waterproof Oyster models was unchanged from the previous decade, but the movements in these were continually and subtly upgraded to take advantage of any advances that had been made by Rolex engineers. Rolex quality at this time was impossible to fault, as was, in fairness, that of close competitors Omega, IWC, Longines, Jaeger LeCoultre and Breitling.

A very interesting chapter in wristwatch history took place in the late 1960s that is sometimes referred to by collectors as “the war of the frequencies”. It had always been known that, all else remaining unchanged, the faster the oscillation rate of a movement’s balance wheel, the more accurate that movement would be. The movements found in vintage watches from the 1920s through to the early 1960s typically ran at 18800 beats per hour, but developments in production processing and, more importantly, lubrication technology meant that by the mid-1960s, the top tier Swiss makers saw the potential to increase market share by offering faster running movements that had previously been thought possible. 28800 beats per hour was reached relatively early on in the race, with the apex being the creation of mechanisms that ran at a lightening fast 36600 beats per hour, a figure that is still remarkable even forty years later. Girard-Perregaux was the first to offer a 36600 movement but the other key players clambered to follow suit. The fast beat era reached its apex in 1967, when no less than nine different makers exhibited movements running at 36600 bph on their stands at the annual Basle show, and came to an end, overtaken by events, certainly by 1973 or ‘74. Ironically, what killed the concept of the fast beat movement wasn’t any inherent problem, but the fact that battery powered quartz movements, which were just around the corner at this point, would at a stroke render any such drive for extreme accuracy in a mechanical movement irrelevant. Even the cheapest quartz movement sold on the forecourt of the local garage would offer a level of precision timekeeping that the fastest mechanical movements couldn’t begin to hold a candle to. Looking at these fast beat watches today, they stand out as some of the most technically spectacular products that the Swiss horological industry has ever created. Reliable, fascinating from an engineering perspective and rare in worthwhile condition, they are important pieces that represent a unique and brief period in the evolution of the luxury wristwatch. We make a deliberate attempt to have several for sale on this website at all times, particularly those by Girard-Perregaux, Longines, Movado and Zenith, which stand out as being among the very best of their type.

We can’t conclude an article concerning the 1960s without at least a passing mention of what most people would regard as mankind’s most spectacular achievement to date, this being the Apollo moon landing of 1969. As many of the readers here will be well aware, Omega Speedmasters were worn on the wrist of the astronauts for this event after having been selected following a gruelling, literally destructive in some cases, selection process by NASA. The use of its watches was an enormous publicity boon for Omega and one that Rolex simply couldn’t compete with at the time.

After six decades of occupying an almost monopolistic position, the Swiss watch making industry ended the 1960s with an uncomfortable feeling that, quite correctly, ominous black clouds were amassing over its cosy, and very profitable, world. There had been electronic movements in the 1960s, some of which, like the very early Girard-Perregaux and Jaeger LeCoultre models, are extremely important historically and very sought after now, but these hadn’t yet made a major impression on the market. The next phase of development, the quartz movement, would literally revolutionise the industry and, as we’ll see in the following decade, leave every one of the traditional Swiss factories fighting for survival. The 1960s represent the calm before the storm and certainly, there were some superb watches built then that make very worthy inclusions in a serious collection today.

Jaeger LeCoultre automatic calibre K881 1962

In almost every respect, this lovely watch is very close in specification to the much sought after Jaeger LeCoultre Geomatic of the same period. Its movement, dial and case are virtually identical, making it something of a bargain.

Price £1075 GB Pounds

Longines gold 1962

Containing a movement of the highest possible quality, this gold vintage Longines competes on level footing with anything by Rolex or Omega. In immaculate original condition, this is a beautiful piece that should be far more costly than it is.

Price £725 GB Pounds

Omega steel with calibre 269 movement 1963

In immaculate, totally original condition, this is the ideal purchase for a collector looking for a vintage Omega watch with the company’s iconic 30mm Series movement, one of the finest hand wound mechanisms by any maker.

Price £725 GB Pounds

Ulysse Nardin date deco dial 1963

ulysse nardin for sale

In almost mint condition, this is a very attractive example of the post-war work of this much celebrated Le Locle house. A rare watch that is of the highest quality and somewhat more understated than its equivalents by the household name brands.

Price £865 GB Pounds

Rolex Tudor gold 1964

In superb, completely original condition throughout, this is a classic gold vintage Rolex that can be purchased for a surprisingly affordable sum. We see very few of these models in comparable, investment standard grade.

Price £875 GB Pounds

Rolex gold cushion re-cased 1912/ 1964

Not correct enough for the purist, this is still a highly interesting watch combining one of the earliest Rolex movements we have ever seen with a gold case produced in the mid-1960s. Very attractive and offering extremely good value.

Price £775 GB Pounds

Omega steel, boxed and documents, buckle 1964

Manufactured in 1964 and retailed in 1967, this is a rare package of original box, Omega handbook, Omega guarantee, jeweller’s receipt, service receipt and vintage Omega buckle. Finding another similar item would be quite a challenge.

Price £675 GB Pounds

Omega 14k gold rectangular with Tiffany dial 1964

With its very unusual pierced case giving an oriental look, this vintage Omega is an attractive watch that is not often encountered. It was supplied when new by Tiffany & Co in New York and is signed accordingly on its dial.

Price £875 GB Pounds

Rolex Tudor gold with guarantee papers 1965

Sold in London in 1966 before being awarded as a long service gift in 1971, this gold Rolex Tudor is among the best we have ever owned. In almost mint condition and complete with its original documentation from Rolex agent Alexander Clark.

Price £875 GB Pounds

Girard-Perregaux 1965

Very much an exotic luxury model when new, this watch remains in almost new-old-stock condition and offers the chance to acquire a vintage example by one of the most highly respected Swiss makers in the world for a very modest amount.

Price £425 GB Pounds
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