1950’s Axes Extra Chronograph (Landeron 148)

Axes is not a name immediately associated with watchmaking. However, the name was registered in the early 1950’s by Dimier S.A., and also by Ronda, amongst others. Information on the brand is scarce but they seem to have made a variety of watches ranging from dress watches to chronographs, and from the inexpensive to really quite luxurious. Like so many of the smaller brands though they seem to have been swept away by the great tidal wave from the East that was the quartz revolution.

Landeron is also not a name that too many people know of outside of serious watch enthusiast circles, yet they had quite a long and pretty illustrious history. Founded in 1873 as Charles Hahn & Cie in La Landeron, a municipality in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel famous for its watchmaking industry. They made quality watch movements and finished watches, specialising in ladies watches and complicated watches, including chronographs. By 1910 the company was known simply as Landeron. In 1924 Landeron acquired the patents of Anatole Brietling, becoming the exclusive supplier of column wheel chronograph movements into the 1930’s when they expired. However, column wheel chronographs were expensive to produce so Landeron was also developing a cam actuated chronograph which was cheaper to manufacture as manufacturing tolerances didn’t need to be so precise as for column wheel movements. In 1937 they launched the Landeron 47, which rapidly evolved into the Landeron 48, which subsequently became the basis for the most popular series of chronograph movements ever produced.

Cyma REF:234

Here we have a rather sorry looking little watch from somewhere around the late 1930’s or early 1940’s. This came to me some time ago as part of a job lot of watch making stuff and has sat, unloved in my “to-do” bin patiently awaiting some attention. Well it’s time has come and it has at last made it onto the bench.

Pioneer (AS485)

The subject of this post is a Pioneer watch from possibly about a hundred years ago. It’s the type of watch that could well be described on certain auction sites as a “trench watch”, in fact I almost titled this post “trench style” watch, but this would be a misnomer.

Trench watches, originating out of a requirement for soldiers in the trenches of WW1 to have a more convenient time piece than the ubiquitous pocket watches of the time, were originally converted pocket watches, or more often ladies pendant watches which were smaller. They typically had soldered on wire lugs, hinged back and front covers, large Arabic numerals on enameled dials, and luminous hands, with no branding on the dial.

This watch however, although it does share some of those attributes, was designed as a wrist watch from the outset. I doubt that it was ever involved in any military action, although it does look like it’s been through the wars.

Sekonda Field Watch (Wostok 2209)

The subject of this post is a Sekonda black dialed military style or field watch with an 18 jeweled Wostok 2209 movement.

Sekonda is a british company originally set up in the mid 1960’s to import and market  Russian made watches. They were aimed fair and square towards the value end of the market but were actually fully jeweled  movements with some quite innovative designs. One of their straplines from the 1970’s was “don’t be fooled by expensive imitations”. They were generally very good for the money but occasionally let down by inconsistent quality control.

Interlude

Anyone who is or has been following my journey into the world of watch restoration and resurrection can’t help but have noticed that I have been somewhat inactive over the last couple of years and may even have been wondering if I had fallen by the wayside on my little horological odyssey. Well, kind of yes and no….

It had always been my intention to document all (or at least as much as possible) of my watchmaking endeavors here so that others with a similar interest could get (and give back) what ever they felt they could from my travails, and that is still the case.

However, in 2021 my whole world turned upside down. Quite out of the blue I lost my beloved wife and life adventurer to cancer. Every aspect of my life and the way that it was organised (and disorganised) changed. Although I have managed to continue my watchmaking passion to a degree the whole emphasis changed and it became more about retreating from the reality of my grieving and less about sharing my adventures. It has taken me until now to get back into a place where I could feel ready to try and pick up where I left off, at least in some aspects of my life.

To anyone who has been waiting for the next installment, and to everyone who has sent me their watches, thank you for your patience.

And to everyone who has supported me through the last two years, you have my eternal gratitude.

With any luck normal service will be resumed as soon as possible.

E. MARTEN (Unitas cal.6310 – Wehrmachtswerk)

Having not posted anything for some time I am finally able to pick up this blog where I left off, and although the blogging has temporarily had to make way for other activities the watch mechanicing has continued.

Here we have a 1950’s 15 jewel wrist watch by E. Marten equiped with a Unitas cal.6310 movement, a so called “Wehrmachtswerk” or army movement. It’s not working and it just winds ad infinitum…

GARRARD AUTOMATIC 25 (ETA 2783)

According to their web site, Garrard is the longest serving jeweler to the British Crown. Established in 1735 by Master silver smith George Wicks in Panton Street, London, they received their first royal commission from Frederick, Prince of Wales in the same year.

In 1843 they were appointed the first official Crown Jeweler, and have served every subsequent British monarch.

Although no longer part of their portfolio, for a while Garrard made time pieces. Their watches used both English (Smiths) movements and Swiss movements, usually opting for the higher grade variants where they were available, housed in top quality cases.

Classic understated design, attention to detail, and a very high standard of finish were all typical traits of Garrard watches. In the 1960’s and 70’s these qualities made them a frequent choice by some of the larger corporations for long service awards for their loyal employees; this is just such a watch.

Although ticking when shaken, this one has lost its crown, and definitely needs a bit of TLC.

Depraz 17 Jewel (FHF ST974)

Here’s a name you don’t see too often, and when you do it’s usually associated with Dubois Depraz, a maker of bolt on modules that add complications to an otherwise time only movement; mostly chronograph modules but also moon phase and possibly big date modules too.

This one though is not Dubois Depraz, but just Depraz. There seems to be very little information available for the brand, all I have been able to find is that their full title is Depraz & Berney SA and that the company was registered in 1962.

This is a nice watch. Good and chunky with a bit of ’70’s brashness but not over the top, and driven by an FHF ST974 movement.

Swiss Emperor (AS1802/03)

I have discussed the Swiss Emperor brand before here, albeit only briefly as there seems to be scant information to be found on the brand, and also the AS1802 movement here. This post brings the two together with an AS1803 (which is an 1802 with a date complication) in a nice little 1960’s dress watch.

This poor little fellow has been fitted with a rather unbecoming (very) high dome crystal which is rather scuffed up. It doesn’t run well at all, the crown has virtually no resistance when setting the hands, and the date seems to be jammed on 17, so without further ado the revival begins….

Poljot De Luxe Automatic (Poljot 2415 Orbita)

Russian watches haven’t always enjoyed the best of reputations in the west over the years. They tended to be considered a rather poor relation to the offerings coming out of Switzerland; a belief encouraged by the fact that they were sold at bargain basement prices. However, they produced some excellent, even ground breaking watches which have gradually gained quite a following.