Dear all,
I’m extremely pleased to present a small collection of watches carefully assembled under the same theme: yachting.
All pieces share a defining set of attributes which I am currently very fond of:
- Colour: brave use of colours harmoniously supporting functionality,
- Function: chronograph, 15min countdown timer along the Tachy ring, seconds and date,
- Weight: heavy pieces anchoring them to the wrist,
- Size: perched high and sitting large, wide and proud.
This brave mix of attributes creates not so much an elegant watch but more a sporty, enthusiastic and visually stunning piece. If you’re normal you might not understand this but in the morning, they all seem to scream: “Hugo. Pick me, pick me!” in a similar fashion to the little green men in Toy Story.
- Tissot Navigator Yachting: introduced ~ 1972 with a Lemania 1341 automatic movement,
- Omega Seamaster Yachting 176.010: introduced ~ 1972 with a Lemania 1340 modified by Omega and named 1040, also automatic. Of noteworthy beauty is the alternate use of polishing from sunburst to mirror.
The Tissot and Omega share many characteristics including the case, bezel and crystal. It is common to find Tissot crystals with the tiny Omega logo at its centre. Of course, this is explained by the “synergies” formed off the back of the Tissot, Omega, Lemania partnership in the 1930s.
Also included within the Yachting theme are two Omega Soccer Timers which came with Yachting bezels:
- Omega Soccer Timer Yachting 145.019: introduced ~ early 1970s using the manual wind 861 caliber also found in Speedmasters.
- Omega Soccer Timer Roulette 145.019: idem.
Although the Roulette isn’t a yachting piece, I couldn’t restrain myself from showing it to you. These sit lower on the wrist and have a smoother, curvier appearance complimented by a very pronounced Darwinian colour arrangement.
Finally, we finish our yachting journey on this adorable Avia which proudly boasts a coloured minute counter. Perhaps not purely used for yachting, the use of colours differentiating between 5, 10 and 15 minutes suggest use for yachting.
- Avia Yachting Chrono: I suspect it uses a Landeron movement and is from 1950-60s? Avia was born in Switzerland at La Chaux de Fonds in early 1900s approximately.
Thank you very much for reading; I hope you enjoyed the theme, thoughts and pictures.
Hugo