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Horological Meandering

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10 years of collecting vintage divers...

 
 By: MattS : August 13th, 2018-07:06
Hi all,

It has been almost ten years I have been collecting vintage divers watches so I thought this is a good opportunity to share a bit of the journey and see where it brought me.  I thought it to be legitimate to share it here as it initiated with Purists.  I joined Purists as I had had a surgery and was stuck on a bed in hospital for a few days.  I had been a watch fan for very many years, had some contemporary chronographs and had just started getting interested in vintage.  At the time I had three vintage chronos, a MarkII Speedmaster and a Jaeger 4 ATM that I still own and a Heuer Silverstone (version with the Lemania 5100).
Through Purists I started talking with the legendary Nicolas @anamico and as I was living in Paris we met for the first time for a lunch on a terrace close to his home and office at the time...
I remember this day very well...Nico brought four watches to show me...A LIP Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, a Seamaster 300 CK2913, a UG Polerouter Sub double crown SC and a Rolex Submariner ref 5508.
I can say that this was the founding act of what followed...a true passion and long love story with vintage divers...
Over the years I have been reading a lot, meeting many people and building a collection which has been in constant evolution.
Below I’d like to share some of the pieces of this collection.  These pieces represent some that I consider some iconic pieces in the history of diving watches and some personal choices as they are my favorite.  I love patina and especially tropical dials, the best being when radium fades into the dial.  I try to find watches as untouched and original as possible.  All are not perfect, but this is how they come to us, with some signs of time, like for us!...

All pictures have been taken the same day with natural light, no editing, no photoshop, with the scars of true toolwatches visible!...

For some reason the pictures didn't appear in the order I wanted!!??..anyway, here you go

Please enjoy


Blancpain Fifty Fathoms, Rotomatic incabloc with Inverted 30 bezel, circa 1953-1955.  This watch was part of the 2011 Blancpain Fifty Fathoms exhibition



Blancpain Fifty Fathoms 3/6/9/12 Rotomatic incabloc, the mother of diving watches, circa 1953.  The cousteau watch in the movie "the world of silence"




Tudor 7922, rare "small crown" no crown guard submariner, 1958




Rolex Submariner 6538 the "Big Crown" 1959, made famous by Sean Connery in the James Bond movie James bond against DrNo




Eberhard Scafograf 200 ref 11536 "big crown", 1961 first series, batch of 300 pieces, iconic design




Nivada, Depthomatic 1960 early version, dive watch with integrated depth rate




Citizen jet parawater, 1962, the first Japanese diver



Tudor Submariner 7928, pointed crown guards, SWISS only radium tropical dial




Mulco Escafandra, double crown EPSA super compressor case, tropical dial




Jaeger leCoultre Polaris 68, diver with alarm, tropical dial




Omega Seamaster Ploprof600, iconic 1970s design, developped with Cousteau and Comex for professional divers hence the name and become and iconic design worn by Gianni Agnelli over his shirt cuff




Doxa 300T, searambler, another Cousteau watch, iconic from the 70s. Here a military version with multiple signature, doxa, Synchron, Aqualung, US Divers




Benrus Type II, US military diver 1977




Enicar Sherpoa Ultradive, double Crown Super Compressor, notice the crown guards, here in a very rare white dial




Omega Seamaster 300 CK2913, 1960




longines nautilus, 1959, Single crown super compressor case, tropical dial.  The first longines diver and mother of the "Legend diver" double crown SC.




thanks for reading...and the passion continues...

Matt


Amazing gorgeous collection [nt]

 
 By: Gelato Monster : August 13th, 2018-07:14
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thanks! [nt]

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:47
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Great collection

 
 By: TdotBean : August 13th, 2018-08:13
I remember the scafograf and the ck2913 fondly.

Regards
Tyler

Hey Tyler

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:48
It's been a while! the Seamaster was a 14755, the dial was relumed and the bezel not accurately repainted...i upgraded for a CK2913 on the pic with a pretty nice original dial. part of the learning...
Matt

That’s a superb collection of vintage divers.

 
 By: kev09 : August 13th, 2018-08:21
Thanks for showing them. Regards Kev.

thanks

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:49
glad you enjoted. Sharing is part of the fun. Matt

Congratulations ! Wonderfull watches in original condition. [nt]

 
 By: Walter2 : August 13th, 2018-08:40
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thanks so much

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:50
appreciated, Matt

Great collection

 
 By: Passionata_george : August 13th, 2018-09:02
The longines is monoblocque case?


I got a nice vintage Venus(my only vintage diver),upload later

SC case

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:50
The Longines is a single crown super compressor EPSA case with screw back. Matt

Outstanding collection, congrats. Thanks for sharing. [nt]

 
 By: VMM : August 13th, 2018-12:12
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Thanks for sharing !!! [nt]

 
 By: ninolitaliano : August 13th, 2018-13:44
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thanks my friend! [nt]

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:51
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Same timeline, somewhat different . . .

 
 By: Dr No : August 13th, 2018-18:13
. . . direction here.

smile

Although I'd acquired my first vintage Omega in '05 . . .




. . . it took three years to bag a second - and the Mk II had departed by then.

Ten years have passed since acquiring this Connie . . .




. . . and a few dozen more Omegas have been adopted since.  Once in, never gone . . . except for two that were gifted away. 

Kudos, Matt, and thanks for your exceptional contributions on Wrist Scan.  Your images have always been top drawer in my book.

Art


thanks for your kind words Art

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:52
All the best, Matt

Very nice collection! Thanks for sharing!

 
 By: eklektik : August 13th, 2018-23:41
It shows how many different models are hiding behind the word 'diver'. I would not know where to start from.
Do yo have any contemporary model or are only into vintage historical pieces?
Best,
É.

Hi there,

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:53
it's been a journey!...I sold all my modern watches and shifted 100% vintage!
Matt

Wow, you have an incredible collection of divers there!.........

 
 By: TonyR : August 14th, 2018-04:42
My favorites are the 50 Fathoms and the Polaris. I wish I had interest in vintage dive watches 10 years ago especially the 50 fathoms. Back then you could buy those for pretty reasonable prices. Congrats on owning them now!!!

Tony

Hey Tony,

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-02:56
thanks for the kind words. Indeed i was lucky to start ten years ago with some of the early 50s divers!...Some of them like Fifty Fathoms were expensive at the time...now they have indeed reached a different level!...and that trend is even stronger for Rolex and now Tudor!
Matt

Wonderful collection Matt!! Thank you so much for sharing it with us! I´m also a fan of diving watches...

 
 By: Subexplorer : August 14th, 2018-13:39
... though I regret my collection doesn´t include some of those iconic brands/models you show like the FF among others.

It is always a pleasure to view your superb photos and watches here at PuristS and at your IG.

All the best! Abel.

thanks Abel

 
 By: MattS : August 15th, 2018-06:22
and thanks for your on going support, very much appreciated! Matt

Always my big pleasure dear Matt! Thanks to you!! All the best, Abel. [nt]

 
 By: Subexplorer : August 15th, 2018-14:24
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Bravo, Matt. This is an excellent collection you built over these years. There is one which is really interesting, the Nivada Dephtomatic. The first Dephtmeter, as far as I know. Top! [nt]

 
 By: amanico : August 15th, 2018-07:29
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Merci maître!

 
 By: MattS : August 16th, 2018-02:47

it's been a journey as you've experienced yourself.  The depthomatic is interesting indeed, I am looking for a correct bezel!  not easy!


Matt

You should try to grab a Favre Leuba Bathy 50. This is the second one, historically. [nt]

 
 By: amanico : August 16th, 2018-03:46
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Greetings Matt

 
 By: renerod : August 16th, 2018-09:41
Needless to say that I love, love, love your collection of divers. I myself find more attracted to the rugged tool design of divers, which doesn’t mean that some are also elegant.

I remember very well your beautiful photos o your watches “on the leaves” , which was your trademark. I still save some of them on my hard drive.

After all this years, I congratulate you for achieving a very nice and rounded collection and wonder, what else you have in the drawer? Lately I’ve started to like of watches like Patek Calatrava, Omega 30T2 series, and other similar from Longines, Movado and other old brands.

Do you have something like that?

Best regards.

René

Hi René

 
 By: MattS : August 17th, 2018-00:10

thanks very much for your kind words.  To the answer what else in the drawer...well, some more divers, then some chronos and two GMTs


Matt

Thanks Matt!

 
 By: renerod : August 17th, 2018-13:57
Now I remember I admire a lot one of your GMT’s also!

Best.

René

Félicitations

 
 By: XX-FF : August 18th, 2018-02:22

Félicitations Matthieu, en 10 ans de passion tu as assemblé une belle collection, tu as fait de belles trouvailles. Ces montres sont aussi le témoignage de belles rencontres et d’amitié.

Nous avons commencé à rechercher et collectionner les premières montres de la plongée autonome il y a longtemps, 10 ans pour toi, un peu plus pour moi. Nous avons eu de la chance d’avoir commencé tôt cette quête.

JL

Congratulations Matthieu, in 10 years of passion you have assembled a beautiful collection, you have made beautiful finds. These watches are also the testimony of beautiful encounters and friendship.

We started looking for and collecting the first scuba diving watches a long time ago, 10 years for you, a little more for me. We were lucky to have started this quest early.

JL

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