Horological Meandering

I am a big fan of the humble Unitas (now ETA) 6498.  In my, admittedly, limited experience (I have two watches with the movement) I have found it to be a robust and reliable timekeeper.  The two watches I own that contain 6498s perform well within COSC specs (neither are certified chronometers).  There is quite a bit of information about the movement online, but the aspect I found interesting was that the large movement (16.5 ligne) was originally created for pocket watches.  With the emergence of the large watch trend, which I suspect will be more like a seachange than a trend (I don't think 40mm and larger watches are going away anytime soon.), the Unitas 6498 found usefulness as a wristwatch movement.  The standard 6498 movement if set with the crown at 3 o'clock will support a subsidiary seconds at the 6.  Although, the movement is quite ubiquitous, I do think they lend themselves well to being modified.  I suspect the large size of the movement makes working with them a bit easier for a watchmaker.  Perhaps, one of our watchmaking brethren can talk about the ease (or not) of working with the 6498. 

A brief pictorial of my two watches containing the Unitas 6498 follows.  Despite the fact that both the Archer Reference 1440 and the Stowa Marine Original are powered by the same movement, they present a very different feel on the wrist, as well as distinct aesthetic personas.  The Reference 1440 channels the spirit of elegant watches of yesteryear, albeit in a larger 42mm size.  It shares certain styling cues with watches like the Breguet Classique manual wind.  The Marine Original on the other hand, hearkens back to the understated beauty of shipboard marine observation clocks. 

The two subjects of my photo essay side-by-side.

...and from the back.

See the differences between the lugs, case, and crown?  The Archer is more structured, and the onion crown adds volume that gives the watch a wrist presence beyond its 42mm size.  The 41mm Stowa has a less formal lug design, and the simple fluted crown is functional and nicely stamped with the Stowa logo, but it certainly doesn't carry as much inherent pizazz as the Archer's onion crown.

The classical elegance of the Archer Reference 1440 vs...

...the subtle good looks of the Stowa Marine Original.

Here's how Archer interprets the Unitas 6498.

Another photo of the 6498 in the Archer.

The Unitas 6498 in the Stowa.  Notice how the Cotes de Geneve on this iteration is running horizontally, whereas on the Archer the watchmaker has chosen to obliquely angle the same decoration.  Both patterns are equally successful IMO.

The Stowa's interpretation of the 6498 from another angle.  Stowa has chosen a swan-neck regulator. 

Perhaps, this simple workhorse movement is only of interest to proletariats like myself, but I thought it deserved its day in the sun!  I like the Unitas 6498, and appreciate its no-muss, no-fuss timekeeping capabilities.  For more reading on this movement I found an interesting article at the following site: Unitas Reference.

Does anyone have pictures of, and/or thoughts about, watches in their collection that house a Unitas/ETA 6498?  It would be interesting to see a variety of differently modified 6498s.

Cheers,
Daos
This message has been edited by dxboon on 2009-06-23 05:54:38

Thanks a lot for your nicely pictured presentation of your 2 watches.
Somehow you feel a certain inclination towards reasonably priced, good qualitiy German watches, as you recently posted a photo of the Sinn U1.

I also like Stowa watches and hold the Antea 365 with a plain ETA 2824-2 movement which is a pleasure to wear and look at, as it was given a nice finish by the STOWA people.

They (the watches, not the folks at STOWA) are probably not  horological "haute cuisine", but who would like to have oysters and caviar on a day-to-day basis?

My best regards,

anaesdoc

P.S. Tried to upload my STOWA Antea pic, but it didn´t work ?!
My fault or server trouble (just followed the uploader recommendations)?

Always give it a third go -alas, here, we are! This message has been edited by anaesdoc on 2009-06-23 06:44:03

Thanks for sharing your Stowa photo.  The Antea certainly has a clean look, and the Bauhaus-inspired design gives the watch a stylish dial on which the time can easily be read.  We don't often see Stowas here, but I think they are an affordable brand with some interesting history.  They are most famous for being one of the original manufacturers of WWII B-uhren watches (along with IWC, Lange, and Laco, I believe), but I like their vintage marine observation watches best.  It's for this precise reason that I chose to pick up the watch I pictured in my original post.

I'm a fan of German watches!  Lange makes several watches that I would consider to be personal "grails."  Likewise, GO and Nomos timepieces are very attractive.  I like certain designs from Sinn (the U1 and 656 S are my favorites), although I feel like their strength is in tool watches, as opposed to dress watches.  Some of their models are too bulky for my taste, but they've definitely got pieces that offer good value and style.

I will always consider "buying German" when I'm in the market for a timepiece!  Thanks for your kind comments!

Cheers,
Daos

is that it does not allow the edges of the case to be tapered down.  The case winds up with a 'blocky' look with thick edges, even though it is not actually that thick overall.  The watches look amazing in every other way, though. Congrats on both.

i have a couple of watches with these movements. i think they are great and would happily buy a watch with these movements in. to me they are the hand wind equivelant of the ETA 2824. some companies are even altering them to adopt a centre second. i think Stowa are doing it with their Fleiger pilots watch. they wind very smoothly and easily, maintain excellent time, and the watches are a decent but managable size.

some companies finish them better than others, but thats another post still running

6497 

6498

best

Graham

Like me, you appreciate the consistent performance and value that these movements bring.  I would also happily buy another watch housing the 6498.  The cotes de Geneve circulaire on your Maurice Lacroix is very pretty!  I enjoyed that photo in particular.

Cheers,
Daos

...in both my ownership experience, and those that I've seen otherwise, do exhibit the chunkiness that you describe.  Undoubtedly, there are certain design limitations owing to the movement size and shape that must be taken into account.  Thanks so much for your thoughts!

Cheers,
Daos

two very nice looking watches too. I especially like the Archer. I think it is much nicer if contemporary big watches contain a similarly sized movement!

 

Best

Andreas

I agree that it is nice to see the harmony between these larger cases and movements.  Many of the watches housing these movements remain within reach of the average person (like me!) which I also appreciate.

Cheers,
Daos 

...Stowa, particularly the screwed balance and the swan-neck.

For some reason, I have never liked blued screws. They tend to overwhelm the relatively subdued colours of the balance, train and jewels - and instead draw attention to 'mundane' components.

...from many others regarding blued screws.  Some people say it takes away from the engineered or mechanical design aspect of a movement.  I, myself, am very drawn to color and only wish the bluing on the screwheads of my watches extended into the slots, something I really enjoy seeing on many of the pieces that are shared on the forum.  I like the juxtaposition of the pink jewels and blued screws also. 

I appreciate your kind note.  Thanks!

Cheers,
Daos

Daos,

I found myself in the position of wanting a "marriage watch" (Taking a pocket watch and casing it into a wristwatch) and the Unitas 6497 prove to be the best choice for this experiment, which in the end turned out to be more like a stroll to my AD rather than a self driven, self guided project to achieve something that would have never come out as nice as this:

 

Reliability, low maintenance, and finishing flexibility are also great virtues, which is why I think  the 6497 / 6498 is so popular among producers, and better yet, collectors.

Cheers,

Alex

Where can I find the restaurant that serves this dish?  It's like a Panerai bruschetta!  Although the menu says "sushi" at one point so perhaps no Italian food today.  LOL!  Your watch is amazing, of course, and I do agree that the 6497/6498 offer great value to the watchmaker and to the collector. 

Thanks for your fine photo and note, my friend.

Cheers,
Daos

No message body

I appreciate your note!  They are humble movements, but I like them!

Cheers,
Daos

The more and more I look at the Archer watch, the more I get the feeling that the watch lacks an identity.  When pictures were first posted here on this site, it looked like very interesting watch but after closer inspection, the watch seems like it's "confused".  I use the word "confused" because the dial and hands resemble Breguet, the crown resembles Chronoswiss, and the lugs resembles Speake-Marin.  There's no Archer name on the dial and this perpetuates the ambiguity even more.

At least with the Stowa, it has its own distinguisable look, but the Archer lacks any cohesion IMO since it's a combination of many looks from various brands.  I know a fellow PuristS makes these Archer watches, and I commend him in his new profession but I want to suggest to him to give his watches more identity so people can bond with them more.

Thanks once again for the comparison of the Stowa and Archer!

- Anthony

...they are much appreciated.  I do think the Archer pulls from various references with the idea of creating its own identity, but perhaps some additional branding in terms of design is something to be considered. 

Cheers,
Daos

You underline that the Unitas caliber can be efficient in very different situations.

But in your case, I much prefer the Stowa.

Fr.Xavier

My Stowa is one the favorites of my collection!

Cheers,
Daos

An example?

Panerai.

The Pam 36, wirth its rugged finish:



The Cali, with a sweeter finish:



A very accurate and reliable movement, ideal for a tool watch!

Best, and thanks for another great post, sister.

Nicolas This message has been edited by amanico on 2009-06-23 22:57:03

I can always count on you to bring up something interesting and salient to the discussion!  It's fascinating how different this same movement looks in your two watches.  Completely different vibes IMO!  I agree that the 6498 is quite rugged, and lends itself well to tool watches.  The movement may be a peasant, but it's a hardworking and reliable one! 

Thanks for the kind words!
Daos

the 6497/98 movements are great to modify, masters like Dornbluth or Ninchritz make beautiful 3/4 plate conversions, also the specials by Habring and the engraved skeleton watches by Benzinger are truly work of art.

These simple and reliable calibers were my obvious choice to base the design on, when I decided to try and make a movement with "classic" looks:

the nr.1, which is ticking away in my daily watch for several months now:

a few movements (unfinished) to try out different styles and details:

Some more recent watches based on 6498 (left) and 6497 (right), movements still completely rough, no decoration yet:

Probably I should get on with finishing and decorating the mov 'ts, get them plated, order the custom dials etc.......... but my attention span is very short and there are still a lot of other ideas I want to try: like this new project (also based on a 6498) in it's very first stage:

more later (perhaps)....................... 

Paul

Paul,

I hope you continue to share these projects with us!  Your ideas are so intriguing!  I like the first photo so very much, as I don't recall seeing a movement covered in perlage to that extent.  Also, your latest creation seems to be shaping up into something interesting.  Your modifications give it a much more aggressive look IMO. 

Please do share your progress, if possible!  What an exciting post!  Thanks!

Cheers,
Daos

Sorry, no pictures - no camera!

But you can find some great images and reports by searching the forums using "Dornbluth" and "Dornblueth".

I use my 99.2 mainly as a deskclock - actually on a shelf behind my computer, in its nice burlwood box. That way I can instantly check out out the time while I sit here typing. In fact it is the device I most look at for getting the time in this particular room, never from the monitor screen except for the occasional satellite or atomic settings.

Then comes the urge to take it out of the box and simply go off with it into the streets! If rarely, because there is fierce competition from some of the others, like a Sarpaneva K2, for daily wear and just getting about town - using my feet and the public transportation systems (I don't even own a car).

Or simply to admire the movement with it's swan-neck regulator and engraving, and ponder upon the people who made, and are continuing to make it and the others in their line. A tribute to Unitas - or the parts they use from it - but more to the Dornblüths themselves!

Sure, I keep it wound. It gains about 5 seconds, day after day. This Ur-version has no hacking seconds, which makes it even "purer" for me.

Another watch I own with a Unitas 6498 is a LE Maurice Lacroix Masterpiece Lune Retrograde in YG with Breguet-type hands, Calibre 104. Very pretty, even beautiful from the dial side. Rhodium on the gears but unfortunately no blued slots on the large blued screwheads and so merely (and impurely) decorative. The whole back side tends toward "bling" and is no way as interesting or enjoyable as the Dornbluth, but still nicely finished for a factory product of that (golden?) age in ML‘s history. Goes "ratch, ratch" when I wind it, but not unpleasantly, thanks to lots of calendar complications and a RDM.

Now I wish I could give you a picture of that one!

Best from
Amery

g

I never tire of seeing Dornblüth watches.  Thanks for the photo, Glickman.

How's that maple-bacon Krispy Kreme idea coming along?  You've got a couple customers (and that's just the folks I know) waiting to buy some! 

Hope all is well!
Daos

I've been quite smitten with them since I handled some last year.  They have such beautiful, clean dials, and the movement is so lovely.  It practically oozes charm and that unique brand of Dornblüth "elfin magic" (I hear stories about their quaint workshop that make me want to visit.).  They are also the only company whose watch boxes are truly useful IMO.  The way the watch can be transformed into a desk clock by way of its presentation box is brilliant.  It's almost like getting two watches in one! 

I'm not as familiar with timepieces from Maurice Lacroix, so I'll have to find pictures of the model you describe.  Thanks so much for the great note!  I enjoyed it very much!

Cheers,
Daos 

. . . of the transformation wrought by Dornblüth, but my favorite iteration of the 6498 is Omega's 2201 ensconced in the Railmaster XXL . . .



. . . photo courtesy Keith Downing. Cordially, Art

. . . a great watch but totally unwearable for the average guy and absolutely ridiculous on my wrist; still, the architecture of the movement is reminiscent of vintage Omega pocket-watch movements . . . cordially, Art