Horological Meandering

...others are very bad!

Marriage and retirement are not compatible. Marriage won (this time...).

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I knew it 

..., especially the wonderful style of how it is told. Thank you kindly for the joy I had while reading it!!

Marcus

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wonderfully told.

Isn't there a French brand Yema? and then there's JAPY.

Hi

I just wound it up and it still runs. Case/crystal (?) has a crack in it at 6 but otherwise is nice

Cazalea

Hi

Baylor: also a Sears brand.

Bifora: everyone's favorite watch advertisement is one for Bifora, with a 1970s guy in poofy hair, showing a lot of bare chest under his shirt, and holding an owl. The real reason we all own watches is the hope of being that cool.

I think Jardur made some very iconic military watches.

My obscure brands:

Fleuron (some nice gold chronographs and Felsa-based automatics, some much lower-end stuff);

Esiba (a Felsa-based automatic diver, sample size of one even though I search for more regularly);

Roberge (affiliated with a high-end Geneva jeweler, so made plenty of quartz watches with diamonds, but very fine watchmaking when they put their minds to it; complications up to perpetual calendar).

This message has been edited by MervC on 2015-05-27 07:49:43

Until your post, these were mostly names to me - seeing the real watches is like spotting an extinct animal. 

The bracelets are generic. This message has been edited by MervC on 2015-05-27 08:30:18

Forgotten by most, but fully worthy of mention. I'm quite fond of this Baylor watch. I have read that Baylor was a house brand for an American jewelry store chain Zales.

Hi Mark,

You've added a new twist.

Now we have to research and find out if it's Sears or Zales behind that brand.

Mike

Either way it was a store that could be found in malls all over America.

Baylor is a brand name given to watches manufactured in Switzerland by Heuer for Zales, a Dallas jewelry company. Heuer made these watches under the Baylor name (a Dallas-based university). 

My Baylor automatic is signed Wadsworth and SU1361 - both on the rotor. It has AS in a shield with the #1361. The inside of the case back cover is signed Brevet & Mantab Watch Corp.

My dad has a Baylor - a 17 j automatic day/date signed Baylor Watch Co with the initials ZOA on the movement, an F in a shield with 4009 to the right. His case back says Baylor Watch Co, Switzerland.

I always thought Baylors were rebranded watches. I recall seeing a Baylor that was actually a Heuer.

I worked as stock clerk 40+ years ago at a subsidiary of Zales called Bailey, Banks and Biddle. Baylor was a house brand watch sold there, next to the lower-end Seikos. The store manager said the name came from Baylor University which was attended by one of the Zales family members. We also had a few Baylor pocket watches.

The jewelry chain Zales sold watches under the brand name Baylor. Heuer manufactured a lot of watches and chronographs for them.

CONCLUSION? I think we have to conclude the Baylor was a Zales brand, not a Sears brand. But what about Sears? What brands did Sears have?

I own two Tradition watches. They were made for and sold by Sears (as were another obscure brand, Baylor) They are decent quality, with Schild movements. 

Heuer made a line for Sears Roebuck that they marketed under the Tradition brand. Today these are known as the poor man’s Heuers. 

The Sears Allstate line of Heuer-built, dash-mounted timepieces consisted of Autavia, Master Time, Monte Carlo/Winner, Auto Rallye and Super Autavia.

The Rockford Watch Model 4 & 5 Specials – These were designed for hunter cases, and are stem wind and lever set. These movements were sold primarily by the Sears Roebuck Company under the Plymouth Watch Company brand. 

The Illinois Watch Company produced watches under contract for several different brands, including Burlington Watch Company (Chicago, Illinois) and Santa Fe Watch Company (Topeka, Kansas). Illinois also produced watches for the Plymouth Watch Company (Sears Roebuck).

A "Tradition' trademark (with unique font) was registered in 1954 by Sears, Roebuck & Co. A 23 jewels movement would typically indicate a good quality watch.

My Orvin has a 23 jewel AS 1361 movement. Orvin is a Swiss watch sold at Sears since Sears was the official importer.

I had a similar one, a 23j ultra thin. I think Tradition was Sears higher end watch brand.

There was a tendency in the late 50's to "upjewel" watches to make them seem better (ie infamous 100-jewel Waltham); I wouldn't have thought Sears would be doing that. It's odd that the "original" plate is clearly signed by Sears, but the second plate is signed "Tradition Watch Company".

To the best of my knowledge, Orvin watches were only sold by Sears, in 2 varieties: Moderately high-end Orvins made by Cortebert (a Swiss manufacturer with good-quality movements) and lower-quality watches made with pedestrian Swiss parts.

Sears had a few other brands such Stellaris and Tradition (a name they still use) as well ones just labelled Sears. Many of the movements have Sears Roebuck on them but some have SOX (Cortebert).

I have a copy of the 1927 Sears Roebuck catalog ... men's wrist watches show 25 different case styles and some could be supplied with the buyer's choice of a Sears Van Buren movement or with Elgin or Waltham movements. I think that Van Buren was Sears' brand name for their line of watches in the Twenties.

CONCLUSION: Sears has been selling watches for well over 100 years. Lots of brand names but probably not Baylor.

Cazalea This message has been edited by cazalea on 2015-05-29 22:02:46 This message has been edited by cazalea on 2015-06-01 06:07:02

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It confirms what I had read earlier.