1960 Vintage Year

[njlam]

I am thinking about getting a birth year watch.

Who were the best watchmakers in 1960?

Not looking to spend a ton (so the Rolex Sub 5512 is out), but I would imagine there are some watchmakers that were great in 1960 that may not still be great today that may be worth looking at.

A quick search has Longines, Universal Geneve, JLC, Omega, Zenith, Heuer, Chronographe Suisse Cie and Lemania.

Any others? Of the makers I have listed which ones were the kings of the hill in 1960?

[Old Expat Beast]

The first Grand Seiko (the 3180) was released in 1960.

[77T]

So that'd be a double birth year choice...
Seiko & OP!

Omega didn't have the status with the Seamaster yet so for that reason they are out methinks...


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[MILGAUSS88]

Chronograph Suisse is what I consider a generic brand.
No real history, and not very good quality.

[MILGAUSS88]

Longines, Universal Geneve, JLC, an Omega have stuff in every price range $200 to $15,000. So is there any price range you are looking for? Longines probably in the lowest range.

A little early for Zenith and Heuer, before they really hit their stride and made classics.
Would only choose a chronograph with these 2 brands.

Lemania is more of a movement maker than watch maker, so probably wouldn't be my first choice. Would only choose a chronograph with this brand.

[njlam]

The Longines chrono with the 30CH reference seems to have the aesthetic that appeals to me…wondering where it stacks up vs others in 1960….trying to spend less than $5k…


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[MILGAUSS88]

Could get a Vacheron for $3k-6k.
Could get an AP or PP for $6k to 10k.

[MILGAUSS88]

Looks like what you really want is a Chronograph.
You could get an Omega Seamaster chrono with a 321 movement.
Or a JLC with a Valjoux 72.
And have change left over with either one.
1960 Speedmaster is going to be over budget.
Maybe a UG Tri Compax. Not sure off hand what movement they use.

[njlam]

Good suggestions so far….as I refine in my mind what I am looking for, I think I want a brand that was prominent at the time, but may not be so today….my collection has a good representation of current brands…looking for a brand I may not have yet.

How do I research which watchmakers were cutting edge in the 60s?


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[MILGAUSS88]

Originally Posted by njlam

How do I research which watchmakers were cutting edge in the 60s?

You could check Chrono24 and filter out by year and function (chronograph). But as I was looking I noticed several that did not have the correct year. ie Hamilton Chron-matic didn't come out until 1969 and I found it in my 1960 search,

If you were looking for cutting edge chronographs, I would consider an automatic chronograph from 1969.

Try a chronograph with the El Primero used by Zenith or Movado.
Or the Caliber 11, used by Heuer, Hamilton, Brietling and Bulova.

[MILGAUSS88]

Breitling Navitimer.
Heuer Carerra.
Movado chronographs.