This would be my first vinatge purchase, and being a physician i thought this was neat. A little nervous since i haven't seen in person but wanted some help in seeing if this is legit and if anyone knows about this GP model. It is 36mm Thanks in advance!
I don't know much about this particular reference or movement. But, from what you've posted, I'd skip it as your first vintage watch purchase. The plating on the crown and pusher is badly worn. The hour and minutes hands are mis-matched (I'm not sure which of the two is original). It's also missing the sweep second hand that you need to use the pulsation scale. On the movement side, it appears that there are a few parts missing, though otherwise the movement doesn't appear badly abused. Those pulsation dials are very cool and collectible, particularly for those of us who are involved in patient care. If you're patient, I believe that you'll find examples in just about every major brand.
woodwkr2, thanks for chiming in, and about 30 seconds after i posted i realized this one wasn't for me. Missing stuff, needs work, etc. and not a good start. Gonna look for a nice UG, Omega, or GP...the hunt goes on.
Longines makes a very nice (and fairly priced) modern pulsometer that's based on a vintage model. Been looking for one but can't seen to find one though http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/introducing-the-longines-asthmometer-pulsometer-chronograph
In the vintage world, Universal Geneve carved out a very nice collection of pulsation watches that they called the Medico-Compax. I've got one of these in steel and really like it. Be sure to post your other vintage 'contemplations' around here before you pull the trigger. There's a lot of guys with experience who can point you in the right direction.
I really like the modern, vintage-y look of Longines' current line up. They can also be had for pretty reasonable prices (assuming you can find them, I suppose). My problem is that every time I go to buy a modern re-edition or similar, I get hung up on the fact that somewhere there's a first edition version of them. I'd rather spend more money and lots more time finding a vintage piece that was the original.
The really weird thing is I've been to the Longines boutique twice in the past year to look for this model, and no one seems to have heard of it. Googling it doesn't help either, I can't find a place that sells them. I even emailed Longines to ask them about this model, but no one replied. Maybe it's not out yet, which is a pity cos as you've said, they've been doing a good job of reimagining their old models and modernizing them a little (but not too much!). Granted, most companies are doing the same thing mining their past, but I liked how Longines pulled this one off, especially with the modest case size of 38.5mm.