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A Special Bonding with a No Name Watch.......Felicitas Neuchatel

  1. McKinley Feb 11, 2018

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    Hello again all and a good Sunday morning from here in the Eastern U.S. I have read on here about how one does or does not bond with a certain watch. I now think I fully understand that concept. I recently, less than a month ago, after several months of looking found a Panda I could afford and purchased it. I posted about it here:

    https://omegaforums.net/threads/we-be-po.70081/#post-882315

    I think you can see my excitement about this watch, and granted I am only 3 weeks into ownership and still probably in the honeymoon period, but I can see this watch being my daily go to stainless steel tool watch for a very long time. I just think it is beautiful, the right size at 35.5 mm, and I can stop and stare at it for several seconds at a time, even when I am not checking for the time. I think we have bonded. I would however really like to know more about this company, Felicitas Neuchatel. I was really hoping some of the more knowledgeable watch experts on here could tell me a bit more about the quality of my watch. I believe the Valjoux 7733 movement is a good choice, but wouldn't mind hearing other opinions.

    @Vitezi was kind enough to find me this information:

    Mikrolisk records the wordmark Felicitas (and later, Felicitas Neuchâtel) as registerd by Ernest Schlenker, Felicitas Watch Factory, Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland; registered on 21 November 1921. The wordmark Felicitas Neuchâtel was registered on 20 September 1969, so your watch is probably from the early to mid-1970s

    And through a Google search I was able to find this thread where a supposed, I say that because anyone on the internet can be anyone they want, 5th generation Swiss watchmaker claims their cases were of Rolex quality.

    http://www.thewatchforum.co.uk/index.php?/topic/84315-which-brands-should-be-in-a-collection/&page=2

    It is at the bottom of that thread. There is one interesting side note, or so I think. The seller of this watch claimed he was selling off an estate watch collection he had bought. All the other watches he was selling were very high end, including multiple Patek Phillippes. If that story is true, the original collector must have been "slumming" one day and decided to pick up a Panda before attending the Grand Prix. ;-) Anyway, this watch makes me smile every time I put it on, wind it, look at it or even think about it. But I would really like to know more about the company itself and if they are considered a quality watchmaker or held in low regard. Some of you may think , "What does it matter if you like it?", but I would like to know if I have a quality piece or not. Thank you for wading through this diatribe and for any input you can give on Felicitas Neuchatel. Here is a gratuitous wrist shot.

    McK

    20180124_163928.jpg
     
    77deluxe and Vitezi like this.