Anyone know what this is?

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snunez

·Jul 28, 2020

It belonged to my grandfather. Nothing much known about it, as it came to me via my father who inherited some of the estate. I've tried searching for GMI, but that turns up nothing but a new brand of fashion watches. Image search says "analog watch".

No markings on the back except 18K gold. I'm pretty sure the bracelet is gold too. As near as we can guess, he must have bought it in the 30's or 40's. Size is 27mm.

Anyone got an idea of the manufacturer and model?

Edited: Jul 28, 2020

 

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Maybe

·Jul 28, 2020

Things that make you go "hmm".

 

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Larry S

·Jul 28, 2020·Color Commentator for the Hyperbole.

How bout a clearer pic of the dial.

 

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rcs914

·Jul 28, 2020

I thought it said "Glue" so yes, a clearer pic would be nice

 

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snunez

·Jul 28, 2020

Yeah, the pic wasn't all that great. I've replaced it with a better one; that's the best my old iPhone 6 can do. Now that I look at it, the letters seem to be "GM" and what I thought was "I" is the gill of the fish. Unfortunately, searching "GM" as a possible brand doesn't turn up anything useful unless you're looking for genetically modified.

 

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Vitezi

·Jul 28, 2020

Is it Swiss? There are seven or eight "GM" wordmarks listed in Mikrolisk but none with a fish logo.

 

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X350 XJR

·Jul 28, 2020·Vintage Omega Aficionado

Looks like an Ichthys.

 

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snunez

·Jul 28, 2020

Vitezi

Is it Swiss? There are seven or eight "GM" wordmarks listed in Mikrolisk but none with a fish logo.

No Swiss markings. We think he would have purchased it in the USA, however he did serve with the merchant marine during the war and so got over to Europe frequently.

 

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snunez

·Jul 28, 2020

X350 XJR

Looks like an Ichthys.

The fish logo does bear a resemblance. I can't find anything vintage from them though. There's some speculation on WUS that IWC may have used that logo.

 

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Vitezi

·Jul 28, 2020

Yes I believe IWC had a fish symbol on their water-resistant crowns: :

 

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Vitezi

·Jul 28, 2020

What companies did your grandfather work for? Could this be a presentation watch of some kind, perhaps a gift from a supplier?

 

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snunez

·Jul 28, 2020

He worked for Texaco his whole career. Good thinking, I'll see what I can track down. It may be that it's some kind of Latin American brand too, he was born and lived in the Caribbean. His family was quite religious, so it's possible it was some kind of gift from a church or religious organisation.

I think I tracked down IWC as a dead-end. The fish only appears on the crown, with no examples of it being used on the dial that I could find. IWC examples from the 30's and 40's aren't common though.

 

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arturo7

·Jul 29, 2020

What's inside?

 

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snunez

·Jul 29, 2020

That's going to have to be the next step. I was hoping someone could identify it by the logo. Not sure I want to try with a gold case, so I'll have to get my watchmaker to do it when things open up again.