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  1. watch_treasures Jul 29, 2018

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    Hello:

    I had not seen any other posts on Birks Challengers and was wondering if that is because they are uncommon or if just not loved.

    I don't know much about this Birks Challenger other than Eterna on the dial.

    I do know that Birks was a Canadian jeweler that marked dials of various makes with their store name.

    I liked this watch as the lugs are unusual. The dial has some staining which I am hestitant to touch.

    Does anyone have Birks Challengers to picture here?

    Rick

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
     
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  2. Tony C. Ωf Jury member Jul 29, 2018

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    Very uncommon lugs on yours. Here's mine:

    [​IMG]
     
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  3. watch_treasures Jul 31, 2018

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    Here's another example. Hidden crown. I really like the looks of this watch!


    [​IMG]
     
  4. michael22 Jul 31, 2018

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    I wonder if Birks called everything a challenger? Sounds suitable for a sporting watch, rather than dress watches.
     
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  5. MMMD unaffiliated curmudgeonly absurdist & polyologist Jul 31, 2018

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    Not everything;)

    F1BD953C-A7C7-4101-8780-F98B65139C49.jpeg
     
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  6. CdnWatchDoc Jul 31, 2018

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    As several of you know, Birks was the Canadian equivalent of Tiffany's, with a long history of high end jewelry, watches and luxury goods. According to others including those working at Birks now, Challenger was a name Birks coined during the Second World War; it was originally intended for those serving overseas and needed a good timepiece. The Canadian forces did not formally issue watches until after the war, so many a watch was bought after enlistment. The name was continued on after the war as a line of Birks watches, mainly using Eterna mechanical movements. I have recently seen a modern watch with the Challenger name on their website, but no clear idea who is the manufacturer.
    I have a couple in the collection:
    2018-06-30 13.51.00.jpg Challenger 1.jpg Challenger mvmt.jpg
     
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  7. CdnWatchDoc Jul 31, 2018

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    No, they produced/added their logo to a few other lines as well:
    2018-06-11 23.19.42.jpg 2018-06-20 09.44.57.jpg 2018-06-20 22.29.46.jpg 2018-06-30 13.53.07.jpg 2018-06-30 13.50.49.jpg
     
  8. watch_treasures Aug 1, 2018

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    Here's another (not Challenger).

    [​IMG]
     
  9. hoipolloi Vintage Omega Connoisseur Jan 21, 2019

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    Sorry for being late, here is mine.

    IMG_20190121_211516.jpg
     
  10. 0uss Oct 18, 2019

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    Regret selling my 1954 Birks challenger. 34mm and housing a solid 1412u movement

    DSC_0340.JPG DSC_0342.JPG DSC_0359.JPG DSC_0360.JPG DSC_0364.JPG DSC_0368.JPG
     
  11. Canuck Oct 18, 2019

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    Henry Birks & Sons Jewellers had (past tense) the franchise for Eterna watches, for Canada. Nobody else carried the Eterna line. The private label name of Challenger made some Eterna watches a private label. As recently as nineteen years ago, Birks still carried Eterna watches, but the Challenger name hadn’t been around for many decades.
     
  12. amcclell Oct 18, 2019

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    My piece with the wildest patina is a Birk's Eterna Challenger. 20191018_215226.jpg
     
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  13. amcclell Oct 18, 2019

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    Thanks for your post. It inspired me to dig it up and wind it up.
     
  14. krogerfoot Dec 27, 2019

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    I really like my Eterna-Matic 1000 with Birks signatures on the dial and inside the caseback. It has an inscription on the back indicating it was presented to recognize an employee of the Canada Life Assurance Company. The watch is so Canadian you can practically hear it apologize.

    IMG_7768.JPG
    IMG_6555ed.jpeg
     
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  15. bubba48 Dec 27, 2019

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  16. cfilmcat Apr 16, 2021

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    EC6F0384-DB16-41B4-9377-075A2B808342.jpeg
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  17. cfilmcat Apr 16, 2021

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    Here is mine. It is from my grandmother
     
  18. river rat Apr 18, 2021

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    Here is maybe the earliest Birks. Birks was partners with Savage Lyman Co just before it went bankrupted he left to form his own company.
    [​IMG]
    Pocket watch from Savage Lyman Co.
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Birks became a partner in Savage and Lyman’s company in 1868. Unfortunately, the depression of 1873 hit the firm head on, and it was forced into bankruptcy in 1878, a year after Birks had left it. The assignee put him in charge of liquidating the assets.
     
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