Fun vintage watch promotional material

Dan S · Nov 14, 2025

This was apparently a promotional item from 1954, placed in watch retail venues, marketing auto-winding watches with a highly technical and graphical explanation. It's interesting to see back when automatic movements were still considered "the timekeeper of the future!"

Previously, I have seen this type of transparent overlay in children's books or anatomy books, but it's interesting to see the movement cut away layer by layer, both front and back. And it's remarkable how different marketing was in the mid-20th century, when the general public was so excited by new technology. This almost feels like it could serve as a manual to illustrate movement assembly. Now it would just be about aesthetics and prestige.

I'm also a bit surprised that this plastic material has survived so well for 70 years.

If you have some entertaining promotional material, feel free to add it.

Evitzee · Nov 14, 2025

I actually have that slick brochure with the clear translucent pages, I haven't looked at it in years but mine is still in good condition, everything has held up well for being that old. The mylar hasn't cracked or yellowed. If I remember correctly I got my copy from a small jeweler in Sturgis, SD around 1974 after I bought a couple of items from them, including an Atmos clock that they had had in stock since the early 60's....$125 which was the retail price. I think they produced that brochure because that's a Felsa 690 movement, really the first commercially successful automatic movement that wound in both directions, so it was probably worthwhile to showcase how the movement worked. I suspect it was directed more towards the trade than the public.

Duracuir1 · Nov 14, 2025

https://omegaforums.net/threads/the-self-winding-swiss-watch.134362/post-1824507

Fun little book indeed.

Duracuir1 · Nov 14, 2025

But to honour Dan’s thread, here is a promotional item…

JimInOz · Nov 14, 2025

Dan S
This was apparently a promotional item from 1954, placed in watch retail venues, marketing auto-winding watches with a highly technical and graphical explanation. It's interesting to see back when automatic movements were still considered "the timekeeper of the future!"

Previously, I have seen this type of transparent overlay in children's books or anatomy books, but it's interesting to see the movement cut away layer by layer, both front and back. And it's remarkable how different marketing was in the mid-20th century, when the general public was so excited by new technology. This almost feels like it could serve as a manual to illustrate movement assembly. Now it would just be about aesthetics and prestige.

I'm also a bit surprised that this plastic material has survived so well for 70 years.

If you have some entertaining promotional material, feel free to add it.

Lovely graphics, almost identical in style to the ones in my "Catalogue Officiel".

Canuck · Nov 14, 2025

This kit helped watchmakers of decades ago when a customer brought in a watch with balance staff problems.

A- a cap jewel or end stone
B- an “olive” hole jewel
C- a cracked hole jewel
D- a hole jewel chipped in the pivot hole
E- a riveted pivot end
F- a worn pivot running in a chipped jewel hole
G- a worn pivot
H- a bent pivot
I- the balance staff
J- a good pivot

Makesbelieve · Nov 14, 2025

Those translucent pages are very cool.

I have a similarly themed but not as technically ambitious version from Omega that was produced in the mid 1960s and was handed out at trade fairs and boutiques… here are a few images.

gatorcpa · Nov 14, 2025

Omega made an overlay book to promote their bumper automatic movements. However, I can’t seem to find pictures of it at the moment.

Can anyone help?
gatorcpa