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Tony C.
··Ωf Jury memberOk boys and girls, please fasten your seatbelts. I am offering an absolutely outstanding and rare CYMA from around 1950. I purchased it several years ago from a dealer at a Swiss watch fair, and have enjoyed caring for it ever since. I wasn't really thinking of selling it, but as I am currently renovating an older house here in Portugal, my priorities concerning vintage watches are not what they once were.
Please note first of all that these photos fall short of capturing the beauty of the watch. I've tried a couple of different backgrounds, and lighting, but can't seem to fully capture the beauty of the watch. So I would confidently guarantee that it would be more attractive in person.
In terms of condition, I would assess it as "excellent", though expect that some dealers wouldn't hesitate to characterize it as "mint". I prefer to be conservative, so my assessment is based on there being a few small and, in my opinion, trivial flaws, mostly visible only under a loupe. Whatever term is used, though, there is no doubt that it has been worn very sparingly.
For a gold watch that is ~70 years old, it is extraordinarily well preserved, and, as mentioned earlier, a rare variation. I say that for a variety of reasons. There are no records of CYMA serial numbers to use for specific dating (sadly they were destroyed by fire in the mid-'60s), but, judged by the style and movement records, the watch could have been produced as early as ~1947, or as late as ~1954. This was a period during which Rolex still enjoyed the protection of its patent on full-rotor automatic movements, and other manufacturers, including Omega, Zenith, and CYMA, had to use the creative solution of offering "bumper" automatics.
I expect that most readers are familiar with that basic design, which features springs allowing the rotor to bounce back and forth, rather than revolving 360º. This was a fairly elegant solution to the challenge of that period, as most manufacturers saw the great attraction of automatic movements, and did not want to wait several years (for the Rolex patent to expire) before supplying such watches to their customers.
Aside from the historical significance of bumper automatics, some collectors, like myself, find a certain charm in that type of movements, as the feeling of the winding mechanism is quite unique. Note, though, that they are typically not as efficient as full-rotor movements.
Compared with the two major manufacturers mentioned above, CYMA produced these early automatic watches in very low numbers. So we have a relatively low production series from CYMA, cased in 18k pink gold. Making it more interesting is the fact that it was a part of their successful "Watersport" line, which, as implied, touted water resistance, and also shock resistance and anti-magnetic properties. The case is a screw-back, which, while typical of more highly resistant cases, makes this watch even more uncommon, as a high percentage of 18k cased watches featured slimmer, snap-back cases, given that they were typically marketed as dress models. Even the small percentage that did feature 18k screw-back cases were typically marketed as dress watches, and high resistance was not a point of emphasis.
In other words, this was a model that had an uncommon combination of qualities for the period, and across all brands. It was cased in 18k gold, with its high value and dress implications, but also designed, in terms of function, to be capable of a type of higher resistance that was much more closely associated with sports watches.
Years later, IWC produced small numbers of a superficially similar combination in their ref. 666 and 866 Ingenieur, and Yacht Club models, but back around 1950, it was a rather rare variation.
I have only seen one other example of this particular model over many years of collecting, and it was in relatively poor condition.
The unpolished case measures 34mm, excluding the signed crown. It is exceptionally well-finished, and must have been around, if not at the top of CYMA's model line at the time. One of the reasons that I believe strongly that watches such as this one will appreciate in value over time, is that when very well preserved, they allow us to see how watches cased in precious metals were treated by the better manufacturers much like jewelry, being both designed and finished with great care, and attention to detail. In the case of this watch (pun intended), the chamfered lugs and bezel were originally polished, while the sides featured a contrasting, vertical brushing. Then, there is a narrow, polished rim, which matches the same design cue on the outside of the case back. The main part of the back, trumpeting the four main technical features of the watch in a simple, handsome, etched font, shows a circular brushed finish.
Under a loupe, as mentioned earlier, a few very small/fine flaws can be seen, but overall it is one of the most interesting and beautiful gold cases I have ever seen. There are two, clearly defined gold hallmarks, and note that the back screws in and out exceptionally smoothly.
I am very fond of the design of the case back, and, given its extraordinary condition, consider it to be an important part of the value and allure of this particular watch.
The dial is a fine, vertically brushed style, and has a cream complexion. There is an evenly spread, pinpoint patination, that is only obvious under magnification. The gold applied markers and hands are in excellent condition. I'm a sucker for this classic, 3,6,9,12 Arabic style, and find this to be an attractive execution.
The movement is a 17 jewel caliber 420KT according to Ranfft, though it is stamped 420K (which designated the sub-second version). These type of minor discrepancies are not uncommon, in my experience, including with manufacturers such as IWC. The movement is very nicely finished, and one of the more attractive bumper designs, in my view. I don't know that it was intentional, but the primary finish is a pink tone that comes close to that of the case.
This is one of those watches that I have no realistic expectations of ever being able to replace, as the likelihood of finding another in anything like this condition is extremely small. I also expect that it will appreciate nicely in value over the medium and long term. I ask €2900, with express, insured shipping options to be discussed. I would prefer a bank transfer in this instance.
Feel free to ask any questions!
Please note first of all that these photos fall short of capturing the beauty of the watch. I've tried a couple of different backgrounds, and lighting, but can't seem to fully capture the beauty of the watch. So I would confidently guarantee that it would be more attractive in person.
In terms of condition, I would assess it as "excellent", though expect that some dealers wouldn't hesitate to characterize it as "mint". I prefer to be conservative, so my assessment is based on there being a few small and, in my opinion, trivial flaws, mostly visible only under a loupe. Whatever term is used, though, there is no doubt that it has been worn very sparingly.
For a gold watch that is ~70 years old, it is extraordinarily well preserved, and, as mentioned earlier, a rare variation. I say that for a variety of reasons. There are no records of CYMA serial numbers to use for specific dating (sadly they were destroyed by fire in the mid-'60s), but, judged by the style and movement records, the watch could have been produced as early as ~1947, or as late as ~1954. This was a period during which Rolex still enjoyed the protection of its patent on full-rotor automatic movements, and other manufacturers, including Omega, Zenith, and CYMA, had to use the creative solution of offering "bumper" automatics.
I expect that most readers are familiar with that basic design, which features springs allowing the rotor to bounce back and forth, rather than revolving 360º. This was a fairly elegant solution to the challenge of that period, as most manufacturers saw the great attraction of automatic movements, and did not want to wait several years (for the Rolex patent to expire) before supplying such watches to their customers.
Aside from the historical significance of bumper automatics, some collectors, like myself, find a certain charm in that type of movements, as the feeling of the winding mechanism is quite unique. Note, though, that they are typically not as efficient as full-rotor movements.
Compared with the two major manufacturers mentioned above, CYMA produced these early automatic watches in very low numbers. So we have a relatively low production series from CYMA, cased in 18k pink gold. Making it more interesting is the fact that it was a part of their successful "Watersport" line, which, as implied, touted water resistance, and also shock resistance and anti-magnetic properties. The case is a screw-back, which, while typical of more highly resistant cases, makes this watch even more uncommon, as a high percentage of 18k cased watches featured slimmer, snap-back cases, given that they were typically marketed as dress models. Even the small percentage that did feature 18k screw-back cases were typically marketed as dress watches, and high resistance was not a point of emphasis.
In other words, this was a model that had an uncommon combination of qualities for the period, and across all brands. It was cased in 18k gold, with its high value and dress implications, but also designed, in terms of function, to be capable of a type of higher resistance that was much more closely associated with sports watches.
Years later, IWC produced small numbers of a superficially similar combination in their ref. 666 and 866 Ingenieur, and Yacht Club models, but back around 1950, it was a rather rare variation.
I have only seen one other example of this particular model over many years of collecting, and it was in relatively poor condition.
The unpolished case measures 34mm, excluding the signed crown. It is exceptionally well-finished, and must have been around, if not at the top of CYMA's model line at the time. One of the reasons that I believe strongly that watches such as this one will appreciate in value over time, is that when very well preserved, they allow us to see how watches cased in precious metals were treated by the better manufacturers much like jewelry, being both designed and finished with great care, and attention to detail. In the case of this watch (pun intended), the chamfered lugs and bezel were originally polished, while the sides featured a contrasting, vertical brushing. Then, there is a narrow, polished rim, which matches the same design cue on the outside of the case back. The main part of the back, trumpeting the four main technical features of the watch in a simple, handsome, etched font, shows a circular brushed finish.
Under a loupe, as mentioned earlier, a few very small/fine flaws can be seen, but overall it is one of the most interesting and beautiful gold cases I have ever seen. There are two, clearly defined gold hallmarks, and note that the back screws in and out exceptionally smoothly.
I am very fond of the design of the case back, and, given its extraordinary condition, consider it to be an important part of the value and allure of this particular watch.
The dial is a fine, vertically brushed style, and has a cream complexion. There is an evenly spread, pinpoint patination, that is only obvious under magnification. The gold applied markers and hands are in excellent condition. I'm a sucker for this classic, 3,6,9,12 Arabic style, and find this to be an attractive execution.
The movement is a 17 jewel caliber 420KT according to Ranfft, though it is stamped 420K (which designated the sub-second version). These type of minor discrepancies are not uncommon, in my experience, including with manufacturers such as IWC. The movement is very nicely finished, and one of the more attractive bumper designs, in my view. I don't know that it was intentional, but the primary finish is a pink tone that comes close to that of the case.
This is one of those watches that I have no realistic expectations of ever being able to replace, as the likelihood of finding another in anything like this condition is extremely small. I also expect that it will appreciate nicely in value over the medium and long term. I ask €2900, with express, insured shipping options to be discussed. I would prefer a bank transfer in this instance.
Feel free to ask any questions!
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