While dredging the 'Bay I came across an interesting 1940s watch, likely for the French market, featuring a lovely chrome case, a pristine white dial, red hands and red printed hour markers, like this:

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My Spidey sense said: Watch out! Red dial REDIAL ! ...but if so, it's a darn good one. The logo and fonts and hands and printing all look correct...except they're RED, which I have never seen before.

But just today on Instagram I came across this Cartier with red numbers on a white dial...

(thanks)

...and now I don't know what to think. Red numbers on a white dial must have been a trend in dial design that I've simply never noticed before.

Was it a popular design for the French market? (Calling @Syrte !)
Any one else have a dial with similar features?

 

At least part red.

 

Never seen a colour combo like that before. It looks absolutely fabulous with a very vintage flair.

 

First of all, dibs!!
I really like it!!
Sorry I have no idea, not a Tissot expert- @Tire-comedon might know more.
Also @bubba48, and @ConElPueblo follow Tissot.

 

My small understanding of vintage Tissots pale in comparison with Vitezi's!

Also... If that red Tissot is a redial, it would mean that I would have to question every single 40/50's Tissot I have ever owned or seen online. It is perfect. I notice that you haven't bagged it yet - you're brave to post the auction here

(2nd dibs!)

 

Impossible to say on a single picture. I doubt it is original... But as you said, if it is, it's a damn good one

 

@Syrte, since @ConElPueblo has already corrupted you in the ways of vintage Tissot...wouldn't it make a perfect ladies watch?

 

I agree wholeheartedly

 

...however did you gents notice the truncated "VI" at the bottom of that Tissot is bleeding onto the lower edge of the subdial? And also the numbers "5" on the subdial are not identical to one another, with "15" more inky than "45".
That's not usually good news.... or at least it's a risk.

However it's giving me an idea for a watch i was thinking might need a redial.
It could be a really funky redial.

 

Agreed. And I can't quite tell if the subdial circle is continuous...

 

A somewhat similar dial in a bullseye style:
(not mine, from my photo archives)

 

In my opinion it's a good redial, anyhow the hands are certainly repainted.

 

Agreed. I have seen many examples of early chronograph hands painted white for contrast against a black dial, but never a three-hand watch. Even then I am unsure if chronograph hands were painted by the factory or were painted aftermarket.

 

I saw this one floating in the 'Bay.

 

We KNOW this one's gotta be a re-dial...

 

I guess chronos and other sport watches are more likely to have a 'little' red, like my Almadia has:

 

Guess who got it.... Private Eye Tokyo.
Sold on Ebay for about 400 euros. Anyone want to ask him how much he's asking for it? If Longines are any measure it's probably 2000 euros.
I wonder if they're lurking on Omega Forums?

 

@Syrte, I think that second example you discovered floating in the 'Bay, with a close serial number, confirms the correctness of the original example posted above. For posterity, here's the other example:


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Existence of the second example, also with 'Fab Suisse' on the dial, suggests it was a design aimed at a certain market. It also had factory painted hands, and seemed to have the same overlapping VI on the subdial.

The serial numbers suggest both watches were assembled circa 1942. I am struck by the notion that the company chose to produce a colorful red dial with unusual bright red hands during a rather dark, gloomy period for the world.

 

@Fredrik (Swe) and @tapaptpat - this is the thread I mentioned

Fredrik, see how similar yours is to the red version - I think the inaccuracies in the print is par for the course on Tissots of this vintage...

 

Thanks for the heads up to the thread. So the synic in me says incorrect until proven correct. IMHO it's such a good esthetic. It reminds me of what happens when the printer has run out of a colour.

Also @syrtie comment on vi in the sundial is present on both images. Is this the same watch?
One with a strap(@Vitezi) one without.
Does anyone have a tissot catalogues?

To me it was a buy for 400 even if I think that's a little high. But 2k no way, no way.

Pat