Dear all,

This was in a parts lot.

Does anyone know about the "Solidograf" model and do you think it's worth restoring?

The good:
-34.86mm wide case which is relatively large for the era,
-nice untouched gilt radium dial,
-caliber 75 with center seconds red tipped hand,
- dust cover inside movement,
- clean looking movement.

The bad:
- the case is not stainless steel, was over polished, and my watchmaker thinks the nickel was replated at some point; you'll see on pics the caseback comes out slightly wider than the edge of the midcase;
- the setting mechanism needs fixing and so the watch probably needs a full service.

The watch cost very little but the estimated cost of repair + service is about 135 euros including a donor movement.
(and including sympathetic relume of the hands + recoloring of the radium lume without removing it.)

The watch would be a really nice 1940s wearer but I've already committed funds to another restoration project (to be posted in the Longines subforum) and I'm not sure this is right for me in this context....

Curious what @DON thinks, as someone who did a number of restorations which "regular people" were happy to buy and wear without thinking about the same things purists do.

Grateful for your thoughts and comments,
Best regards,
S

 

I like the overall dial design, and the case condition would not bother me. The biggest issue for me would be the darkened lume on the numerals, which makes it hard to tell the time against the black dial. I've never seen a relume done very well - most are sloppy, wrong color, etc. How confident is watchmaker in his reluming skills?

Your example is shown here in a 1946 catalog:

(thanks)

 

You got a manicure

 

Would you wear it with such an ugly case?

 

In all seriousness...the case is beat, so I say no.

There was a killer Tissot on ebay last week that didn't sell for $99...had a chrome case.

Tough to buy a chrome case...

 

You noticed ey? I have a photo shoot in the works!

I would totally wear it, I don't mind the case at all, its flaws don't show at all on the wrist and the metal is quite even. What i see on the wrist is the beautiful dial and the good size.
The only thing that bothers me is the notion of spending on a watch others might not like as much as me if I need to resell for whatever reason.

Dear @Vitezi thank you for your catalogues, they are great as always. I do trust my watchmaker on the lume.

 

Dibs

 

Duly noted, glad you like it too

 

I take your point on the Tissot but was it 35mm? Most of the Tissots in those days are 31 to 32mm. And most of the Movados I've seen with nice dials are even smaller, at 30-31mm.

 

Just a thought S, but if it's a gilt dial, maybe just remove the old radium lume and let the pale contrasting colour of the underlying numerals come through?

EG I got a early 40's Doxa and it came to me looking like this:

Crappy phone pic.

So I removed the lume on the numerals*. Then I relumed the hands in a tan "radium" look and voila as they say.


Always interested me how different lume from different times ages in different ways. The earliest radium stuff on WW1 watches tends to go tan, almost orange. By the thirties it tends to go grey green, nearly black and from the forties on it tends to go the tan way again.

PS I like that Movado. I'd certainly be happy to have and wear it. Though I've rarely been accused of having good taste so....


*extremely carefully as breathing that stuff in would make a 40 a day cigar habit look like the healthy choice.

 

God you are good!! Very good...
Best prepared to received tons of PM

 

Thanks for your suggestions, that Doxa is beautiful and you did a great job with the lume. I would remove the radium if I knew the numerals looked like your underneath but it's often just an outline of the numerals and not the full numbers that are gilt underneath.

Thanks @Fost, you guys might almost tempt me to go ahead and try...

PS / edit: @Wibbles where did you get that strap, it's a beautiful item in its own right with its brass buckle and it doesn't look like one of those stock US period straps... I know a bunch of folks who would ooh and aah about it

 

Just look at this doxa after this beautiful job!!! Let's get a try!!

 

That Doxa is stunning, and before I forget I should say "dibs"!
But it's a steel case.
One thing that Movado does have is its size. I needed to measure it again and it IS really 35mm....

 

Good point. Might be worth a try removing the radium anyway. For safety reasons if nothing else and as it breaks down it often releases all sorts of nasties into the watch movement itself. Though by this time the radium level is generally lower. First world war period radium can be scarily "hot".

yeah the Doxa are one of the minority of the issued DH's with the steel case(and the cheapest of those too). 34mm, but luckily I have the wrists of a child.

It's a French V.B. branded "hygiénique" 18mm(kinda) strap from the 40's. Designed for fixed lugs. Here on an Alpina KM(crappy phone pic).



I got one from a chap over on the Military Watch Forum who had found a small box of them. As you can imagine they sold out quickly in that audience. Then I found another two on eBay. All NOS. They're pretty cool alright and the earliest "NATO style" strap I've encountered. Haven't seen any since. If I do I'll let you know.

 

Ha, those are the RevO VB Hygienic straps-- got it.
Damn, should have gotten one when he initially flagged them. He and I share an appreciation for vintage straps.

Didn't realize this was a DH, no dibs alas for me, I'm mostly done with milwatches-- except perhaps some day a so-called grail if I can afford it.