Watch Dandy

It’s no secret that it’s been a tough year for the watch industry. After lots of hand-wringing about smartwatches (specifically the Apple Watch), it turns out the thing that’s likely hurting sales is good old-fashioned economic problems. Fluctuating currencies, political shifts, and less-than-booming economies are all contributing. Yesterday, the Federation of the Swiss Watch Industry (FH) released it’s July report and there are quite a few interesting takeaways.

Blacked-out watches have become one of the most annoying wrist-worn trends of the last few years. With few exceptions, they’re uninspiring, overpriced, and flat out ugly. This is one black watch, though, that I can fully get behind. Discommon creates small runs of over-engineered products ranging from straight razors to bottle openers, but its latest creation is the so-called “Discautavia,” a fully-restored vintage Heuer Viceroy Autavia with a special black DLC coating. Bear with me on this one, I promise it’s worth your time.

Last week we brought you a selection of rare finds instead of vintage watches, but this week we are taking you back to your regularly scheduled program. We have nine watches for you this week, ranging from a 1950s Zenith dress watch to a gilt tidal Rolex GMT ref. 1675 from 1966 (with lume that still glows!). If you have been waiting for watches all week, read on to see the full selection.