Aug 26

Aug 26 Ep. 200 - We are back! Vintage Longines, Omega, Caravelle to kick off Season 7

Welcome back! Welcome to Season 7 of the Life on the Wrist Podcast. Only fitting for our return to include some incredibly cool-looking, technically--interesting, and beautiful vintage watches. Hope you enjoy!

The Vintage Longines reference 1042 from 1957 running on the caliber 19AS with incredibly beautiful patina.

The Omega automatic reference LLU 6289 in a 10k gold filled case from 1966 with freckled dial.

The Caravelle automatic diver from a few years ago with the really cool jet plane sweeping seconds hand.

The Caravelle automatic day-date from 1973 with the caliber 11UKACB movement.

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Longines Automatic reference 1042

$600.00

Maker: Longines

Model: Automatic reference 1042

Case Diameter: 33mm

Lug Width: 18mm

Movement: Longines caliber 19AS automatic movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center-seconds, all working.

Year: 1957, based on movement serial number

A charming and beautifully preserved Longines Ref. 1042 dating to 1957, powered by the highly regarded Longines 19AS automatic movement.

This elegant mid-century Longines features a warm champagne/gold-toned dial with a finely textured outer section, applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9, and contrasting baton hour markers. The classic dauphine-style hands and sweeping central seconds hand give the watch a distinctly 1950s character, while the understated Longines branding and cursive “Automatic” signature complete the period-correct design.

The dial has developed a beautiful natural patina over the decades, giving it the warm, aged appearance that makes vintage watches from this era so appealing. The case likewise shows honest signs of age and wear consistent with a watch that has been enjoyed and preserved for nearly seven decades. The domed crystal adds to its authentic mid-century aesthetic.

The watch is fitted with a distinctive yellow leather strap, which provides a striking contrast to the vintage dial and gives the piece a unique personality.

The case bears the S&W maker’s mark of Schwab & Wuischpard Case Co., a New York-based case manufacturer that produced cases for a number of prestigious Swiss watch brands, including Longines. The presence of an S&W case is characteristic of Longines watches prepared for the U.S. market during the mid-20th century, when Swiss movements were frequently paired with cases manufactured in America. This combination of a Swiss-made Longines 19AS movement and an American-made S&W case is an interesting reflection of the way high-grade Swiss watches were supplied to the United States during the 1950s.

A particularly appealing example for the Longines collector or enthusiast looking for an authentic 1950s automatic dress watch with plenty of period character. The combination of the 1957 production date, 19AS movement, warm patinated dial, and distinctive strap makes this an especially evocative vintage Longines.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

Want to see a video of the watch? Coming soon.

Our article about this watch can be… coming soon.

1966 Omega Automatic Ref LLU 6289 photo 7.jpg

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Omega Automatic reference LLU 6289

$700.00

Maker: Omega

Model: Automatic reference LLU 6289

Case Diameter: 33mm

Lug Width: 17mm

Movement: Omega caliber 550 automatic movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center-seconds, all working.

Year: 1966, based on movement serial number

A charming vintage Omega Automatic Ref. LLU 6289 dating to 1966, powered by the highly regarded Omega caliber 550 automatic movement.

This elegant mid-century Omega features a warm champagne-toned dial with applied gold-tone baton hour markers, classic dauphine-style hands, and a slender central seconds hand. The understated Omega logo and “Automatic” signature give the dial a clean, distinctly 1960s character, while the simple, well-proportioned case reflects the restrained elegance of Omega’s dress watches from this period.

The dial has developed a beautiful natural patina over the decades, with an overall warm, creamy appearance and fine spotting throughout. These signs of age give the watch considerable vintage character and are consistent with a dial that has remained largely untouched over the years. The case likewise shows honest signs of age and wear, while the domed crystal adds to its authentic mid-century appearance.

The watch is fitted with a black leather strap, providing a classic and understated contrast to the warm tones of the dial and case. The strap is not represented as original to the watch.

Inside is the Omega caliber 550 automatic movement, a well-regarded 17-jewel movement from Omega’s celebrated 550 series. The movement is signed “Omega Watch Co. Swiss” and marked “Seventeen 17 Jewels,”.

The case is 10K gold filled and bears the reference LLU 6289. The caseback is stamped “Ross,” which indicates that it was made by Ross Watch Case Corporate, located in New York. The use of a separately identified case maker is consistent with the way some Swiss watches were cased for the U.S. market during this era.

The Omega-signed crown bears the familiar Omega logo. Based on its appearance, it is likely a replacement crown rather than the original crown fitted to the watch.

The caseback shows more pronounced wear than the rest of the watch, including numerous scratches, scuffs and surface abrasions across the exterior, with some areas of heavier marking and discoloration. These condition details are clearly visible in the photographs and have been left as found, preserving the watch’s honest vintage character.

A particularly appealing example for the Omega collector or enthusiast looking for an authentic 1960s automatic dress watch with plenty of period character. The combination of the 1966 production date, Omega caliber 550 movement, 10K gold-filled Ross case, naturally patinated dial, and classic black leather strap makes this an evocative example of Omega’s mid-century automatic watches.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

Want to see a video of the watch? Coming soon.

Our article about this watch can be… coming soon.

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Caravelle Automatic Day Date N3 11UKACB

$300.00

Maker: Caravelle

Model: Automatic Day Date

Case Diameter: 38mm

Lug Width: 18mm

Movement: Caravelle caliber 11UKACB automatic movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center-seconds, day, date, all working.

Year: 1973, based on case serial number

A striking and wonderfully characteristic 1973 Caravelle automatic, powered by the Swiss-made Caravelle 11UKACB automatic movement, the Bulova designation for the highly regarded A. Schild AS 1916. The movement is a particularly interesting period automatic, beating at 21,600 vibrations per hour and incorporating both day and date indications with quick-setting functionality. (Watch Movements Archive)

This distinctly early-1970s Caravelle features a handsome matte gray dial with bold red accents throughout. The oversized applied Arabic numerals at 12, 6 and 9 are complemented by contrasting rectangular hour markers, while small luminous plots and an outer minute track provide additional visual detail. The vivid red hands and sweeping red seconds hand give the watch an unmistakable 1970s character, with the combination of gray, black, red and luminous elements creating a particularly appealing period aesthetic.

The day-date display at 3 o'clock is one of the defining features of the watch, with the day shown in abbreviated form alongside the numerical date. The 11UKACB movement is equipped with quick-setting functionality, including date correction through the crown, making this an unusually practical automatic for its era.

The watch is housed in a substantial stainless-steel case with a broad, angular profile and dramatically shaped lugs. The combination of brushed and polished surfaces gives the case a strong architectural appearance, while the relatively flat sides and extended faceted lugs are quintessentially early 1970s in design. The domed acrylic crystal rises prominently above the case and contributes to the watch's unmistakable vintage character.

The case shows honest signs of age and use, including light scratches and wear to the polished surfaces, while retaining the strong definition of its original design. The brushed finishing on the bezel remains particularly attractive and contrasts nicely with the polished case sides and lugs.

Inside, the movement is stamped N2, corresponding to 1972, while the case is stamped N3, corresponding to 1973. Bulova's dating system used a letter to indicate the decade and a numeral for the specific year, making these markings useful in establishing the watch's chronology. The one-year difference between the movement and case is not necessarily unusual for a vintage watch and most likely indicates a 1972-dated movement subsequently fitted into a case produced in 1973. The N3 case date therefore places the completed watch in the 1973 period, while the N2 movement provides an interesting additional detail about its components.

The watch is fitted with a black leather strap, which works particularly well with the gray dial and red accents, giving the piece a slightly sportier appearance while remaining faithful to its 1970s character.

The Caravelle 11UKACB / A. Schild AS 1916 is itself an interesting part of the watch's appeal. Introduced around the beginning of the 1970s, the AS 1916 was a Swiss automatic movement with central seconds and day/date functionality, operating at 21,600 vibrations per hour. The Bulova/Caravelle version is documented under the designation 11UKACB, and examples are known with 17, 21 and 25 jewels depending on the variant; the movement in watches such as this is commonly identified as the 17-jewel version.

A particularly appealing example for the Caravelle or vintage Bulova collector, this watch captures the exuberant design language of the early 1970s without becoming overly complicated. The combination of the angular stainless-steel case, gray and red dial, prominent day-date display, domed crystal, and Swiss AS 1916-based automatic movement makes it a particularly evocative example of Caravelle's period watches.

The 1973 case date, 1972-dated 11UKACB movement, distinctive red-and-gray dial, and substantial stainless-steel case come together to make this a very appealing and unmistakably period-correct 1970s Caravelle automatic.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

Want to see a video of the watch? Coming soon.

Our article about this watch can be… coming soon.

1952 Omega Automatic ref 2577-20 photo 10.jpg

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Omega Automatic reference 2577

$0.00

Maker: Omega

Model: Automatic

Case Diameter: 34mm

Lug Width: 18mm

Movement: Omega caliber 354 bumper automatic movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center-seconds, all working.

Year: 1952, based on movement serial number

Condition: This Omega was manufactured in 1952. The watch has a 35mm gold capped case that is in overall good condition, with signs of wear on the outsides of the lugs. The lugs are thick and long, and in good overall condition. The watch has a white dial that has aged to a beautiful golden-yellow colour. The dial has applied hour markers, including breguet-style markers at 3, 6, 9 and 12. The dial also has an applied Omega logo. The crown is signed with the Omega logo. The inside caseback is stamped with the Omega stamp, the reference number 2577-20, and the HF stamp, indicating the case was made by Huguenin Frères. The watch runs on the caliber 354, bumper automatic movement manufactured by Omega.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

Want to see a video of the watch? Coming soon.

Our article about this watch can be… coming soon.

2004 Rolex Explorer II ref 16570 photo 7.jpg

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Rolex Oyster Perpetual Date Explorer II reference 16570

$0.00

Maker: Rolex

Model: Oyster Perpetual Date Explorer II ref. 16570

Case Diameter: 40mm

Lug Width: 20mm

Movement: Rolex Calibre 3185 automatic wind movement

Complication: Hours, minutes, center seconds, date, second time-zone hand, all working.

Year: Circa 2004, based on F serial number

Condition: This Rolex was manufactured in circa 2004, based on the F serial number of the case. The watch has a stainless steel case and is in overall good condition, with signs of wear. The watch has a steel, 24-hour bezel that can be used for keeping track of a second time-zone using the red arrow hand. The bezel is in good condition, with signs of wear. The lugs are sharp, with signs of wear. The watch has an attractive black dial, with luminous hour markers, Superluminova hands and Superluminova lume. The crown is signed with the Rolex coronet. The watch runs on the caliber 3185 automatic wind movement.

The watch does not come with box and papers.

Want to see a video of the watch? Coming soon.

Our article about this watch can be… coming soon.

Aug 26 Ep. 200 - We are back! Vintage Longines, Omega, Caravelle to kick off Season 7

Apr 8 Ep. 199 - New Releases from Patek Philippe, Rolex, Vacheron Constantin and More at Watches and Wonders 2025

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