Adam - it seems the Gladstone was often a present in 1931 - it was a rather large watch for the times. I just finished fitting a refinished dial to my wgf Gladstone when your ggf version appeared.

Dan.

Dan, the wgf Gladstone looks swell on that black pigskin strap, the only problem with those available these days is that they seem to come only in 18 mm and 20 mm, not the 19 mm which is the lug width for the Gladstone. Anyone have a source for 19 mm pigskin straps?

Today I have on my Oyster Centregraph, ca. 1940, one of the myriad of mid-sized Oyster watches made by Rolex for the WWII Canadian market, all having the fine cal. 59 movement.

The Gladstone has female spring bars - and because of this it is easier to get the strap on/off if it is a tiny bit narrower than the lugs - so an 18 mm strap does just fine.

Anyone know where to get female spring bars new ?

Dan.

Dan, I know an 18 mm strap does fine, but a 19 mm does better! (I personally don't care for the extra mm showing on each end, but I am a bit obsessive-compulsive) Unfortunately, new female springbars of this size are no longer available, but occasionally one gets lucky asking around. I got a few thusly at one point last year.

Dan,

Jules Borel lists female spring bars in 8mm through 19mm sizes. I have some of these as well as some old stock ones. Let me know what you need, and I may be able to fix you up for a postage stamp.

Cary

Here is a nice Hamilton B Barrel engraved WGF.

Re: springbars for the Gladstone...I went through this last year when the spring of one of mine broke while changing straps. Apparently the new production 19 mm female springbars are of too narrow a caliber to fit properly over the stout male endpieces of the lugs (sorry if this sounds vaguely pornographic). I was lucky to find a fellow collector who could spare a few old ones, one of which was the correct size. I will treat the original female springbars of my Gladstone, Meadowbrook, Piping Rock, and Coronado with great care from now on!

This Omega, ca. 1935, cal. 26.5 (15J), 3/4 size (30 mm), in stainless steel.

There is some light patina on the dial, but that's a shadow in the above pic. Here's another view.

Come on, you all must be wearing a watch at this very minute, no?

Here is a modest beauty I have on today, a 10K rolled gold plated Longines with 15 jewel movement (sorry no movement shot). The case is marked "W", so I think it's Wadsworth. The dial is pretty well preserved. Ca. early-mid '30s.

Side view. It's a pretty small watch (22 x 37mm).

Today, after further work on it on Sunday, I wore my 988 wristwatch on my weekly supermarket visit.

Dan

1927 Bulova Lone Eagle - Original 5000<br>
See other Bulova watches at http://www.mybulova.com<br>

Another stainless steel Omega, ca. 1936.

hamilton grant in sterling case.

I love the sterling silver grant. They are most often seen in yellow gold fill. The sterling silver variety is considerably more rare. I don't have Rene's book in front of me, so I can't tell you his research. I know I've seen only a few in the past 6 years. For what it is worth, International Dial could redo the dial and hands in a "warm luminous" stlye that might dress up the watch nicely.

the dial seems to generate some discussion. i've posted the picture elsewhere and had some very interesting and divergent opinions. the good man who revives my watches for me believes the dial is original. although, as someone else has suggested, it would appear that the luminous material has been redone.

the watch has great sentimental value, so i think i'll keep it as is. but i very much appreciate your suggestion!

interesting evidence. if it is a redial, it's an old one. it would be a bit of a shock considering that my grandfather, the original purchaser, was reluctant to spend money on it. in fact, he gave it to me because it was broken and he didn't want to spend the $60 to have it fixed.

The dials shown above are certainly correct for the Grant - in Hamilton paperwork it is numbered dial 094. The only alternate appears to have been one with "raised gold figures", which is numbered 093.

DM

There's no doubt the "Grant" dial has been refinished in the past. Aside from the different style of numbers, the Hamiton name is the wrong font and is positioned far lower than normal. However in the past it was extremely common for watchmakers to have dials refinished when they would do an routine overhaul, which owners typically had done every year or two, just like changing oil in your car. If there was any sign of aging, the watchmaker would refinish the dial as a matter of course. And at that time the typical owner was far less concerned with strict authenticity of design than overall newness of appearance. Yours could have been redone back in the 1940s or 1950s when your grandfather was still using it as his everyday watch, and he had to have it routinely serviced to keep it running. Collectors today tend to be pickier and typically like to have the dials printed with the original pattern.

Although I have admired Rolex sports watches since toddlerhood (my dad had three consecutive Submariners, from the '50s on) I had always thought they would be too large for my smallish (7") wrist. I've recently found this to be more a matter of perception than reality. With the proper vintage folded link (rather than solid link) bracelet, they can be quite comfortable. I took the plunge this year, first acquiring a late '60s Explorer 1016, and now this no-date Submariner 5513, ca. 1970.

Another view.