We purchase all sorts of brand name and upscale watches, such as Rolex, Tissot, Elgin, etc. While we purchase an array of watches, there are three specific movements that we are looking for. These are manual mechanical, automatic mechanical and quartz battery operated watches.
These watches are wound by hand or by key to set the time. The watch has mechanical movements, which are caused by the springs and gears on the inside of the watch. This type of watch was seen as revolutionary at the time of its creation, but now, they are seen as cheap watches.
Automatic Mechanical watches wind as the hand moves. Just like the Manual Mechanical watch, it has a mechanical movement that is powered by springs and gears. Today, Automatic Mechanical watches are viewed as a luxury item.
The Quartz Battery Operated watches are extremely accurate. While they can be made very cheaply, they were once the height of watch technology. These types of watches can encompass all modern technology such as GPS, a radio clock and more.
One of our estate specialists, Chrissy, purchased a WWII Liftwaffe Pilot’s Flieger Chronograph wristwatch at Ketterman’s Jewelers. During the War, Hanhart supplied pilots and naval officers with their flagship flyback chronograph watch, which was made to withstand the harshest military conditions. The large case and nipple pushers with radium numbers were designed for ease of use. That way the watch could be read in the dark and operated while using gloves. This watch specifically is not branded anywhere and not recognizable to most people. The customer had inherited this watch from her grandfather and didn’t know much about it. We were able to give her some history on the piece. She was happy we were able to purchase the watch, restore the piece to working condition and then sell it to an appreciative collector. She was so enthusiastic that she came back to the event with more items. Plus, she brought photos of her grandfather wearing the watch in front of his fighter plane during his time in Germany.
