Watches & Watch accessories

A look ahead to auction house and dealer highlights this summer.

This English deck chronometer is Molyneux No 1326 – made by the London maker Robert Molyneux in c.1830.

Can anyone help, please, or point me in the direction of someone who can?

The recent auction at Bellmans (22% buyer’s premium) included the firm’s biannual horological offering.

Described by Bonhams (15% buyer’s premium) as “the ultimate in rally equipment from the 1960s”, a pair of stopwatches mounted on an original Heuer plate intended to be attached to the dashboard of a racing or rally car received a suitably enthusiastic response.

In May 1930 Amy Johnson (1903-41) set off in a De Havilland Gipsy Moth called Jason to become the first woman to fly solo from Great Britain to Australia. The feat, followed by further long-distance solo and combined flights, earnt her place in aviation history.

Although Roamer fell victim to the ‘quartz crisis’ – the introduction of quartz watches in the 1970s and early 1980s that largely replaced mechanical watches – in the 1950s-60s the firm enjoyed a good reputation as the maker of good-quality, affordable automatic mechanical watches.

The Oysterdate Monte Carlo series were the first chronographs produced by Tudor. A cyclops date magnifier, screw-down pushers and the distinctive dial with angled subsidiaries make them instantly recognisable.

The Omega Seamaster 300, launched in 1957 simultaneously with the Railmaster and the Speedmaster, appears in numerous variations.

Collectors use the name ‘Snowflake’ to refer the range of Tudor Submariners produced from 1969-75.

Egyptian antiquities and Rolex are a hit in first sale of the year held at Surrey golf club

Leslie Fleischman runs Vintage Watch Room London, which specialises in 20th century watches marketed as ‘both affordable and stylish’.

On May 6, 1954 - the day British middle-distance athlete Roger Bannister (1929-2018) ran the first ever sub-four-minute mile - there were five official timekeepers plus a sixth watch manned by race commentator Norris McWhirter (1925-2004).

The Rolex Deep Sea Special, with its remarkable bubble case capable of withstanding huge pressure, was created in the early 1950s to test just how deep a diving watch could go.

Enicar watches do not have the instant brand recognition of a Rolex or Omega but they do share many of the same parts.

The impact of the First World War on the wristwatch as an accessory deemed suitable for men is well known.

If ever there were a price to demonstrate just how important condition has become in the top end of the collecting market then it is the record-breaking SFr2.55m (£2.065m) for a reference CK2915 Speedmaster at Phillips (26/21% buyer's premium) in Geneva on November 5.

In contrast to the red-hot trade in vintage and modern wristwatches, the market for antique pocket watches appears very low key. However, as demand for the better-quality pieces remains robust, not all are destined for the scrapheap. Richard Fox reports

Tom B has been interested in antiques since youth when he accompanied his father around car boots and charity shops. He founded GungaDin Watches in 2015 focusing on vintage and pre-owned timepieces.