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1950s Benrus “Dial-O-Rama” Jump Hour 17J Manual Wind Watch, 33 mm – Runs — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

1950s Benrus “Dial-O-Rama” Jump Hour 17J Manual Wind Watch, 33 mm – Runs

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Benrus (maker)
Date
1950s
Country of origin
United States
Object type
Wristwatch
Lot
Item 218814674
Credit line
Auction lot record: lot 399, EXCLUSIVE WATCHES AND POCKET WATCHES 3, Sphere Auctions LLC (2025), via LiveAuctioneers
Catalogue title (original)
1950s Benrus “Dial-O-Rama” Jump Hour 17J Manual Wind Watch, 33 mm – Runs (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by LiveAuctioneers auction archive (lot Item 218814674), this is a wristwatch by Benrus, made in United States, dated 1950s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 4 photographs.

Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.

Catalogue description

Lot description — Sphere Auctions LLC

A striking mid-century Benrus “Dial-O-Rama” jump-hour wristwatch, circa 1950s, featuring Benrus’s famous “Direct Read” time display. Hours and minutes appear through rotating apertures at 12 o’clock, while a red seconds indicator sweeps across a semi-circular track at 6. The distinctive starburst dial layout and windowed design make this one of Benrus’s most collectible retro-modern models. Powered by a Benrus Model FG 25 manual-wind movement with 17 jewels, and housed in a stainless-back case marked Waterproof – Shock Absorbing – Dustproof.The watch is running and keeping time, retaining its original dial and signed crown—an excellent survivor of mid-century American design.DetailsBrand: Benrus Watch Co. Inc.Model: Dial-O-Rama / Jump HourEra: 1950sCase Size: 33.8 mmCase Material: Base metal with stainless steel back (Pat. 2,802,340)Movement: Benrus Cal. FG 25 manual wind, 17 jewels, unadjusted, Swiss madeDial: Champagne starburst design with jump-hour windows and red seconds pointerCrystal: Domed acrylicCrown: Signed BenrusBand: Vintage black leather strapCondition: Running and keeping time; dial shows light aging consistent with age

Historical context

Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)

Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.

The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.

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