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Doxa Memovox Alarm Watch Conquistador, 1970 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Doxa Memovox Alarm Watch Conquistador, 1970

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Doxa (maker)
Date
1970
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Stainless steel case (with screw down function)
Dimensions
Diameter 37 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
a2337
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (a2337)
Catalogue title (original)
Rare Doxa Memovox Alarm Watch Conquistador 37mm (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number a2337), this is a wristwatch by Doxa, made in Switzerland, dated 1970. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Stainless steel case (with screw down function). Recorded dimensions: Diameter 37 mm (without crown). The record is illustrated with 6 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

Dealer specification — Vintage Portfolio

Movement: automatic with centre seconds; Dial: silver; Case: stainless steel (with screw down function); Crown: Genuine (signed); Diameter: 37 mm (without crown); Strap: real leather (brown); Dial condition, as described by the dealer: The complete dial was freshly refurbished with good care by our dial specialist using state of the art reprinting and refurbishment techniques.

Historical context

Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)

Seiko's Astron begins mass quartz timekeeping; traditional industries contract sharply.

Quartz and digital watches transformed the market after 1969. Swiss employment collapsed, Japanese and Hong Kong production soared, and the Swatch (1983) helped the Swiss industry recover; mechanical watches survived as luxury goods.

Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Modern Mechanical Horology

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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