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Elgin Automatic Diver Cal. 997, 1970s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Elgin Automatic Diver Cal. 997, 1970s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Elgin (maker)
Date
1970s
Country of origin
United States
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
ELGAUTO-2
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (ELGAUTO-2)
Catalogue title (original)
1970s Elgin Automatic Diver Cal. 997 (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number ELGAUTO-2), this is a wristwatch by Elgin, made in United States, dated 1970s. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 description — Craft & Tailored

Elgin was a watch company originating from Elgin, Illinois, and was founded in 1864 under the name "National Watch Company" and officially became "Elgin National Watch Company" in 1874. The first wristwatch for Elgin came into production in 1910 and in the Second World War, Elgin produced both watches and military instruments for the United States Military. Unfortunately, Elgin disbanded in the year 1968. All US manufacturing was discontinued and the Elgin name was sold. After the Elgin name's initial sale, the name passed through several hands which resulted in some interesting pieces that were manufactured under the Elgin name from all over the world. SPECS Stock # ELGAUTO-2 Brand Elgin Style Automatic Diver Model N/A Serial N/A Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Brown Millimeters 36 Bracelet Elgin "Kevin Drema" Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The wonderful tonneau-style case appears to have been very lightly polished in the past and shows honest signs of light use. The rotating bakelite bezel in is excellent overall condition, showing no cracks or major scratches. The unsigned crown is believed to be the original to the watch, The case back retains all of its original factory markings. The original Elgin signed "Kevin Drema" bracelet is in great overall condition and retains 21 links that exhibit some light stretch from use. DIAL & HANDS The original taupe sunburst dial features a red outer minute track and intricate makers that are top with bright yellow enamel making for a very retro and stylish overall aesthetic. The tritium lume plots have taken on a lovely creamy patina and display no degradation when inspected under U.V. light. The bright yellow original tritium hands match the dial perfectly, under U.V. light inspection the hour hand exhibits some very minor cracking and remains stable, the minute hand displays no degradation. ACCESSORIES None. The watch is functioning and keeping time perfectly, previous service history is unknown.

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

Dive and water-resistant watches

Keeping water and dust out of a wristwatch was a long-standing challenge. Rolex's screw-down Oyster case (1926) and Omega's Marine (1932) were landmarks; in the early 1950s Blancpain's Fifty Fathoms and Rolex's Submariner defined the professional dive watch with rotating bezels for timing dives, luminous dials and high water resistance. The ISO 6425 standard (1982) later codified what a 'diver's watch' must do.

Dive watches became icons of post-war design and exploration, and their evolution — helium escape valves, ceramic bezels, saturation-diving depth ratings — records the history of underwater work.

What to look for

  • Unidirectional or bidirectional rotating bezel with minute markings.
  • Screw-down crown and case back; depth rating printed on the dial.
  • Luminous hands and markers (radium before c. 1960, tritium c. 1960–1998, then Super-LumiNova).
  • Reference numbers on the case between the lugs or inside the back.

Dating clues

  • Screw-down Oyster cases: from 1926.
  • Professional dive watches: from 1953.
  • Tritium 'T' marks on dials: c. 1960–1998.

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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