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Glycine Airman SST 24Hr "Pumpkin", 1969 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Glycine Airman SST 24Hr "Pumpkin", 1969

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Glycine (maker)
Date
1969
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Stock no.
GLYAIRSST
Credit line
Dealer listing, Craft & Tailored (GLYAIRSST)
Catalogue title (original)
1969 Glycine Airman SST 24Hr "Pumpkin" (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Craft & Tailored (dealer), Los Angeles (stock number GLYAIRSST), this is a wristwatch by Glycine, dated 1969. 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

Glycine was founded in 1914 and was originally known for making movements for women's watches and later for making chronometer rated wristwatches, but not until the early 50s would Glycine finds its place in horological history with the Airman wristwatch. The Glycine Airman was a watch produced out of necessity for the encroaching "Jet Age" of the 1950s and was designed around the requests from pilots themselves. The Glycine Airman SST or "SuperSonic Transport" was introduced in 1967 and was produced alongside the original Airman. The SST Airman drew its inspiration from the supersonic jet age of the 70s with planes in the likes of the Concorde and the Russian Tupolev, but it is believed the Airman SST was most inspired by the American Boeing 2707 which never came to fruition, but featured similar orange accents. The Glycine Airman SST is adorned with the nickname "Pumpkin" which comes from its bright orange inner rotating bezel. That, along with the clever AM/PM 24hr dial, large tonneau style case and unique bracelet ensure its design departure from its older brother, while maintaining the charming retrofuturistic nuances of the Glycine brand as a whole. Stock # GLYAIRSST Brand Glycine Style Airman Model SST Serial N/A Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Black/Grey Millimeters 41.5 Strap Glycine SST Bracelet CASE & BRACELET The wonderful tonneau case shows honest signs of use and retains its original case chamfers and factory dimensions. The case retains its original "cross-hatch" crown. The case back is adorned with an SST airplane and retains its original factory engravings. The original Glycine SST stainless steel "flat-link" style bracelet is in wonderful original condition, showing light signs of use and minor stretch. DIAL & HANDS The grey and black 24hr dial is in wonderful vintage condition, the grey half of the dial indicates AM and the black half of the dial indicates PM. The bright orange inner rotating bezel is in superb condition showing only minimal signs of aging. The tritium lume plots have taken on a creamy yellow patina, under U.V. light inspection all the lume plots remain intact and show some light degradation throughout. The original hands match the dial nicely, under U.V. light inspection the hour hand shows some lume loss and the minute hand remains fully intact. Both hands appear to have a small repair at the bottom of the lume window. ACCESSORIES

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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