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GUB Glashütte Automatic Black Dial, 1973 — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

GUB Glashütte Automatic Black Dial, 1973

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
GUB (maker)
Date
1973
Country of origin
Germany
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
Yellow gold plated
Dimensions
Diameter 36 mm (without crown)
Stock no.
f2973
Credit line
Dealer listing, Vintage Portfolio (f2973)
Catalogue title (original)
Vintage Gub Glashütte Automatic Black Dial (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by Vintage Portfolio (dealer), Vienna (stock number f2973), this is a wristwatch by GUB, made in Germany, dated 1973. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: Yellow gold plated. Recorded dimensions: Diameter 36 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: black with silver indices; Case: yellow gold plated; Diameter: 36 mm (without crown); Strap: vintage ecru leather; 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

Automatic (self-winding) watches

Self-winding watches use the wearer's motion to wind the mainspring. Abraham-Louis Perrelet and Breguet made 'perpétuelle' pocket watches with oscillating weights in the late eighteenth century, but the principle only became practical in the wristwatch. John Harwood patented a bumper automatic in 1923; Rolex's Perpetual rotor (1931) winding in one direction, and later bidirectional rotors (Eterna, Felsa Bidynator), established the modern form. Micro-rotors (Universal Genève, Buren) and peripheral rotors made automatic watches thinner.

What to look for

  • A semicircular rotor turning 360° over the movement, or a 'bumper' weight that rebounds between springs.
  • 'Automatic', 'Perpetual' or 'Self-winding' on the dial.
  • A sealed screw-back case, since automatic watches are wound less often by the crown.

Dating clues

  • Bumper automatics: 1923–c. 1955.
  • Full rotors: from 1931 (Rolex); widespread after c. 1950.
  • Micro-rotors: from 1954–1958.

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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