Marvin Electronic Vintage Watch. Late 1960s. In 18k gold — view 1 of 4 — View 1 of 4 · Image: Setdart Auction House / Invaluable · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

View 1 of 4 · Image: Setdart Auction House / Invaluable · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Marvin Electronic Vintage Watch. Late 1960s. In 18k gold

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.

Maker / attribution: Unrecorded in source
Date: 1960s
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Materials / technique: gold
Auction house: Invaluable auction listings
Lot: Lot D9CC002062
Credit line: Auction lot record: lot 40, 30th November - Fine Watches & Fountain Pens, Setdart Auction House (2026), via Invaluable
Catalogue title (original): MARVIN Electronic Vintage Watch. Late 1960s. In 18k gold. (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by Invaluable auction listings (lot Lot D9CC002062), this is a wristwatch, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: gold. 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 — Setdart Auction House

MARVIN Electronic Vintage Watch, late 1960s. Round 18k gold case with a polished finish; 18k gold screw-down caseback stamped “Marvin Waterproof” with a high-gloss polished finish. Dial stamped “Marvin electronic.” Gold sword-shaped hands with luminous material; applied gold baton hour markers with luminous dots at their tips. Continuous central seconds hand. No date. Fluted, plated crown bearing the Marvin logo. Domed acrylic crystal. Brown leather strap with an original plated buckle signed “Marvin.” Marvin 773 electromechanical movement with a balance wheel and 14 jewels. It works. Slight marks on the case back in the areas where it was opened. Measurements: 42 x 33 mm (excluding the crown). In the watch descriptions, when it states “it works,” it means the watch is functioning. Since collector’s watches typically have delicate and complex mechanisms, the buyer is responsible for any general servicing, inspection, battery replacement, adjustment, or repair that may be necessary.

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Quartz, digital and electronic watches

Electronic watches arrived in three steps. The Hamilton Electric 500 (1957) was the first battery-powered wristwatch, still with a balance; Bulova's Accutron (1960) used a tuning fork. On 25 December 1969 Seiko released the Astron 35SQ, the first quartz wristwatch, closely followed by the Swiss Beta 21 group. In 1972 Hamilton's Pulsar introduced the LED digital watch, and LCD displays soon made digital watches cheap.

The 'Quartz Crisis' that followed devastated the Swiss mechanical industry, which lost two-thirds of its workforce between 1970 and 1984 before recovering with the Swatch (1983) and the luxury mechanical revival. Solar, radio-controlled, kinetic and connected smartwatches continue the electronic line.

What to look for

Battery hatch in the case back and calibre markings with 'Quartz' or a crystal frequency.
Display technology: LED (red, push-button) versus LCD (always-on).
Tuning-fork hum and a smoothly sweeping seconds hand on Accutrons.
Model and reference numbers, often printed on the back.

Dating clues

Electric balance watches: from 1957.
Tuning-fork watches: 1960–c. 1977.
Quartz analogue: from December 1969; LED digital: 1972–c. 1978; LCD from 1973.

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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Balance wheel — Component
Jewel bearings — Component

Record completeness

Maker or attributionNot in source
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsRecorded
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

Explore further

Sources & image rights

Record source: Invaluable auction listings (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Setdart Auction House / Invaluable — permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Marvin Electronic Vintage Watch. Late 1960s. In 18k gold." Invaluable auction listings, Lot D9CC002062. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/marvin-electronic-vintage-watch-late-1960s-in-18k-gold-f53d1c.