Record Datofix, circa 1950's — view 1 of 4
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Record Datofix, circa 1950's

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Record (brand / maker)
Date
circa 1950's
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
stainless steel
Dimensions
34
Lot
Lot 374-121
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 121
Catalogue title (original)
RECORD, SWITZERLAND, DATOFIX, TRIPLE CALENDAR, CHROMIUM-PLATED METAL AND STAINLESS STEEL

View the source record (auction lot) ↗

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 374-121), this is a wristwatch by Record, made in Switzerland, dated circa 1950's. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: stainless steel. Recorded dimensions: 34. 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

Antiquorum catalogue description

EUR 800 - 1,650 / CHF 700 - 1,500 / USD 800 - 1,750 A fine and attractive, chrome and stainless steel, manual wind triple calendar wristwatch with two-tone silver dial

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Caliber: C 107, 17 jewels; Signature: dial, case and movement

Provenance

Property of a Japanese Gentleman

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 timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking

Atlas type guide

Calendar, moon-phase and perpetual calendar watches

Calendar complications range from a simple date to the perpetual calendar, which automatically allows for months of different lengths and leap years until 2100. Pocket watches with perpetual calendars were made in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; Patek Philippe made the first perpetual calendar wristwatch in 1925, and series production followed in 1941. The annual calendar (Patek Philippe, 1996) needs correction only once a year.

Moon-phase displays use a disc with two moons and 59 teeth advanced daily, approximating the 29.5-day lunation; more precise trains reduce the error to one day in over a century.

What to look for

  • Apertures or subsidiary dials for day, date, month and leap year.
  • Moon disc under a 'bosom' shaped aperture.
  • Recessed correctors on the case band for setting the calendar.

Dating clues

  • Triple-date wristwatches: popular c. 1940–1955.
  • Perpetual calendar wristwatches: from 1925 (unique) and 1941 (series).

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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