
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Record De Luxe, Manual Wind, Roman Dial, Crosshair Sub Seconds, circa 1975
- Maker / attribution
- Record (maker)
- Date
- c. 1975
- Historical period
- Quartz Revolution (1969 – 1990)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 33 mm
- Stock no.
- vws2918
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws2918)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Record De Luxe - Manual Wind - Roman Dial - Crosshair Sub Seconds - c.1975 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws2918), this is a wristwatch by Record, dated c. 1975. The Atlas places it in the Quartz Revolution period (1969 – 1990) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 33 mm. 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 — Vintage Watch Specialist
A Beautiful Record De Luxe with a Stunning Silver Roman Dial with a Crosshair Sub-Seconds Dial, c.1975 Record was founded in 1903 by a group of businessmen looking to sell the 'Sector Watch', a triangular pocket watch with retrograde. An unusual but fairly popular pocket watch in the 1900s. This was followed by a merger in the 1910s that saw them become Record Dreadnought. What’s On Offer This Record De Luxe is a charming piece of kit with a very attractive silver Roman dial. The simplicity of the dial design is what makes it so chic, it will simply never go out of style. The Roman numerals are bold and oversized in similar to that of Cartier styling and the simple stick hands correspond nicely to the crosshair sub-seconds dial at 6 o'clock - this is such a nice design detail. The watch is demure at 33mm but it certainly wears larger on the wrist which is probably due to it being all dial with a very slim bezel. The dial is in beautiful condition, so classic and stylish, and the case is also in really good shape. This is a beautiful piece which looks wonderful on the wrist, and is very light and comfortable, perfect for everyday wear.
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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