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Record wristwatch, Oversize Triple Date Chronograph, circa 1960's — view 1 of 1
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Record wristwatch, Oversize Triple Date Chronograph, circa 1960's

DocumentedDocumented from an auction catalogue; attribution as stated by the auction house.
Maker / attribution
Record (brand / maker)
Date
c. 1960s
Country of origin
Unrecorded in source
Object type
Wristwatch
Materials / technique
18k yellow gold
Dimensions
diameter 38 mm
Lot
Lot 355-6
Credit line
Auction lot record: LOT 6, Geneva, November 5, 2022
Catalogue title (original)
RECORD, OVERSIZE TRIPLE DATE CHRONOGRAPH, YELLOW GOLD (English)

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

Record summary

Catalogued by Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva (lot Lot 355-6), this is a wristwatch by Record, dated c. 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: 18k yellow gold. Recorded dimensions: diameter 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 1 photograph.

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

A fine, rare, oversize, manual wind, 18k yellow gold triple date chronograph wristwatch with moonphase

Lot specifications (Antiquorum)

Caliber: Valjoux 886, 17 jewels; Diameter: 38 mm.; Signature: Dial signed

Inscriptions & marks

Dial signed

Provenance

Property of a US collector

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

Chronographs and split-seconds watches

A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.

Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.

What to look for

  • Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
  • Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
  • Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
  • Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).

Dating clues

  • Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
  • Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
  • Automatic chronographs: from 1969.

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.

Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph

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