This week in Found, our weekly roundup of cool vintage and pre-owned watches from around the internet, we’ve got an obscure but affordable Swiss automatic, one of the first Hamilton Ventura watches ever made and a strange but captivating 1960s skin diver watch for under $1K.
The Affordable Option: Cerberus DS Revue Thommen
Photo: Derek Dier
What We Like: If Revue Thommen is an obscure watchmaker, then Cerberus is even more so. Don’t worry about that too much, though — some otherwise great-looking vintage watches are priced well because they’re either too small for modern tastes or because of an unknown name on the dial. In this case, it’s the latter, but what’s important is that you’re getting a lot of the same quality and features as other Swiss-made automatic watches from the time. It has an elegantly simple case and dial with that ’70s sportiness, and at 42mm wide it’ll even fit those accustomed to more modern watch sizes.
From the Seller: Pristine original dial and screw-back case. The movement was cleaned and is accurately keeping time. The steel bracelet is even original to the watch.
The Icon: Hamilton Ventura
What We Like: There are a number of things that make the completely avant-garde Hamilton Ventura an iconic watch, including its association with Elvis Presley and its appearance in modern Hollywood movies. Most compelling, however, is that it represents a technological milestone as the first electric watch brought to market. This example is from that very first year of production, 1957 — and it’s even got “patent pending” on the dial.
From the Seller: The case is in fantastic condition overall showing normal wear consistent with age and use. Case back shows engraving that reads “Awarded to Martin Lennig for outstanding performance. General Electric. Breakthru 60.”
The Curveball: Vantage Sport Skin Diver
Photo: ThoseWatchGuys
What We Like: Vantage was a brand created by Hamilton to serve a lower price segment in the 1960s. This one has cool “skin diver” style and a manually wound movement, but it’s really the striking dial and handset that make this particular model stand out. And despite a somewhat banged-up bezel, it’ll wear well at 37.5mm wide.
From the Seller: The dial has some noticeable patina throughout. The case doesn’t show any plate loss. The movement was recently serviced & keeps great time.