Quality vintage watches with blue dials in good condition are surprisingly hard to find, so I was happy when I tracked down this Bucherer example. The AS 1686 movement isn’t the prettiest, but it’s reliable and keeps good time. The movement is retained with a simple stamped steel case ring - not my favorite arrangement, as the movement tends to want to fall out when you’re trying to regulate it in the dial up position with the case back off.

Have you ever received a watch as a gift, worn it once or twice, then put it away in a drawer? It seems like this watch was one of those. I received it in its original box, with what (I think) is the original band, and in nearly perfect condition. In fact, it was so clean that I thought it was probably much more recent than it is. The first thing that clued me into its true age was when I opened the case and saw the design of the nicely-finished 20-jewel movement, with its above-the-bridge indirect drive center second hand and separate excape wheel bridge. Unfortunately, while it’s distinctive and almost certainly an ebauche of some sort, I have not been able to identify the movement (if you know, please comment!).

This 50s Breitling is one of my favorites. Its relatively large (for the time) size wears well, and the dial is extremely elegant with its recessed indices and gentle patina. It still has the original chrome finish, which is showing some wear but still looks great in person. the movement is a bit of a mystery - certainly an ébauche item modified by Breitling, but it appears to be a variation of the Peseux 170/190 movement family.

This Breitling has a great dial and is in excellent condition, even if it is a bit on the dainty side, size-wise. Like many manufacturers at the time, Breitling relied on ébauche movements, and the manual wind FHF 28 in this watch was no exception. It was actually quite an innovative movement for the time, with a direct drive for the center second hand.

I love the elegant black dial of this Benrus with its slender indices and single numeral at the 12:00 position, and the slender stainless steel monoblock case really wears well, although the thru-crystal design makes adjustments a bit more of a headache than most. Overall this is a great example of 1960s Benrus style. The swiss 17 jewel movement is by ETA.

I love the unique aesthetic of this Anker, which somehow looks much older than it actually is, even with the central second hand and calendar mechanism. It’s difficult to date these watches precisely, but it is likely from the early 1950s. The movement, despite the high jewel count, was inexpensively made, with a single large bridge and a pin palette escapement. Regardless, it still runs well. Anker was clearly very proud of this movement design, because the case back is quite literally covered with patent information, including the Swiss, French, and German patent numbers. I’m not sure about this, but the prominence of the Swiss patent on the back leads me to believe that this was a Swiss-manufactured movement, even though Anker is actually a German company. Restoration of this piece was straightforward, although the case was in pretty rough shape so I elected to re-plate it in 18K gold, which works well with the dial.

This "transitional ghost" is a masterclass in post-Soviet pragmatism, likely commissioned around 1992 as a commemorative gift for Moscow dignitaries. While the dial features a striking icon of St. George—the city's patron saint—and a "Made in USSR" hallmark, the true story lies in its over-engineered heart. Poljot engineers created the Caliber 3105 by stripping the stopwatch components from their legendary 3133 Chronograph, the same movement worn by Cosmonauts in space. This industrial hybrid retains the chronograph’s massive 31mm architecture and rugged pivots, resulting in a sub-seconds hand uniquely positioned at 9 o'clock.