How "exclusive" was Fortis in the mid 1950's ?

[Endeavor]

Hello all

I acquired this little 33mm gold-plated hand-wound Fortis watch. The Venus 180 movement was a non-runner, but as it turned out, all it needed was a good service, a new main-spring and the housing a new crystal. The overall condition isn't bad and the movement seemed untouched.

The newly ordered, supposedly original  main-spring with a strength of 1.10mm, was too strong. So the old tired 0.95mm spring had to go back in.

Questioning whether I should spent more money on this and buy a fancy 16mm strap, I would like to find out how "exclusive", or in which price-range these Fortis watches would have been in the mid 1950's?

Anybody any idea?

 

Edited July 13, 2023 by Endeavor

[Endeavor]

Nobody (old enough) ?

[RichardHarris123]

No, not old enough.  Looks like a decent movement, what is it?  I would buy a strap.

[Endeavor]

3 hours ago, RichardHarris123 said:

Looks like a decent movement, what is it?

A Venus 180, as written in the text

 

Edited July 14, 2023 by Endeavor

[RichardHarris123]

Oops, missed that. 

[Nucejoe]

Wow, like new. 

[spectre6000]

"Exclusive" is a modern marketing **BLEEP** term (edit: interesting... must be a British bleeper... Certainly not an American one. Starts with a "w", ends with an "ank". Same in all the bleeps.) . Didn't apply/wasn't a thing in the mid-50s. Depending on your opinion of marketing **BLEEP**, it means nothing now (in my opinion of marketing **BLEEP**, the word "exclusive" is a hard turn off and makes me think of people calling VW Beetles "rare"). Looking at it, it looks like your typical lower-mid tier (50s perspective) stuff I find all day long on my 404 hunts (modern perspective). Venus made decent movements, but that one looks like it's from the bottom end of the catalog; absolutely minimal, and no decoration. 404 would be the "before" classification, not the after though...

If you LIKE the watch, spend whatever you want on it. If you're looking to sell it and recoup costs or something like that, I don't know that the extra cost would necessarily net you a meaningful return. The thing about that end of the market is that the difference between $5 and $100 is often the quality of the listing photos, the asking price, and whether or not someone feels it works for their personal tastes.

Edited July 15, 2023 by spectre6000

[GuyMontag]

Gorgeous watch. I would wind and dine it and but it a strap.