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Vintage Rotary

anilv

By anilv
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anilv Distinguished Member

anilv

Posted
Posted

Hi guys,

Wearing an old Rotary today. This is an older watch, probably from the 40s.

The case is Gold-plated and has seen some wear. Under the "Rotary' it says 'Super sports' . Above the sub-seconds dial it says 'shock-absorber' and 'anti-magnetic'. It has fixed lugs which makes swapping strap difficult, the one it has on is meant for fixed lugs and has a sturdy fold-over (probably metal inside) which clips on the lug. It has nice simple hands which have been blued well, the center of the minute hand has been left silver given a niece contrast. The case back is a faithful rendition of the dark side of the moon.

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Nice hands

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The dark side of the moon... not much can be done here without spending too much money.

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The inside of the dark side of the moon.. I believe the '38' means 1938? At any rate, its more than 10 years old ;so good job Meteor!

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When you pop off the bac, the movement stays in the caseback. You have to use a bit of force, working around the edges, before it comes away and you are left with this.. an inner caseback. This is comes off easily.

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Revealing the movement. I think it's an FHF of some sort. Note the early form of shock protection on the balance cock .. the cap jewel is retained by a spring plate and will 'give' is subjected to a hard knock. The problem with these early shock absorbers is that they were only mildly effective and that only if it hit the ground level. It had not much lateral movement built-in so if it landed edge-on the pivot would still break. Still better than no shock-absorber I suppose, If I am not mistaken Breguet pioneer this and later on it is common to find a similar system on Cyma watches. The ratchet-wheel has the normal Rotary 'Flying-wheel' which reminds me of a vintage car..Austin I think?  You can see the early type dial holding screws at 6 o'clock and slightly after 12.  The movement is marked 7/440 and just belove that there's a 'V" or maybe the 'pheon'? The watch runs well and keeps time. I haven't done anything to it but the regulator is cranked over to slow so there may be other issues, need to get some case screws too. Not so evident from the pictures is that the plates have been plated with a 'whiter' finish which looks like silver. You see similar on Movado movements. Finally in the era before center seconds, 15 jewels was as good as it got so this would have been made for the higher end of the market.

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Well its almost the weekend so have a good one!

Anilv

 

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Geo Distinguished Member

Geo

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Posted

I like this watch Anil, I hope you track down more history.  Although the minute and hour hand look great, I feel one or both may have been fitted somewhere down the line.  The open diamond hands look the business, but I have only seen them fitted in matching pairs.

Regarding the dark side of the moon, I was looking for a triangular prism with bands of light being emitted. :ph34r:

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oldhippy Distinguished Member

oldhippy

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19 minutes ago, Geo said:

I like this watch Anil, I hope you track down more history.  Although the minute and hour hand look great, I feel one or both may have been fitted somewhere down the line.  The open diamond hands look the business, but I have only seen them fitted in matching pairs.

Regarding the dark side of the moon, I was looking for a triangular prism with bands of light being emitted. :ph34r:

The hands don't match.

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Wesley881 Watch Enthusiast

Wesley881

Posted
Posted

Great watch!  I have a new skeleton frame pocket watch from Rotary.  I went into Marshall's to get some long johns for an upcoming Winter hike and maybe some other factory seconds/discounts when I happened upon it.  It had been marked down from "$599" to $50!  I know these stores often inflate these numbers to drive a deal, but WOW.  Anyway, it is a very nice piece and I've enjoyed carrying it from time to time...are puns OK?

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digginstony Super WRT Addict

digginstony

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Wow, a Rotary without a Chinese movement in. What a delight. If I'm looking right:- 6 bridges including the pallet fork? What a joy to work on. Absolutely love the watch even with replacement hands, though I would change them anyway as I prefer Batons.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

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digginstony Super WRT Addict

digginstony

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Posted
I assume the train bridge is actually one part, made to look like 3.
You're going to struggle to claim on that case wear warranty - I suspect it is slightly more than 10 years old!

Yep re looking at the photo the train bridge is probably all one. Though I could of swore I saw seem on the part below the "15 Jewels" could be a shadow.

Sent from my SM-T585 using Tapatalk

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  • 4 years later...
Nucejoe Distinguished Member

Nucejoe

Posted
Posted

 I think they made in- house movements at first or when in switzerland, once head quarters were moved to London, the company  expanded fast so started sourcing movements from others manufacturers, think Longines is now in swatch group. not sure though, but its a good make, never had problem with my watch.

Regs

 

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