A Killer 1973 Royal Oak and More Finds from the Vintage Watch Market

This week in Found, our weekly roundup of cool vintage and pre-owned watches from around the internet, we’ve got an affordable, Swiss-made Hamilton, an investment-grade Royal Oak and a strange, beautiful Omega in great condition with a rare tuning fork movement for around $1K.

The Affordable Option: Hamilton Mechanical Dress Watch

Photo: ocwatchco

What We Like: About as handsome and classic as you can get, this vintage Hamilton from the 1960s just oozes Donald Draper-like elegance and style. Featuring a manually wound Swiss movement and a 34.5mm case diameter, it’s affordable and perfect for those just getting into vintage watches.

From the Seller: New crystal; original Dial; running Strong and keeping excellent time; just serviced (cleaned, oiled, adjusted).

The Icon: Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Jumbo “A” Series

Photo: Analog/Shift

What We Like: An icon of watchmaking if ever there was one, this early example of Audemars Piguet’s classic steel sport watch has basically everything you want in a Royal Oak. It’s nicknamed “Jumbo” by collectors due to its 39mm width, which was considered large at the time, but it’s essentially perfectly sized for modern tastes, as well as nice and thin. The “A Series” is particularly sought-after, with only ~2,000 examples having been made.

From the Seller: Case is in great condition with minimal signs of light and careful wear, devoid of the all-too-common overpolishing found on original Jumbos. Original blue micro-tapisserie dial is in excellent condition with light even patina.

The Curveball: Omega Megasonic 720Hz

Photo: Chronocentric

What We Like: A watch to fully geek out upon, the Omega Megasonic was a tuning fork-regulated movement developed by Max Hetzel, who also invented the Bulova Accutron. This was the system for battery-powered movements that preceded the quartz movement, and this example dates to 1973 (just like the watch above). It’s an ingenious design — with a micro-motor sealed inside an oil-filled box — and its frequency of 720Hz makes its seconds hand sweep more smoothly than that of a mechanical watch. The watch it’s housed in is also pretty affordable considering its historical significance and the prestigious name on the dial.

From the Seller: It is working perfectly, no flaws at all. The case is in very nice condition, some scratches here and there from normal use. It also comes with the original Omega-signed crystal.

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