A 1960s Zodiac Sea Wolf With Tropical Dial, A 1950s Breitling Dress Watch, And A 1960s Heuer Autavia 'Dato'

 On this week's HODINKEE Radio, Saori Omura and Brandon Frazin from the HODINKEE Shop's vintage team made an appearance to clear up some of the common misconceptions in this space. Every week, right here, we aim to lower the barrier to entry in owning and enjoying a vintage watch because, to many, it can seem like a chore to dig in, know the seller, become obsessed with reference numbers, and the rest. The watches featured in this weekly article and in the HODINKEE Shop can sell quickly at times. If you're interested in being one of the first to know (hint, it's pretty much always Wednesday at 11:00 AM ET),replica uhren sign up for our newsletter, or even drop us a note (vintage@hodinkee.com) with what you're looking for.

From classics like the Omega Speedmaster and Rolex Explorer to a bit of funk like a Movado "TV" El Primero and a Bulova Accutron Astronaut, there should be something in this week's collection to scratch just about every itch. Just a little reminder, Mother's Day is May 9, 2021. We have this vintage selection and next week's drop before then. Stay tuned for something a bit more focused for next Wednesday. But for now, the three watches highlighted below and many more are available in this final HODINKEE vintage drop of April 2021 – check it out in full here.

1960s Zodiac Sea Wolf Ref. 722-946 With Tropical Dial

The modern Zodiac Sea Wolf collection is one of our favorite and one of the most popular watches in the HODINKEE Shop. The reason is clear – distinct designs, reasonable prices, and most importantly, they're just fun, adventure-ready watches. While we see more dive watches with bright colors today, the contemporary Zodiac Sea Wolf actually follows the company's true design heritage from more than half a century ago. Zodiac and a handful of other companies used pops of color in their dive watches, which was certainly a bold move in the 1960s. Most watchmakers from the same era usually featured more neutral, utilitarian "tool watch" colors. So among the sea of similar-looking dive watches, this vintage Sea Wolf with the bright orange and the baby blue color combination was a clear standout.

There's an undeniable playful charm about this watch, yet it's totally purpose built to be a utilitarian dive watch. Plus, this watch has the not-so-obvious bonus of a quick-set date function, operated by pushing the crown in to click over the date. Vintage enthusiasts can all attest to the dreaded moment of having to turn the hands around and around to set the date, unless you decide to ignore the date completely or wait to wear your watch until the next month. I appreciate the fearlessness in the style and the differentiation from the mainstream while still fully maintaining its said purpose.

What this vintage version has that the modern versions don't quite have (yet) is the gradual fade in the colors and the patina that can only come with time. The bright orange on the bezel, minute hand, and outer minute track have softened in varying degrees, and the pale blue on the bezel almost has a milky translucency to the color. The combination of colors is completely unexpected, but they work really well together. The original glossy black dial now has turned tropical, which makes it less harsh against the rest of the watch. Depending on the light, it takes on a milk chocolate to dark chocolate glaze that melds so well with the rest of the dial, especially with light creamy patina on the lume. Paired together with our equally cool Sedona Strap in Orange, as we say here at the Vintage desk, it's so satisfying on the wrist. You can get all the details here.

1950s Breitling Automatic Dress Watch Ref. 238-25 In 18k Rose Gold

When I envision a vintage Breitling, a Navitimer or even a Chronomat typically pops into my head – something with a slide-rule bezel for sure and definitely not a time-only watch in rose gold. That's why I got so excited when this beauty came across my desk – it's just so unexpected. We reached out to Breitling to get the archive information, and according to the brand, the case was made in September 1951. That means this watch predates the legendary Navitimer but would have been available at the same time as the original Chronomat. Vintage time-only Breitling watches are something we don't see very much, and they're relatively rare. The brand's main focus is chronographs, but it's nice to see a well-executed dress watch from this time period.

This example is in overall great condition and has so many attractive details. The main one that sticks out to me is the textured dial. When looking at it with a loupe, it resembles a wave-like pattern of some sort. The dial features all applied hour markers, with one "Breguet" style 12 and the rest in a dagger-like fashion. This is a great look and really makes the eye gravitate toward the beautiful 12. Beside these great details, the case is a beautiful warm rose gold-tone that's fantastic on the wrist. When looking at the watch from the side, one can notice the long, downturned lugs that give the watch a nice wrist presence. In addition to being in really great shape, the watch has retained its original box, which is always a welcome addition. I love the older style boxes, and the best part is that it takes up hardly any room. All in all, if you're looking for a time-only 18k mid-century watch, this is a serious contender, and chances are you won't run across someone else with one either. Check out all the details here.

1960s Heuer Autavia Ref. 7863C 'Dato'

One of the biggest surprises for me since joining HODINKEE has been how much I enjoy compressor cases. While collecting previously, I just didn't handle too many of these 1960s high-tech and water-resistant watches. The tech is so fascinating to me. The manufacturer of these cases, utilized by many brands including Heuer in this and other Autavias of the late 60s, was Ervin Piquerez S.A., or – simply – EPSA. When aiming to make a water-resistant watch for diving, the biggest issue is pressure, rather than simply creating a water-tight case. As a diver or swimmer goes deeper, water pressure increases. EPSA used this problem against the deep blue. The company's compressor case design utilizes the water pressure pushing on the outside of the case to further compress the gaskets inside the watch, essentially becoming more water resistant the deeper it travels. This ingenuity in a utilitarian and function-based design is the kind of thing that I tend to love about vintage watches.

Combine this fascinating EPSA compressor case technology with Heuer's flagship sport chronograph, the Autavia? Now we're talking. Add in a "dato" date complication? Say less – I'm in. The ref. 7863C Autavia with a date window at six o'clock is a rarely seen watch, as it was only available in the Heuer catalog for a few short years. The added functionality was actually quite a novel idea at the time; there were few chronographs on the market at this time with a date.fake rolex kaufen Heuer played around the date placement on the Carrera, resulting in the "Dato 12" and, of course, the "Dato 45," which served as the inspiration for HODINKEE's latest TAG Heuer LE.

This particular Autavia "Dato" presents such a great vintage look on the wrist. The black and white dial combined with the nicely aged patina on the lume has a vibe that only seems possible in a true vintage – no faux-patina – watch.