Welcome back to another episode of Fratello On Air! This week, we discuss underrated vintage brands that are worth a long look. We’ve had these types of chats before, but it’s always nice to see what we’ve missed. You’ll hear some familiar names today, but also some smaller companies that could be new.

While both of us have a penchant for vintage Rolex, Heuer, and other well-known marques, our love for vintage brands is universal. Whether it’s a cool piece from a one-hit wonder or an everyman’s watch company that made some seriously good stuff, we’re up for it. Today, we’ll mention some oft-overlooked opportunities to grab some of that vintage goodness.

Aquastar Benthos H2 wrist shot

Handgelenkskontrolle

We begin our show with discussions about Mike’s home state of Florida. Then, we move on to television, where Balazs has been watching Tehran, Hijack, and His & Hers. Meanwhile, Mike has engaged his 90s youth with Love Story. For the Handgelenkskontrolle, Balazs is wearing his trusty vintage Rolex 5513 Submariner after his latest journey. Mike has been exploring modern watches lately due to the never-ending rain in the UK. This week, he’s wearing his Aquastar Benthos H2.

Gruen Curvex diagonal

Vintage brands worth looking into

There are fantastic opportunities within the watch hobby to enjoy great pieces at an affordable price. Sure, a vintage Rolex or Patek Philippe is a wonderful thing to own. However, with high prices, scary fakes, and the risk of loss as ever-present concerns, it’s worthwhile to look elsewhere. Today, we’re focused on vintage brands that don’t get a lot of attention, but still offer loads of value and satisfaction.

Bulova-Spinnaker

We start our discussion with Bulova, a once-mighty Swiss-American brand that’s thriving again under Citizen’s ownership. Still, aside from a few pricey key chronographs and dive watches from the 60s, this high-volume brand has some gems that are very easy to find and affordable. With in-house movements and enough styles to fill a museum, there’s likely something for everyone.

Details abound on the Roamer Stingray Chrono Diver

Roamer is another brand that receives almost no attention from collectors. This is a shame because the company made some truly high-quality and uniquely designed watches. Signed crystals, monobloc cases, and NSA bracelets are just some of the goodness one can find.

Wittnauer 235T

Wittnauer is another interesting case. Longines formerly owned the brand, and it is now another entrant in the Citizen stable. Here again, aside from a few select chronographs and an interesting electronic watch, there are oodles of fantastic references available for little money. In particular, see the military or military-inspired pieces.

Gruen airflight

Loads of options

We also discuss another Swiss-American brand, Gruen. From the Curvex to later models, there are plenty of great options. Similarly, check out bygone house brands from American jewelry and department stores. Companies such as Baylor (a Zales brand) or Le Gant (from Montgomery Ward) are often great places to look for watches made by more famous marques like Heuer.

A Borgel Mido with a decagonal case — Image: Cool Vintage Watches

Finally, there’s Mido, a brand that used fancy Borgel cases from the 40s until the 60s. They even featured early automatic movements, which are known to be quite robust. Yes, some of the watches are smaller, but there are some larger references out there.

We hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  Feel free to let us know if there are other overlooked vintage brands we’ve missed. As always, if you have topics for future shows, let us know!

  1. Home
  2. Watch Brands
  3. Aquastar
  4. Baylor
  5. Bulova
  6. Gruen
  7. Le Gant
  8. Mido
  9. Roamer
  10. Rodania
  11. Rolex
  12. Wittnauer
  13. Fratello On Air: Vintage Brands Worth Checking Out