1960s Vintage Waltham Submersible 666ft divers watch, with date, ETA 2472 automatic movement.
It has a beautiful Cushion shaped case that measures 39.5mm x 36mm.
It comes on an era correct NOS 18mm Expandro German made Stainless bracelet. A rare and desirable bracelet design, which gained attention when used in beads of rice form on Doxa watches in the 1960s.
It has an ETA 2472 movement inside which was reliable and state of the art at the time. This was due to its relatively compact design. It also boasts a semi quickset date function, bi-directional automatic winding and a direct central second hand.
It is keeping time to -15 seconds a day, with a strong amplitude of 285 and a beat error of 1.9 m/s.
The dial is a fantastic deep blue to Turquoise sunburst dial. It is signed T Swiss T to 6 O'clock, indicating that the dial has Tritium Lume for visibility. The hour markers seem to have been re-lumed with a vintage coloured lume, removing the bulk of the Tritium on the dial. This is very well done and means the dial now has some luminosity.
The 12 marker with a dot either side, has the hallmarks of many famous watches in the 60s, such as the early Speedmaster references.
The dial is signed Waltham at 12 with 21 jewels automatic at 6. The date indicator is at 3, with inbuilt date magnifier in the glass. The window is a clean white with black Arabic numerals. It works well with semi quick set when cycling from 9-12.
It is a very pleasing dial, but may be expected to age more if kept in poor conditions, worn as a new diver would be, or mis-treated.
This is a fragile vintage watch and must be treated as such.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is a fantastic deep blue to Turquoise sunburst dial. It is signed T Swiss T to 6 O'clock, indicating that the dial has Tritium Lume for visibility. The hour markers seem to have been re-lumed with a vintage coloured lume, removing the bulk of the Tritium on the dial. This is very well done and means the dial now has some luminosity.
The 12 marker with a dot either side, has the hallmarks of many famous watches in the 60s, such as the early Speedmaster references.
The dial is signed Waltham at 12 with 21 jewels automatic at 6. The date indicator is at 3, with inbuilt date magnifier in the glass. The window is a clean white with black Arabic numerals. It works well with semi quick set when cycling from 9-12.
The condition is average however. It has signs of undesirable ageing with slight loss of finish near the date window. There are some raised dark green marks on the dial. These may be from the lacquer degrading with age. There are some scattered white dots around the centre of the dial.
It is a very pleasing dial, but may be expected to age more if kept in poor conditions, worn as a new diver would be, or mis-treated. This is a fragile vintage watch and must be treated as such.
Hands:
The hands are original and maintain the original Tritium infill. Overall they aren't bent and are in good condition, with no loss of lume infill.
Glass:
The crystal is original, with inset date magnifier. It has some scratching consistent with age and wear. The inside appears to have a form of dried oil or grease in dark green spots. This is visible in the images. As it is original and would be hard to replace, it has been left as is.
Crown:
The crown appears to be original. It is Stainless Steel and has some light surface scratching as expected. Overall in good condition.
Bezel:
The bezel is stainless steel and is Bi-directional. It is in good condition with a strong coin edge. The notches and numerals on the bezel are patchy when it comes to the previously dark infill colour, as associated with ageing. The bezel pip at 12 appears to be missing.
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and in very good condition with no dents or deep scratching, only light surface scratches.
Caseback:
The Stainless Steel case back is in very good condition. It has a couple of light surface scratches.
Strap:
It comes on an era correct NOS 18mm Expandro German made Stainless bracelet. A rare and desirable bracelet design, which gained attention when used in beads of rice form on Doxa watches in the 1960s.
Movement:
It has an ETA 2472 movement inside which was reliable and state of the art at the time. This was due to its relatively compact design. It also boasts a semi quickset date function, bi-directional automatic winding and a direct central second hand.
It is keeping time to -15 seconds a day, with a strong amplitude of 285 and a beat error of 1.9 m/s.
Case dimensions
Case width: 39.5mm
Case width with crown: 41.7mm
Case length: 35.8mm
Lug to lug measurement: 44mm
Case depth: 11.7mm
Lug width: 19mm