Grail Watch

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What Was the World’s First Quartz Watch?

August 2, 2020 By Stephen 2 Comments

On Christmas Day, 1969, the Seiko Astron was launched; this was world’s first quartz wristwatch. Or at least that’s how the story goes. But the truth is much, much more complicated, as I have been researching and writing about for months. Only a few examples of that Cal. 35 SQ Astron were produced, and it was so expensive that not many were ever actually sold. And a raft of other watches (the CEH Beta 1, Longines Ultra-Quartz, various Beta 21 models, and even the Bulova Accuquartz) could make a credible claim. So what was the first?

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Armin Frei, Beta 1, Beta 21, Bulova, Bulova Accuquartz, CEH, Longines, Longines Ultra-Quartz, Rolex, Seiko, Seiko Astron

Stainless Tonneau: Patek Philippe Calatrava 3574

January 26, 2016 By Stephen 1 Comment

This stainless tonneau is a genuine Patek Philippe Calatrava but Ref. 3574 is beyond rare. I bet most enthusiasts never even heard of this model!

Filed Under: Grails Tagged With: 23-300, 3574, Breitling Datora 592, Calatrava, Calatrava 3574, Patek Philippe, Patek Philippe Calatrava, Robert Maron, stainless steel, tonneau, WatchCentre

The Last Buren: High-Beat Calibre 82 Revival

February 26, 2014 By Stephen 4 Comments

We recently ran across a mystery: This Buren Calibre 82 wristwatch boasts an unknown 36,000 A/h movement and ambiguous date of production. What is it? We unravel the mystery and recommend a buy!

Filed Under: Collection, Grails Tagged With: Buren Calibre 82, Calibre 82, Comor, Hamilton, High-Beat, Schweizer Uhren-Editionen

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