There is no doubt that is looking back decades and exploring the landscape we now call “vintage” offers the widest variety of replica watches in the world. With over half a century of horology to choose from, this is a category worth hunting down. Here we can find copy watches that relate as much to the era in which they were made as to the time they show. 
In addition to the quirky dial brands, I was also intrigued by this particular example’s worn and used look. The P.A.F. Seamaster is well known in the vintage market, as is the slightly smaller Seamaster 30 platform with these numbered 135.004-63 “Railmasters”. The 135.004-63 “Railmasters” are the largest and most collectable. Ref. The 135.004-63 model P.A.F. is thought to have been produced in two batches, one delivered with the early broad-arrow hands and the other, like the one we have here, fitted with the later pencil-type hands.
But now and then, we look back and rediscover the beauty of the past that did not exist in our lives. Sometimes low, tech is more convenient than high techs, like when I know how to orient myself in a city without a cell phone by looking at traffic directions or certain buildings. I think it’s cute when people are surprised that I know the M.T.A. subway lines without having to look at my phone. It’s second nature to me because I didn’t have Google Maps when I started looking for directions. So, if you’re not wearing a watch or sitting in front of a computer, how do you know what time it is if there’s no one else around?
To that, I would say it’s time for us to bring back wall clocks, but only wall clocks with aesthetic appeal, please. Unlike wristwatches, which are more personal, let’s consider this effort to have well-designed wall clocks as a public service. This vintage electric imitation Rolex dealer clock has the unadorned practical appeal of the 1960s, not unlike the gold-fluted bezel wall clocks you often see when you’re in a hurry at an airport terminal. It’s a large, plain, white wall clock with visibility at the top. But of course, there is a crown symbol at midnight, the company’s signature and the word “Chronometer” printed in black below, elements that make this clock very clone Rolex. To add to the vintage charm, the light blue running seconds hand brings a playful touch of colour.
Whether in the living room, the classroom, or the train station, wall clocks have become part of most people’s daily landscape. When the clock is there, who doesn’t look at it? Unlike other decorative objects, it is constantly moving, which always catches your eye, and we are trained to want to know the time. Hey, might as well develop that habit by looking at a cool clock like this one.
The Audemars Piguet before the Royal Oak was a fascinating thing. Up until the 1950s, the watchmaker was making completely custom timepieces. If you wanted a watch from them and could afford it, you could make something just the way you wanted. Many of these unique pieces use the Valjoux base plate, the 13 V.Z. It is he who designed some of the most expensive featured watches.
