It seems odd to review a vintage watch, I mean, what does it have to prove? Plus, it’s not exactly easy to obtain is it… OMGHAI2U where can I get that exact model!?
I’ve waxed lyrical on vintage an obscene number of times on this platform, and I’ve often been the first (or second) to point people in the right direction when they just want to find out more. There are so many brands pre-1980 it’s hard to keep track, and as I’ve said on many occasion, with vintage, the name doesn’t mean sh*t (Omega notwithstanding).
I do talk about hidden gems; the watches that fall between the cracks. So, I thought I might produce some more contrived vintage content for no other reason to keep out of trouble, and to (arrogantly) act as some signpost for others if they happen to Google the exact selection of words that might bring them here.
So, what are we talking about today? I have a certain little Hales watch start to resurrect it’s wrist-career of late:
It’s a little cutie. I’ve been effing about with straps and I found a vintage 18mm tropical rubber strap in the drawer, so the bulky leather that this was rocking has been replaced with the sleeker, sexier, hole-ier number. It makes for a more pleasant wearing experience.
So what have we got? A Hales 1731Y–50-4, just rolls off the tongue. It’s a 28mm (30mm including the crown) stainless steel cased watch, silver dial, and yes… you are picking up Datejust or Oyster vibes.
There is absolutely nothing about Hales online. The only thing of use is Mikrolisk, where it tells one that Hales is a brand registered in Hong Kong to Winkler and Co. Ltd on the 1st June 1960. Who are Winkler and Co. Ltd? No idea. They registered another brand called Eunice, but confusingly Eunice is also a brand registered to Gruen, so these are not related. So, in all likelihood it’s a Hong Kong based importer of Swiss bits, throwing together what we like to call a Swiss “jobber”.
What parts do you get?
Well the branded and engraved caseback implies it’s Swiss made, an all stainless steel case, a 21J movement with shock-protection, an unbreakable mainspring, and waterproof. So much so <yawn> common.
The movement – I‘m pretty certain it’s an FHF 67 (which I have only cross-checked visually via Dr Ranfft and a couple of other sites) – it’s not a 73 as that would be slightly too large at 11.5’’’, in a 30mm watch a 10.5’’’ would seem pretty reasonable. This is a 17/21J movement, from a decent ebauche manufacturer. Fabrique d’Horlogerie de Fontainemelon were founded waaay back in 1793, and are considered one of the earliest ebauche movement factories. In 1925, it became part of Ebauche SA. FHF produced affordable calibres they called “Standard” movements until the 1980s. In 1985, FHF officially became part of modern day ETA.
The FHF 67 is not a standard calibre. It’s actually a pretty decent movement that was produced in the 1950s and was in use right up until the mid-70s. As 17jewels.info puts it:
this movement contained everything which was top of the line in the 1950s
so it’s not a piece of s***. Dr Ranfft can tell you the following:
Manual wind, sweep second
10.5”’, Dm= 23.3mm, Do= 23.7mm
H= 4.0mm
F= 1.4mm
T= 2.1mm
17/21 jewels
f = 18000 A/h
power reserve 51h
The movement contained within this watch is signed, and is unadjusted.
The cool thing this movement in this model has, as you’ve probably seen in the photos, is that the date wheel is a “roulette wheel”, in that even numbers are red, and odd numbers are black. I don’t care what anyone says, that is a really nice touch, and it’s not common at all. This might have been something Hales did themselves, applying a fresh date wheel to the ebauche during assembly. If its Hong Kong, you do have Macau which is famous for its casinos and gambling, perhaps this one was put together with that market in mind. One can only imagine.
How is it running? Well, it’s losing probably around 2 minutes every 24hrs, which could be dealt with, but is by no means the worst I have in the collection. Power reserve Is around 30 hours, if I leave it for longer than a day it will need a boost. Winding action is pretty comfortable – there is a little resistance, but it’s pleasant to handle and engage with.
Other things to consider about the watch overall… lug-to-lug is 36mm, thickness is 8mm including the glass. 18mm strap – this sounds like a lot but when you compare it to 40s Rolex or a 50s Bubbleback, 30mm case and 18mm strap is quite common:
The crown is signed with an H, which on a vintage jobber, also uncommon. The glass, pretty decent condition for acrylic, no yellowing or too damaged, but there is the possibility that it is not the original. As it stands, this glass has a cyclops that sits beneath the surface maintaining the smooth profile. Do I like a cyclops – no? Is this a good cyclops – no, it warps the view of the date from many angles that it’s impossible to read. Does this bother me – not as much as I thought it would.
Dial – brushed steel, quite pleasant, printed black lettering with applied indices. Indices are two separate types: interrupted double triangles at 12, 6, and 9, and grooved rectangular blocks at 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 8, 10, and 11. It’s a clean looking dial, very little clutter. Steel dauphine hands, silver sweep seconds, no contrast with the dial but finished in a way that doesn’t see them blend in. No lume (excellent).
The watch would probably therefore date to the 1960s, and due to the size, either boys or men’s towards the start of the decade. What style – well by todays standards this would be a dress watch, it has a low profile that can pair with a suit, but it could be paired with a variety of other straps for a sportier style. The watch came with an aftermarket black leather strap which was slightly padded, but I’m finding the adoption of a tropical rubber is really comfortable, and makes for pairing with a number of different options.
So that’s pretty much that, so in terms of price, what would you expect? Well, let’s put it this way, I’d be comfortable picking this up at £50, especially in this condition, I may even go up to £75 in bidding if I had a little bit of the old “Dutch Courage”. I actually won this for… £12.
At £12, this is a f*cking steal.
The Escapement Room 