Strange and kind of ugly TIMEX, with elaborate DIY engravings. Many symbols.
This is a really unusual TIMEX from 1974. Someone has taken this day-date TIMEX (movement 27) and created an elaborate engraving onto the surface of the dial. In order to have done this, they certainly would have had to remove not just the crystal, but the hands and the entire dial to work on, on its own. The below pictures show closeup with greater detail of the engravings.
The work that went into this was considerable. Was it a commemorative watch? Given to someone after joining a club or organization? Or after achieving some milestone? Is L.A. the initials of the person receiving the watch, initials of someone else, or something unrelated to a person's name.
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Here is a balance scale, kind of like the "scales of justice," perched maybe atop an oil well? Notice the detail that went into the engraving of the star, left upper part of pic.
Look at all the decoration around the day-date windows. Someone really took time, and wanted this to be as nice as possible.
In cursive lettering, "L.A." is a total mystery to me. It is almost certainly where TIMEX would have been on the dial, now totally obliterated.
Moon and star.
Very unusual mid-Seventies TIMEX with very impressive engraving. I suspect that "L.A." is the initials of a person, and that that person has died. I can't say this for sure. But think about this: the watch had little monetary value, or resale value. It is unlikely that someone who was given this watch (which clearly must be special, given the work that went into it,) would just sell it for a few dollars, while they were still living. I would imagine it would be special to them, and they would keep it. (Unless they fell out of favor with whatever the symbols of this watch represent, and got rid of it. But I'll assume for now that they were lifelong members of this club or. religion.)
So, I think they died, and as often happens with people's belongings, the family brings in these "estate sales" people who buy up everything and then resell them. I think "L.A." is no longer with us.
This is certainly the case with a great many of the vintage TIMEX and really any vintage watches out there. What are the chances that a 35 yr old man or woman who originally bought a watch in 1955 would be alive in 2018? It's possible, but that person would be 98, and the chances that they are alive are therefore very low.
So, many of these old watches are of course dead people's watches.
Thank you reading about this weird TIMEX.
I hope you will like it.
Alan
Contact
Website: Alan's Vintage Watches.
