Gallet chronograph stainless steel divers pilots rare Start Price USD 499.00 Current Price USD 499.00 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Monday, August 18, 2008 End Time Monday, August 25, 2008 Location Oxford, Connecticut See more about 'Gallet chronograph stainless steel divers pilots rare' Description No reserve and a low starting bid of only $499.00 a very clean I would say unused Gallet chronograph. This may have been designed, as a Pilots watch or divers chronograph watch or both I’m not sure based on the scales on the dial. This watch is the waterproof type chronograph with round pushers instead of the square non-waterproof type. Case is all stainless steel with a screw on case back and a rotating bezel all in mint condition except for a very small scratch on the crystal near the 8 pos. you can see in the picture. I cannot find my tool to open this but I can say this when I had my watchmaker service it he said the movement looked like it was made yesterday bright and shiny and even though it is signed Gallet & Co. he said the movement was made by Valjoux. The watch has 17 Jewels. There is a symbol on the dial under the 12 with an O and W that I found out stands for Olech & Wajs and I found some history on the net which I copy pasted below. The bezel is black and in perfect shape. I don’t think this watch was ever used if it was it was only a very few times. I have been winding it every two days and it has been keeping perfect time. The band is not original as I received this watch without a band and put this Seiko band on the watch. The chronograph works perfectly and the watch winds smooth. I have never see a watch like this but that does not mean it is rare but I do think it is uncommon. Dimensions are approximately 40mm by 44mm and about 12mm thick. From the same period as Heuer, baume & mercier breitling chronographs 1950s vintage have been selling for $1200-1800 because they are getting so hard to find. Don’t miss your chance to get a vintage chronograph like this one. Over the next few weeks I will be posting a silver pocket chronometer a gubelin alarm clock made by lecoultre and several rail road grade watches and an omega watch so please keep looking. Thanks, Dan Ollech & Wajs started business in the 1950?s when Albert Wajs began making and supplying stainless steel bracelets for wristwatches. In 1956, a partnership was formed with Mr Ollech, and they soon began manufacturing wristwatches. From the outset, the design philosophy was to create durable and good looking sports watches at affordable prices. Business was done from their retail premises in Zurich. They soon began to expand into world wide markets, more notably the US and UK markets. This was achieved through a low cost approach so as to keep the watch prices low. They began to advertise in magazines that were popular with aviators, soldiers, divers and sportsmen. They were selling direct to the end user by mail order from Switzerland. They cut out all of the middlemen, and there was no need to invest heavily in overseas infrastructures, so the cost of quality watches was kept to a minimum. Sales were increasing so the O&W company were able to produce more models and focus on production methods so that the quality became better. In the 1960?s they were selling a high quality professional divers wristwatches for US $12. These watches became very popular with US soldiers who bought them privately, as they were the best quality watch and value for money they could find, and they were a vast improvement on their inferior quality government issued disposable watches. Sales reached an all time high during the Vietnam era when they were selling thousands of watches via direct mail order. Towards the late 1970?s, Mr. Wajs bought up much of the Breitling stock for the aviation models such as the Navitimer. They began producing their own label watches with the Breitling cases and the same calibres used in Breitling watches. These watches were branded ?Aviation? and are now highly prized amongst collectors. The advent of the quartz powered mechanisms drove down much of the traditional watch making industry, and O&W ceased production in the early 1980?s. By the early 1990?s, the more discerning consumers who were concerned with quality, style and craftsmanship were becoming tired of quartz wristwatches. Whilst quartz watches were accurate, they were mass produced, often lasted less than a few years years, lacked in character and had no soul. This thought allowed a resurgence in Swiss watch making where customers preferred the machines made by highly skilled craftsmen who have inherited their skills over hundreds of years in the making. O&W subsequently began production again, this time under a new company, formed by Albert Wajs. The company is called A. I. Wajs, who proudly present A. I. Wajs Army Watches. They still use the logo and the brand name Ollech & Wajs or O&W, as these brand names are owned by Albert Wajs. Albert Wajs is running the company with as much energy and enthusiasm as ever. He is constantly coming up with new ideas and creating new models. He calls upon his wealth of knowledge and technical brilliance to create innovative, fresh and appealing designs. His philosophy however still remains today as it did when he started in business ? cost effective, durable and good looking watches. He is passionate about watches, is well known and well respected amongst the Swiss watch making fraternity. His passion and desire is reflected in his ?appeal to all? wristwatch designs, and his personal success." Place a Bid!