Hello John,
Thank you for sending in this wristwatch to mearto.com for an appraisal. Since I have not heard back from you with my request for further information, I will appraise your watch with the single blurry photo supplied.
TITLE:
Gent’s, vintage, 18k yellow gold, manually wound, dress, wristwatch with gold and onyx single lug attachment but no bracelet/strap, men’s dress model, wristwatch made by Glycine watch Company, Glycine S.A., made in Bienne/Geneve, Switzerland, circa 1945-1948.
PROVENANCE:
“Was my fathers had it since 1948.”
DESCRIPTION:
CASE: Size not provided but approximated at 35+/- 1 mm diameter (not counting the crown) round watch case of 18k yellow gold with found polished gold bezel, overlapping tear-drop shaped single fluted gold lugs with large, yet thin, fluted winding crown. The watch appears to be missing its original strap or bracelet but on lug has a triangular shaped lug attachment with central aperture and rounded shoulders. The attachment is made of gold and black onyx. The back of the case is not shown but often bore a case number on the outside and the inside would have the quality of the gold mark (9, 14 and 18k), but none of that is shown.
DIAL: Round white silvered dial with applied upright gold even-numbered hours and gold batons attached for the odd-numbered hours, open bar minute track, sunken subsidiary seconds dial above the six position, steel ‘Trylon & Perisphere’ designed hands from the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Dial appears to be marked, Glycine Watch, Bienne/Geneva.
MOVEMENT: Not shown but most likely the Glycine caliber 45 or 46, both based on the ETA caliber 900 manually wound movement with subsidiary seconds, made with 17/18 jewels, vibrating @18000 beats/ hour with a power reserve of 41 hours on a single wind. Both calibers are very similar with a split three quarter nickel plate movement with Swiss index regulator and came with either flat hairspring or Breguet type as options.
CONDITION: Case – Could not be fully evaluated. The front of the case is very good. Dial: There is an ovoid shaped blemish to the left of the sub-seconds dial.
Movement – Could not be evaluated but for this appraisal will assume it is genuine to this case, original and functional. I WILL ASSUME FOR THIS APPRAISAL THAT THE WATCH YOU SHOW ME IS SOLID 18K GOLD. If not, then the appraised valued needs to be downgraded.
HISTORY:
~GLYCINE WATCHES:
The company’s history began in 1914 when founder Eugene Meylan set up shop in Bienne, Switzerland. Although now known for rugged men’s watches, Meylan’s company initially began by producing very small, specialist movements for women’s watches.
By the 1930s he had begun to produce automatic models and a line of certified chronometer watches.
In 1942 Glycine’s ébauche divisions are acquired by ASUAG (Allgemeine Schweizerische Uhrenindustrie AG was the former biggest Swiss Watch Industry Group that had been created with the assistance of the Swiss Government and the Swiss Banks, as an answer to the crisis caused by the Great Depression, in 1931.
Glycine of New York City was listed in 1952 as an American importer of Swiss watches using movements made by A. Schild, Glycine, Font, ETA, Peseux and Felsa.
For the modern watch fan, the story really begins in 1953 with the launch of the Airman. Like most people interested in Glycine, this was the watch that first caught my eye. It’s an iconic watch and to this day, is the standout design in their range.
On its release, the watch was an instant success, having been designed specifically for intercontinental travel. The watch featured a 24hr dial with a GMT function that allowed travelers in general, and pilots specifically, to track the time in two time zones. It hasn’t got that mass appeal of the more widely known luxury brands, but among watch collectors, it’s held in high regard, especially after having been used by the US military in Vietnam.
The famous ' Automatic Module ' from the founder of Glycine, Eugene Meylan. CH149137 and CH149138 from 1931. This module was a genius invention which could be mounted with simple adjustments on any 8.75’’’ lignes hand winding movements and turn them into self-winding/automatic watches. The early self-winding watches usually had the word automatic on the dial.
~COMPLETE CHRONOLOGY OF GLYCINE:
https://www.watchuseek.com/threads/glycine-watches-history-timeline-models.933474/
COMPARABLES:
~https://www.ebay.com/itm/222177733967 (OFFERED FOR $2500 on EBay.)
~https://www.ebay.com/itm/353592777845?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=353592777845&targetid=1262749490622&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1022300&poi=&campaignid=10459842387&mkgroupid=121941812853&rlsatarget=pla-1262749490622&abcId=2146002&merchantid=6296724&gclid=CjwKCAjwmK6IBhBqEiwAocMc8i7qB0vubck-wG0N3lqXa15tMy1Odtivk_bs6vnrUL_bBgZ_F8QYTBoCxmsQAvD_BwE (Slightly different version offered on EBay for $950)
~https://www.ebay.com/itm/324711088396?chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-117182-37290-0&mkcid=2&itemid=324711088396&targetid=1262749492262&device=c&mktype=pla&googleloc=1022300&poi=&campaignid=10459842387&mkgroupid=121941812853&rlsatarget=pla-1262749492262&abcId=2146002&merchantid=263812149&gclid=CjwKCAjwmK6IBhBqEiwAocMc8mKtC_Sv_e0EFtLDiH3nb6xofgSkp_nRmDEcUGD5qgK9zMl3xsm4RhoCi7UQAvD_BwE
(Smaller version offered on EBay of $525)
**N.B.~https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/100763645_glycine-18k-gold-black-dial-wristwatch (Gold, plated hardened steel version brought $350 in 2021)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/97970780_1940-s-glycine-18k-gold-watch (18k gold version, estimated in 2021 in range of $600-$900, failed to sell and was passed.)
https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/60024178_jewelry-glycine-gold-watch-grouping (Sold in 2018 for $450, this is a slightly older example with a different movement)
PRICING:
In its current, very good condition and handsome lug attachment, I feel the fair market value of this watch would be in the range of $800-$900, with retail value about 2-2.5 times that amount.
Thank you for choosing mearto.com for your appraisal.
My best,
David