Vertex M100: A Brand and a Watch Revived

Many watch brands have been looking back into their archives to produce modern variations of  classic designs. In the case of Vertex, the company itself has been revived by Don Cochrane, great grandson of the original founder of Vertex (in 1916), Claude Lyons. He has in turn has recreated an updated version of a watch that was produced by the company for the British military in 1944. 

Vertex M100

The modern Vertex M100 is based on the 1944 Cal. 59 Navigation watch which was one of twelve similar watches (called WWWs) made by various brands for use during WW2. The twelve, now known as 'The Dirty Dozen' are collected by military watch enthusiasts (very few manage to accumulate the complete set). In my watch collecting days I owned some five of the twelve and one of those was the Vertex WWW. Its well-proportioned design and practical, robust construction made it a favourite and I still own one (see the image below). 

An original 1940s Vertex WWW

Don Cochrane has managed to capture the spirit of the original in a watch that is larger (40mm as opposed to 35mm). Both are hand-wound easily legible dials and stainless steel cases. On occasion modern homage watches fail to capture the looks of the original because scaling up a watch doesn't always preserve its proportions. By carefully tweaking the appearance of the case and dial Vertex have somehow kept the rugged attractiveness of the original without making the M100 a pastiche. The luminous numerals has been applied so that they are three dimensional and this adds a contemporary and minimalist look to the watch.

I wore one for several weeks and enjoyed the experience of winding it daily. Automatic watches are fine, but I like that connection with a mechanical watch when it's wound each morning; a moment of peace as you prepare to rush out to face the world. The watch is legible, comfortable to wear and feels robust and solid.

The luminous numerals

Don Cochrane has produced a watch that can't just be bought by anyone. Keen to avoid it becoming the object of collectors buying it for what it represents rather than what it is, ownership comes through recommendation or ownership of an original Vertex WWW. Priced at £2500, it preserves the practical tool watch character of the original and is something different yet highly wearable for the man or woman looking for a well-designed and attractive watch. The military design gives it a well-proportioned simplicity that makes this an adaptable watch for the man or woman of a sartorial leaning. See Vertex for more information.

Snapshot - Vintage watches

I've written before about the simplicity and elegance of many vintage watch designs. These old British military watches, dating from the forties to the sixties, are excellent examples of this. Highly adaptable, they can be worn as dress or casual watches, adding style and a touch of simple sophistication to any look.

But look after them, while robustly-built, they need to be carefully handled.

Schofield - wristwatches designed in Britain

A good classic watch is essential in any search for style. Regulars here will have guessed that I'm a wristwatch enthusiast. So, while at the Best of Britannia exhibition early in October, I was delighted to find a British watch designer. Giles Ellis is the enthusiastic founder and owner of Schofield Watch Company. Such was his love of watches that he founded a business to design a timepiece he would himself wear.

Talking to him, it was clear that he was motivated to produce a watch of the highest quality  As with any successful design, the devil is in the detail - the smallest elements of the watch have been thought out with the greatest care. The watch is based on very British elements - influenced by the design of lighthouses of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

The watch is, at 44mm, slightly larger than I would normally wear, but having tried it, I would revise this view. The case is large and chunky, but so intelligently made, curved, angled and proportioned that it looked fine, even on my slim wrist. The GMT function enables you to keep time in another time zone without having to adjust the watch. There is also a power reserve indicator. The movement is a high quality Soprod Swiss automatic, beautifully finished (but the owner will never see this).

Everything about the watch and the accompanying accessories is beautifully presented. To continue the British theme, some of the straps are made from British materials - Moon Mills tweed, British Millerain waxed cotton and, to come, Ventile. All these materials I'm covering in other posts this month in the context of the best of British fabrics and fashion. (I'd love to see these produced in other sizes, 20mm and 22mm, for other watches - these are the sort of well-designed and attractive British product that deserves a wider audience).

Finally, among the accessories available is a mouthwatering (I never thought I'd use that adjective, but it's apt here) watch case that has been made in collaboration with Cherchbi. I was delighted to see that the Herdwick wool has been used in its construction. I mentioned this Cumbrian sheep in my post here. Farmers have sometimes had to throw their fleeces away due to its low value. Yet here we have a sheep that has been farmed in an area of England (which I love and visit regularly) since the Vikings lived there. So, to see a  product which uses its fleece was very welcome. We should support such collaborations and wear them with pride.

So, once again, a great British-designed product made with passion and attention to detail.

Collectible wristwatches - SBS quartz diver's watch

One of the most robust and accurate watches I've ever owned was a diver's watch originally issued to the Special Boat Squadron and Royal Marines (if memory serves me right). Its high quality movement and black, reflection-proof and waterproof case made it ideal for its function. 

It's one of many watches I have bought and sold and one of the very few I subsequently regretted letting go - but we can't let regrets rule our lives, can we?

Vintage military watches - style on the wrist

Men have peculiarly acquisitive instincts - how many men do you know who are obsessed by collecting something? It may be cars, watches, clothes, cameras, books, golf clubs, rare birds, works of art or racing bikes. We're no doubt reflecting some ancient instinct which had us collecting weapons, women or whatever was required for our survival and that of our genes.

One item that a man of style might collect is watches - and why not vintage military timepieces?

Photo Grey Fox

There's a move towards smaller watches of plainer design - possibly in response to the proliferation of what I call footballers' watches - huge ugly timepieces, (often 44mm or more in diameter) covered with enough dials, pushers and winders to keep the most frustrated engine driver happy. Nowadays a sophisticated minimalist watch design can work well with formal or informal wear. What better than vintage military watches to fill this niche and to appeal to man's collecting instincts?

The watches in these pictures were made for the British military between the forties and sixties, a vibrant period of military watchmaking, before electronics brought rather soulless quartz watches. They are small by today's standards, around 34mm to 36mm in diameter, but they stand out on the wrist because they were designed to do just that - and to be instantly legible. They are robustly designed with movements which are beautifully made and generally easy to maintain.

Vintage military Hamilton watch - photo Asos

Most can be bought for under £500, though collectible ones like the Omega 53 or Mk11 navigators' watches made by Jaeger LeCoultre and IWC can cost in the thousands. Unlike modern watches, however, they should hold their value, and in many cases actually appreciate. Inevitably, buying vintage military watches is a minefield - a lot of fakes are sold on eBay and even on watch fora and by dealers - get good advice before you take the plunge. 

There is one watch in the picture below which is modern, can you spot it?

Photo Grey Fox

Military watches are often worn with one-piece nylon or "NATO" straps - these can be bought in a wide variety of colours so you can change the appearance of your watch to suit your mood.