Post pics of your watches ***Please NO QUOTING PHOTOS***

I've been wearing this a fair bit of late.



French made LIP Nautic-Ski, from the late 60's, second version from circa 69/70. Would have originally sported a blue Tropic rubber strap(like this dealer example here Might hunt one down but they're mad money for an original). LIP R184 electronic movement that they developed in the early 1960's. Ticks like a mechanical. Battery lasts about a year which was par for the course back then with battery driven watches.


As you can see takes a Renata 301 battery size.

First electronic movement proper dive watch, housed in a two crown Super Compressor case(like a few were at the time from Longines, IWC and a few others). Beautifully made and expensive case at the time. One reason they didn't last as a thing.



Works by working with the pressure(like a diving helmet apparently), so as it increases with depth the crystal and back case squeezes ever harder to keep out water. The reissue Longines diver/IWC etc with similar case designs don't work the same way. The top crown operates the internal bezel. The "Ski" part comes from the company owners daughter who was an avid and talented skier and skiing is a pretty damp sport too so a "waterproof" watch is an advantage(300m rating IIRC). 36mm case minus crowns, but wears much bigger as it's a very thick watch(14mm) with long enough lugs.

Prices have gone a bit mad on them of late like most vintage with a following though they're "cheaper" than most with the case design and the cheapest of all watches associated with Jacques Cousteau. Same model as mine in use, with an Omega Ploprof in the background.




Ebay auction prices vary from around the 500 mark to 800. More like 1-1500 for dealers. The later post 71 cases with more recessed crowns go for around the 3-400 mark. Movement and other parts even dials and bezels at times are readily enough available. Can be made water resistant to original spec too. So for a dive watch that doesn't look like the Rolex Sub and various clones not a bad bet IMHO.

Like a mechanical. Ticks twice per second. Looking closer it's a little different to a mechanical in that the seconds hand kinda rocks back and forth very slightly with each forward impulse. Hard to describe. It's a very distinctive tick too. Many of the early battery movements were basically mechanical movements but with the mainspring replaced by a battery and some sort of electric impulse that replaced the escapement. Tuning fork movements were the most radical of all. The only movement where the driving force/escapement of the movement directly drove the hands.

Nice one BB, well may you wear.

Birneybau wrote: »

I ain't buying anymore!