A large, fun digital jump hour mechanical watch called Time Recorder with an unusual split minute complication.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
Time Recorder is a name registered by Omega, but we don’t believe this watch is anything to do with Omega. It is more likely that the company that made this watch, Basis, had a call from Omega to cease and desist! That would explain why we have never seen another watch like this. But based on when these mechanical movements were most popular, and the movement production dates, we think this watch was made circa 1973.
CONDITION
Mechanical digital watches work by replacing hands with discs to tell the time in a digital format. The cheapest versions have an offset window, and there is no extra mechanical work done other than fit the discs. They are not technically jump hour watches, as the hour disc turns slowly like a hour hand would. That is their downfall, as it is hard to read the time other than on the hour when it is aligned. Better watches the hour wheel stays aligned, and jumps on the hour to the next one, whichis what this watch does. It works ina similar way to a calendar changing. This particular watch is unusual in that it has two discs for the minutes – one for the tens and another for the minutes. The ten’s jump in a similar way to the hours, while the minutes turn constantly. It is a solution that does help legibility further, and one we have not seen before too. This is all working correctly, but it should be clear that these were never designed to be super accurate from the outset. The movement appears to be a Baumgartner pin pallet in 17 jewel configuration, but not one registered with Ranftt movement database (could be a variant on the 582, but none listed quite like this). The case is chromed, with a brushed centre section, and unfortunately there is some scratches to the top of the case – with such a chunky watch catching a door frame wouldn’t be inconceivable. The leather strap is new, and could be swapped for a different colour if preferred.
This watch will be supplied with our branded presentation box and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 47.8 mm
Width without crown 44.3 mm
Between lugs 20 mm
Lug to lug length 37.8 mm
Case Thickness 14.7 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 1 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
