Watchlords

So, after some contemporary watch purchases and one vintage directly from my friend, I decided it's about time that I've returned to where I've started my vintage watch collection - the flea market. And, I think it turned out not half bad.

First, a gem from an obscure brand - a 1940s rectangular Mora:


Having done a quick look, Mora was a brand from...Denmark, a trademark of a J.C. Filtenborg of Copenhagen. Fun thing - the seller mentioned having acquired it as a part of a batch of watches in Denmark alright.

"Imp." at the bottom of the dial apparently stands for "importeret", or "Imported." That's consistent with the movement, which is a Swiss import indeed - an AS 984. Yes, it has a round AS 984 in a relatively substantial "tank" case.

The case is chrome-plated, and...also imported to Denmark, from Continental Europe's (excluding Switzerland) casemaking/metalworking hub - Pforzheim, Krautland.

"GK" with star and crescent stands for Gebruder Kuttroff (Kuttroff Brothers) of Pforzheim, registered in 1934.


The next haul...

...could be the first issued milwatch in my collection:


The engravings are worn, as is the rest of the case, but it seems to be a legit GSTP - General Service Trade Pattern, or General Service Timepiece, not sure which of these did the GSTP acronym stand for. Brass case, screw-down bezel and case back.

Moeris was - at some point - a respectable independent brand, which, like a lot of others, at some point was eaten up by a larger company as an alternative to closing its doors - in this case, it was Tissot, and so Moeris got swallowed by the SSIH.

Inside, a Moeris 19'''H:

http://www.ranfft.de/cgi-bin/bidfun-db. ... Moeris_19H

Sadly, the movement - while it does work - will need a thorough service. The position of the regulator indicates that the movement just cries for a watchmaker's intervention.

So, that's all, folks. Mr. Bloke out.

Way cool!

Very nice Mikey, love that Mora!

You have an excellent eye, sir!

The Mora is cool. I could also have told You about the brand, as one of my buddies here has one - from his father. I am not posting it, as the only picture I have is showing a watch in a totally aweful state.

Well done! Nice snags.

Sweet finds.

I have never had the patience to spend time at flea markets.

Awesome. I wish we had decent fleas near me; all they sell in my vicinity are knockoffs, Chinese no-brands, and plastic junk ("K-Shock").

The only thing I have ever picked up at a flea market was fleas.

Some nice shit right there, Mr. Bloke!

Thanks, chaps!

I have done some digging on the company behind the Mora trademark, J.C. Filtenborg A/S of Copenhagen. It appears that the company is in continuous existence since 1855, and while it's primarily a furniture manufacturer and retailer (which is mentioned in the Mikrolisk entry as well), they're also dealing in fashion accessories and watches. Well, now their presence on the watch market seems to be limited to retailing Citizen. They don't provide any email address on their website, so I haven't contacted them. Would be interesting to know if they have any archive of adverts/catalogs, or perhaps any documentation from the 1930s and 1940s.

It's been a while since your post, but I wanted to offer some insight. If you’re looking for cool ways to find vintage items, flea markets are a goldmine! Many people don't realize how many unique finds you can come across at these markets. For instance, check out websites like sacfleamarkets.com where they have a ton of info about different flea markets, including reviews and tips on what to look for. You can often find everything from antique watches to vintage vinyl records at these places. It’s a great way to score one-of-a-kind items that you won’t see anywhere else.