Watchlords

Brand names like Rolex, Patek, Audemars Piguet and Omega dominate the headspace of vintage watch collectors not only due to their exceptional quality, but also because of their historical significance. These are names that have been around for decades, and in some cases, for centuries; they’ve come to help define what the watch industry is today.

But these legacy brands aren’t the exclusive purveyors of significant, lust-worthy vintage watches. Before the quartz crisis of the 1970s and ’80s, there were dozens of other watchmakers out there producing exceptional timepieces. Though most of them were victims of a seismic shift in timekeeping technology, their watches are worth collecting.

https://www.gearpatrol.com/watches/a431 ... will-love/

You simply can't kill any of those old Elgin watches. They are always being sold on pre-owned sites for like $150. I have a friend that likes his 1950s Elgin so much he went and bought another one. Old Gruen watches are like that, too.