Welcome to The Library

The ever expanding database on everything vintage and antique. A place to learn, discuss and connect.

 
Rally Turistico de Andorra - The Story of an Unknown Artifact
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Rally Turistico de Andorra - The Story of an Unknown Artifact

In the hunt for the ultimate timepiece we sometimes find related accessories. This time, a mysterious artifact, a banner flag that clearly mentioned Omega but gave zero results on the world wide web.

As a real internet Indiana Jones I traveled far and back but never found it's original heritage. Until I found a magazine covering Omega from 1957. As I flipped through the pages I noticed a familiar name; Andorra Ralley Turistico.

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Watch store pro-tips: Building the ultimate display
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Watch store pro-tips: Building the ultimate display

A piece of history; information to building a professional watch storefront. Found in a magazine from 1953, written by Jean Durieu and illustrations from P.A. Perret.

To all owners with a brick and mortar store: Here are some 60 year old tips for presenting the timepieces to your customers without distractions, annoyances and stop making them feel like they enter a whorehouse.

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Audemars Piguet Bamboo: Grace of Lightness
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Audemars Piguet Bamboo: Grace of Lightness

Audemars Piguet Bamboo: Grace of Lightness.

Bamboo, the natural symbol of lightness and flexibility, gives a symbolic expression to the lifestyle of tropical paradises.

The designers at Audemars Piguet came up with the concept for the Bamboo to recreate this grace with the means of the goldsmith's art.

Artfully intertwined golden canes are the characteristic of this creation. They form the supple bracelet, whose rhythm is picked up by the watch case and brought to perfection.

The harmony that a bamboo radiates, its silky shine, gives an idea of the painstaking manual work that was required to achieve this perfection of grace.

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Vintage Racing Watches: A race against time!
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Vintage Racing Watches: A race against time!

Collecting vintage timepieces isn’t just about the watch — it’s about what it represents. A small object that captures a moment in time, a feeling like the thunder of a V12 behind your back as you go flat-out through Eau Rouge.

This is a nostalgic ride through watches used in racing as they were meant to be used, on the wrists of drivers, pit crews, and timekeepers — from the 1930s to the 1970s.

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Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie, No. 3-4 March-April 1953
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Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie, No. 3-4 March-April 1953

Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie, Issues No. 3-4 March-April 1953. The longest running watch magazine in existence; Journal Suisse d'Horlogerie. Since 1876 they started to write about horology and continue to this day. This example is from March-April 1953 (Spanish edition). A source of vintage advertisements, new movements introduced that year, results from Neuchatel, a visit to Gübelin and the usual watch nerd stuff.

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