Vintage Swiss Emperor Automatic 40 mm Alarm Day-Date – AS 5008, Serviced, 1970s

The 60’s and 70’s were a period of upheaval for the world of watchmaking. Not long before Quartz gobbled up a significant portion of the market thanks to its cheapness, an array of mechanical movements had become widely available for purchase right off the shelf. This made it possible for anyone (well, mainly jewelers with access to the necessary gadgetry) to try their hand at making watches. The results were often ghastly, to put it lightly, but every once in a while – a diamond would emerge from the scrap heap.
“Swiss Emperor” was a brand name for watches sold by the respected H. Samuel chain of High Street Jewelers. The example on offer here has a vertically brushed stainless steel case with some very crisp and curvy edges. The sunburst dial is embellished with applied reflective hour indices and encircled by a rich blue minute strip, to which the red arrow-shaped alarm hand is nicely juxtaposed. Speaking of which, the watch is powered by the shock-protected automatic AS cal. 5008, which has an alarm complication, as well as a day and date function. Really, is there much else you could ask for? Professionally serviced in 03.2020 – keeping time perfectly. The watch comes on a sturdy stainless steel mesh bracelet.

The watch is covered by 6 months of limited warranty from ChronoTimepieces.