ELGIN Diver Wristwatches
 
Elgin Diver watches hold a special place in the history of diving timepieces. Elgin, the renowned American watch company, produced diver watches during the 1950s, catering to the growing demand for reliable timepieces among diving enthusiasts and professionals. Elgin diver watches were designed to withstand the rigors of underwater exploration and featured characteristics that were essential for divers.
 
They aimed to create a reliable and robust timepiece that could withstand the pressures of deep-sea diving. Elgin divers initially used mechanical movements, which were the standard at the time. These movements were manually wound and known for their accuracy and reliability. Later, as technology advanced, Elgin incorporated automatic movements into their diver watches, eliminating the need for manual winding.
 
Elgin diver watches were also adopted by the United States military. The U.S. Navy, in particular, procured Elgin watches for use by its divers during the Vietnam War era. The production of Elgin diver watches spanned a relatively short period. Elgin faced financial difficulties in the 1960s and discontinued watch manufacturing in 1968. This led to the end of diver watches production, making these watches relatively rare and highly sought after by collectors today.
 
ELGIN
Automatic
Diver Wristwatch
WH103-909-6065
Swiss Made
 
A unique timepiece, this is a vintage Elgin diver automatic wristwatch day/date, reference WH103-909-6065 and dated from the early 1970s.
 
Elgin diver watches often housed automatic (self-winding) movements, which eliminated the need for manual winding. These self-winding movements utilized the wearer's wrist movements to power the watch, providing convenience and reliability.
 
This watch is self-winding, powered by an original Elgin automatic movement caliber FHF 909, 17 jewels, sweep second, day/date (quickset), 43 hours power reserve, 21,600 A/h, unadjusted, Swiss made.
 
It is cased in a 39.3mm robust and durable all stainless-steel cushion case with a bi-directional rotating bezel featuring a luminous dot. The bezel allowed divers to track elapsed time underwater, an essential feature for dive safety. This watch also features the original signed Elgin push-pull crown located at 4 o’clock.
 
Elgin diver watches were engineered to be highly water-resistant. While early models typically offered water resistance up to 200 meters (660 feet), later iterations could achieve even higher ratings. Some models featured water resistance up to 600 meters (2,000 feet), allowing for deep-sea diving.
 
Still the original sunburst silver dial (showing some aged and patina) with luminous hour markers, luminous dots, a blue inner bezel with white minute/second track, silver/luminous matching hands, and the super cool orange luminous sweep second-hand. The day/date window is located at 3 o’clock and the dial is also signed with the Elgin name/logo and Automatic.
 
This watch comes on a new-old-stock black Speidel two-piece Genuine Leather strap.

Thank you for looking! Please feel free to contact us with any question, or respectful offers.

Movement:
ELGIN
SWISS
17 Jewels
Unadjusted
Cal. FHF 909

Case Markings:
ELGIN
Switzerland
WA103-909-065
All Stainless Steel Case

Measurements (mm):
Case Diameter 39.3
Case Lug to Lug 45.5
Case Thickness 13.7
Lug Width 19
Band Width 19

Vintage watches are traditionally smaller than today's watches. Men’s watches typically measure between 29-36mm wide (some larger, some smaller) excluding the crown. In the listing details we typically try to do our best to list all pertinent dimensions of a watch. If you don't see it, or we failed to do so, please reach out to us. Women’s watches from the 1900s-1970s were also much smaller than today's offerings. Please also feel free to ask any questions you have pertaining to size.
 
We prefer to shoot photographs outside when weather is permitting. However, when we shoot indoors, please be aware that we shoot our photographs inside of lightboxes that are lit with 360 LED bulbs. This indeed magnifies any flaws. Usually, they are much less obvious to the naked eye. Having said that, we never photoshop any of our photography, remove blemishes, etc. We adjust the lighting, when necessary, but what you see is what you are getting, and we take pride in that.

The condition is pre-owned.
The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear but is fully operational and functions as intended.
Please review the photos and feel free to ask any questions you may have.
 
It will be carefully packed.

Please view our other listings.
Thank you for looking!

WA-4285