Vintage Mathey-Tissot Military-Style Wristwatch
Horological Instruments / Vintage Watches

Vintage Mathey-Tissot Military-Style Wristwatch

This is a vintage mid-20th-century wristwatch by the Swiss manufacturer Mathey-Tissot, featuring a classic military-inspired design aesthetic common in the 1940s and 1950s. The watch has a stainless steel or nickel-plated round case with a high-domed acrylic crystal that shows significant surface scratches and a small crack near the 2 o'clock position. The cream-colored dial exhibits a heavy, naturally aged patina with noticeable spotting and degradation of the surface finish. It features bold, blackened Arabic numeral hour markers and a matching outer railway minute track. The handset is particularly distinctive, utilizing cathedral-style hour and minute hands with cathedral apertures that appear to have lost their original luminous fill, paired with a vibrant red center sweep seconds hand. Below the 'Mathey-Tissot' script logo, there is weathered text that appears to read 'Shock Protected' and 'Water Resistant', reflecting the utility focus of the period. The watch is mounted on a modern brown nylon NATO-style utility strap. Visible wear is significant, including brassing or metal loss on the bezel edge, a dulled finish on the crown, and extensive dial foxing. Despite the wear, the integrity of the original components suggests an authentic survival from the WWII-era watchmaking transition into civilian sport watches.

Estimated Value

$250 - $400

Basic Information

Category

Horological Instruments / Vintage Watches

Appraised On

March 9, 2026

Estimated Value

$250 - $400

Item Description

This is a vintage mid-20th-century wristwatch by the Swiss manufacturer Mathey-Tissot, featuring a classic military-inspired design aesthetic common in the 1940s and 1950s. The watch has a stainless steel or nickel-plated round case with a high-domed acrylic crystal that shows significant surface scratches and a small crack near the 2 o'clock position. The cream-colored dial exhibits a heavy, naturally aged patina with noticeable spotting and degradation of the surface finish. It features bold, blackened Arabic numeral hour markers and a matching outer railway minute track. The handset is particularly distinctive, utilizing cathedral-style hour and minute hands with cathedral apertures that appear to have lost their original luminous fill, paired with a vibrant red center sweep seconds hand. Below the 'Mathey-Tissot' script logo, there is weathered text that appears to read 'Shock Protected' and 'Water Resistant', reflecting the utility focus of the period. The watch is mounted on a modern brown nylon NATO-style utility strap. Visible wear is significant, including brassing or metal loss on the bezel edge, a dulled finish on the crown, and extensive dial foxing. Despite the wear, the integrity of the original components suggests an authentic survival from the WWII-era watchmaking transition into civilian sport watches.

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