As you may or may not be aware, the Concorde airplane made it’s first flight all the way back in 1969, and was an amazing piece of technology. The Concord Watch company, on the other hand, traces their roots all the way back to 1908. More specifically, though, a model released in 1969 was brought to my attention by my lovely wife.
While today Concord markets itself as an upscale luxury watch company, today’s vintage example is decidedly more affordable – the particular example my wife found has an asking price of $325. Whether or not this is a fair price, I can’t say, as I’ve been unable to unearth any similar examples for sale.
So, the price is what it is. If you were to pick up a new watch today, at that price point, you’d be hard-pressed to find similar specs. The Concord Automatic 17J features the following:
- ETA 2066 automatic movement with sweeping seconds (21,600 BPH; 46 hour power reserve)
- Swiss-made
- Quickset day/date
- Luminous indices and hands
- 40mm case
That last facet really jumped out at me – a 40mm case from this time period really doesn’t seem to be all that common, and is more in line with current tastes. For me, this watch is a nice middle ground – definitely vintage in style, it’s not so “old” looking that it would look out of place today.
I really enjoy the fact that the day display has the same blue as the dial, as it helps it to blend in. And, surprise surprise, this is actually one watch I feel a white date wheel would’ve looked better. I can see why they chose black (corresponds to the other raised indices), but white would brought a nicer blend.
To be sure, this is not (from what I can find, at least) a common brand or watch. However, it offers a very attractive entry point for a vintage collector, and presents a style that works well today. If anything, I’d change out the band. The aftermarket leather (again, on this particular example) really doesn’t do it for me. Of course, at the price it’s at, an additional strap would be an easy and affordable upgrade.
