1970's Bertmar Dive Watch
1970's Bertmar Dive Watch
SKU:FWW1057
Description
Description
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Brand and Manufacturer - Bertmar, Switzerland
- Year - 1970
- Serial # 11210 ; Model # N/A
- Movement & Caliber - Manual Wind
- Case Diameter - 34 mm
A manual wind stainless steel and chrome plated Bertmar dive watch. This very cool dive watch was made during the 1970's as the demand for reasonably priced dive watches increased in the United States.
Bertmar is one of those Swiss brands that is no longer with us due to the great purge of the quartz revolution. There is very little known about this Canadian based brand. From research made 'BERTMAR' was the brand name used by the Canadian company “Peoples (Credit) Jewellers”, which started business in Toronto, Ontario, Canada early in the 20th century. The brand name was created from the names of founder, Frank Gerstein’s, two sons BERTrand and MARvin. After Frank Gerstein’s death, Bertrand and Marvin took over the company and expanded it all across Canada.
The watch has all the design hallmarks of classic dive watches from the period. Black glossy dial, large legible hour markers at 12, 3, 6, 9 o'clock, with wide, easy to read, hand set, all surrounded by a bi-directional bezel for timing an hour under water. There is a date window at 3 o'clock position, an added complication. The original bold tritium luminous material is present and still very bold, and is in perfect condition. The seventeen jewel manual wind movement is in good working condition. The screw back case is in stainless steel, as was quite often in order to keep costs competitive.
The overall condition is essentially perfect with very little signs of wear. The case is unpolished and very sharp. The crown has list its plating reveling the brass beneath it, which actually gives the watch more character! These watches ushered in the age of the consumable dive watch for amateur divers across the world. For those that could not afford offerings from the likes of Blancpain, Rolex or Omega these watches made for a great option. Full of charm and character, it looks fantastic today, and for the money, it is hard to beat this look on the wrist.