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 Diver Wristwatch DH603
Stainless-Steel Case – Shockprotected – Waterresistant.
An iconic American timepiece in pristine condition! This is a vintage Elgin diver automatic wristwatch day/date, reference DH6312 and dated from the 1960s.
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 ETA 2879, 17 jewels, sweep second, day/date complication, 55 hours power reserve and 21,600 A/h.
It is cased in a 35.8mm robust and durable stainless steel round case with a bi-directional rotating “Pepsi” bezel and hidden lug design. The bezel allowed divers to track elapsed time underwater, an essential feature for dive safety. This watch also features a screw-down crown hat provides enhanced water resistance by creating a watertight seal when fully screwed down.
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 gray dial champagne dial with contrasting silver hour markers, luminous dots, white minute/second track, and silver/luminous hands. The day/date window is located at 3 o’clock and the dial is also signed with the Elgin name/logo, 17 Jewels and Selfwinding.
To have the complete matching, this watch comes on a new-old-stock black tropical two-piece strap. The tropic strap is flexible, durable, and resistant to water – suitable for use in wet or humid environments.
Tropic was a brand of rubber watch strap that gained popularity during the mid-20th century and was commonly used on dive watches and other sports watches of that era. The term "tropical" refers to the characteristic design and functionality of these straps.
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Movement: ELGIN 17 Jewels Cal. ETA 2879
Case Markings: ELGIN Stainless Steel Case Shockprotected Waterresistant 2879 DH603
Measurements (mm): Case Diameter 35.8 Case Diameter w/Crown 40.5 Case Lug to Lug 43.2 Case Thickness 13 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.
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