Women's Vintage Watches
Limited Edition 1950s Space Age Kaleidoscope Watch | | Mid Century Swiss Ernest Borel Gold Cocktail Watch | FULLY RESTORED
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DetailsPut this ELEGANT and RARE limited edition antique kaleidoscope on that wrist! Behold the Borel “Cocktail” watch—with trippy mid-century kaleidoscope face! It's got that hip, space-age, retro-futuristic look—the look of a world with eyes on the space race. These were never officially imported into the USA. Instead, Ernest Borel sold them exclusively on cruises and at fancy resorts in the 50s and 60s.
Everybody will stop you to talk about it. Blow their minds when you take it off and show them the inside, with all the tiny mechanical parts doing their tiny mechanical dance!
The Borel Kaleidoscope has the same effect as a Roomba or a TV with the sound turned off, in that you'll find yourself just gazing upon it—incapable of stopping yourself.
This one's special for three reasons:
1) First, it has a 20 micron gold plated case. A normal plated watch has about 5 microns of gold. This is 4x more. It was designed to last several lifetimes as an heirloom you can wear everyday.
2) I fitted it with a stunning gold-tone stretch metal bracelet, which was very common in the 1950s.
3) It has a "high beat" movement. It "ticks" at 21,600 beats/hour. Normal watches from this era operated at 18,000 beats/hour. This was a high-tech innovation in the 50s, and it commanded a much higher price.
This is lovely, ready-to-wear vintage piece. The inner movement has 17 jewels—rubies built into the mechanism, serving as bushings and bearings. Wind it by hand once a day. FULLY MECHANICALLY RESTORED to operate like new! I disassembled it, cleaned every single tiny part, put it back together, polished all surfaces, and calibrated it to keep good time. Sounds expensive and complicated? It was! It'd cost you about $200 to have this work done. YOU'RE WELCOME!
SIZE: The 12mm gold-filled stretch bracelet is meant to be a one-size-fits-most. It will work for wrists up to a maximum 7.25" around. (Even bigger, if you don't mind it being tight.) Use a measuring tape to take the circumference of your wrist just above the wrist bone. Message me with questions.
• Ernest Borel "Cocktail" kaleidoscope watch—Switzerland, 1960s
• 20 micron yellow gold-plated case with skeleton (see-through) back
• DAINTY round case is 1.0" (25mm) across; 1.3" (33mm) including the bracelet mount lugs
• Custom gold-tone stainless steel bracelet fits wrists up to 7.25" around.
• Ernest Borel marked Swiss hand-winding HIGH FREQUENCY "FEF 401" movement with 17 jewels (rubies)
• FULLY RESTORED mechanical workings! Runs like new!
• Six month warranty for the mechanical workings
This watch is in exceptional used condition. It has only faint signs of wear commensurate with age. Inspect the pics to make sure it meets your standards. (If it doesn't, you might want to get your eyes checked, because it's AWESOME.)
•• Why should you buy from me? ••
I'm the only vintage watch seller on the planet that offers a WARRANTY on crazy, tiny 50-100 years old wrist-machines. The moving, internal mechanical parts are guaranteed to run for six months from the date of purchase. If it stops working, just contact me and we will arrange for you to ship it back to me. I'll fix it up and send it back for no charge. (Damage from impact and water excluded!)
I ship worldwide. I can repair your vintage watch. I buy watches.
Questions? Ask me!
•• SHIPPING ••
All items sent USPS FIrst Class with SIGNATURE REQUIRED. Keep this in mind when entering your address. Note that USPS is moving slower than usual because of COVID. Expect 1-2 weeks in the USA and Canada, and 4-8 weeks internationally. Message me for Overnight/Express shipping quotes.
•• MORE KALEIDOSCOPE WATCHES ••
https://justintimesvintage.com/listing/738696622
https://justintimesvintage.com/listing/611168644
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About Me
• • • • • • • • • • •
Who gave you your first watch? How old were you? Where were you? Everybody I ask has a very unique, intimate story to tell. Why? Your first watch is magic. It’s the first time you gain agency over your most precious, limited resource: time. I wanted to feel that magic again. So, I started buying vintage watches that made me feel romantic and nostalgic—for moments I’d lived, and for moments I might have lived if things had turned out just a tiny bit differently.
Collecting (and wearing) vintage timepieces is truly a rich man’s game. A weatherbeaten mid-century Rolex will cost at least $3,000; a vintage Patek Philippe can set you back ten times that! I’m no rich man. My budget is more like $50-400. There must be low-priced watches that Swiss-watch-snobs with deep pockets don’t care about, right?
Turns out the answer is YES! There are plenty of extremely rare, conversation-starting, iconic timepieces out there. You just need to know where to look and what to look for. They’re frequently made by the same Swiss horologists—often with some of the same exact parts as the prestige brands. I scour auctions, estate sales, and curio shops around the world to find them. I taught myself to clean and repair them so I could keep my costs down—and teamed up with a watchmaker for issues I can’t figure out on my own.
But, I can’t keep them all. My shop lets me keep my collection ever-changing—while bringing you a curated collection of the coolest watches around. -
Shipping & Policies
Shipping from United States
Processing time
3-6 business days
Estimated shipping times
- Australia : 1 - 3 weeks
- Canada : 1 - 2 weeks
- Italy : 2 - 5 weeks
- United Kingdom : 2 - 3 weeks
- United States : 2 - 5 business days
I'll do my best to meet these shipping estimates, but can't guarantee them. Actual delivery time will depend on the shipping method you choose.
Customs and import taxes
Buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes that may apply. I'm not responsible for delays due to customs.
Payment Options
Returns & Exchanges
I gladly accept returns and exchanges
Just contact me within: 3 days of delivery
Ship items back to me within: 7 days of delivery
I don't accept cancellations
But please contact me if you have any problems with your order.
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
- Custom or personalized orders
- Perishable products (like food or flowers)
- Digital downloads
- Intimate items (for health/hygiene reasons)
- Items on sale
Conditions of return
Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value.
Privacy policy
•• Information I Collect ••
To fulfil your order, you must provide me with certain information (which you authorized Etsy to provide to me), such as your name, email address, postal address, payment information, and the details of the product that you’re ordering. You may also choose to provide me with additional personal information (for a custom order, for example), if you contact me directly.
•• Why I Need Your Information and How I Use It ••
I rely on a number of legal bases to collect, use, and share your information, including:
as needed to provide my services, such as when I use your information to fulfil your order, to settle disputes, or to provide customer support;
when you have provided your affirmative consent, which you may revoke at any time, such as by signing up for my mailing list;
if necessary to comply with a legal obligation or court order or in connection with a legal claim, such as retaining information about your purchases if required by tax law; and
as necessary for the purpose of my legitimate interests, if those legitimate interests are not overridden by your rights or interests, such as 1) providing and improving my services. I use your information to provide the services you requested and in my legitimate interest toimprove my services; and 2) Compliance with the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use. I use your information as necessary to comply with my obligations under the Etsy Seller Policy and Terms of Use.
•• Information Sharing and Disclosure ••
Customer privacy is important to my business. Ideally I would like to NEVER share anyone's information, ever. But, it turns out that I may need to share your personal information for very limited reasons and in limited circumstances, as follows:
Etsy. I share information with Etsy as necessary to provide you my services and comply with my obligations under both the Etsy Seller Policy and Etsy Terms of Use.
Service providers. I engage certain trusted third parties to perform functions and provide services to my shop, such as delivery companies. I will share your personal information with these third parties, but only to the extent necessary to perform these services.
Business transfers. If I sell or merge my business, I may disclose your information as part of that transaction, only to the extent permitted by law.
Compliance with laws. I may collect, use, retain, and share your information if I have a good faith belief that it is reasonably necessary to: (a) respond to legal process or to government requests; (b) enforce my agreements, terms and policies; (c) prevent, investigate, and address fraud and other illegal activity, security, or technical issues; or (d) protect the rights, property, and safety of my customers, or others.
•• Data Retention ••
I retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to provide you with my services and as described in my Privacy Policy. However, I may also be required to retain this information to comply with my legal and regulatory obligations, to resolve disputes, and to enforce my agreements. I generally keep your data for 3 years.
•• Transfers of Personal Information Outside the EU ••
I may store and process your information through third-party hosting services in the US and other jurisdictions. As a result, I may transfer your personal information to a jurisdiction with different data protection and government surveillance laws than your jurisdiction. If I am deemed to transfer information about you outside of the EU, I rely on Privacy Shield as the legal basis for the transfer, as Google Cloud is Privacy Shield certified.
•• Your Rights ••
If you reside in certain territories, including the EU, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal information. While some of these rights apply generally, certain rights apply only in certain limited cases. I describe these rights below:
Access. You may have the right to access and receive a copy of the personal information I hold about you by contacting me using the contact information below.
Change, restrict, delete. You may also have rights to change, restrict my use of, or delete your personal information. Absent exceptional circumstances (like where I am required to store data for legal reasons) I will generally delete your personal information upon request.
Object. You can object to (i) my processing of some of your information based on my legitimate interests and (ii) receiving marketing messages from me after providing your express consent to receive them. In such cases, I will delete your personal information unless I have compelling and legitimate grounds to continue using that information or if it is needed for legal reasons.
Complain. If you reside in the EU and wish to raise a concern about my use of your information (and without prejudice to any other rights you may have), you have the right to do so with your local data protection authority.
•• How to Contact Me ••
For purposes of EU data protection law, I, Nathan Martin, am the data controller of your personal information. If you have any questions or concerns, you may contact me at justin@justinwinokur.com.Frequently Asked Questions
Will my package require a signature?
Yes. A signature is required for almost all shipments. That way you can rest assured that your items will arrive safely. Make sure to use a shipping address where someone can sign for your package, otherwise you'll have to go to the post office to collect it.
What shipping method do you use?
• In the USA, items with free shipping are sent by USPS First Class with insurance and signature required.
• International orders ship via USPS Priority.
• Upgraded shipping is USPS Priority Express mail with insurance and signature required.
• Express shipping via private carriers like FedEx, DHL, and UPS is available upon request. Pricing is on a case by case basis. Prices range from about 75 USD for DHL Express to 140 USD for FedEx and UPS Express.Can I upgrade to faster shipping?
Yes! Upgraded shipping is via USPS Priority Express Mail with insurance and signature required. It usually takes 1-2 days within the continental USA, and 3-5 days to other countries.
Express shipping via private carriers like FedEx, DHL, and UPS is available upon request. Pricing is on a case by case basis. Prices range from about 75 USD for DHL Express to 140 USD for FedEx and UPS Express.Can I get a different colored watchband?
I have watchbands in many different styles, colors and materials. If you love the watch but want a different color band, send me a message. I'll see if I have the color you want in my inventory. If I don't, you can swap out the band for any strap you'd like by buying one online or taking it to your local jeweler or watch repair store.
Does my watch need a battery?
It depends on the watch.
1) Mechanical (hand-winding): These watches use a spring and gears to run. There is no battery. You must wind the watch once daily for it to keep running. Most of my watches are this kind.
2) Mechanical (automatic/kinetic): These use a spring and gears as well as a swinging pendulum that rotates as you move throughout the day. It winds itself. You don't need a battery and you don't need to wind it.
3) Quartz: These use batteries. Your watch will include a brand new battery. They can last anywhere from six months to a few years, depending on the watch.I changed my mind! Can I cancel my order and get a full refund?
We don't accept cancellations for a refund. Instead, we offer you store credit which you can use on any of our other items. This store credit is good for one year.
Will the vintage watchband fit me?
Use a measuring tape to measure around your wrist.
All my detailed descriptions include the max wrist size of the bracelet. Bracelets are standardized. They're not an integral part of the watch itself. It's easy to change the band.
NOTE: YOU CAN NOT RETURN THE WATCH BECAUSE THE BRACELET IS THE WRONG SIZE. You're paying for the watch itself—the bracelet is basically free.How do I return an item?
Contact us and we will guide you through the process. Note that the paperwork, documents, packaging, photographs, cards, and anything else in the package MUST be returned in the condition which we sent them to you in. If anything is missing or damaged we will deduct the value of those items from your refund.
Bigger/Smaller Bracelets?
The bracelet (aka band or strap) is usually NOT an integral part of the "watch" itself. It's normal (and somewhat expected) that you'll have a jeweler adjust the band to fit you, or replace the band with one that you can try on in person. Watchbands are standardized and available from any jeweler, watch shop, and online.
NOTE: YOU CAN NOT RETURN THE WATCH BECAUSE THE BRACELET IS THE WRONG SIZE. You're paying for the watch itself—the bracelet is basically free.What do I do if the bracelet isn't the right size?
YOU CAN NOT RETURN THE WATCH BECAUSE THE BRACELET IS THE WRONG SIZE. You're paying for the watch itself—the bracelet is basically free. The bracelet size is listed in the product description. And, any jeweler will adjust the bracelet/band size for you as needed.
A watch is like a ring or other fine piece of jewelry, in that you need to have a jeweler adjust it to fit your perfectly. This is expected and normal. You may even find that you want to replace the bracelet. Bracelets are not an integral part of the watch. They are interchangeable. They can be replaced easily—and quite inexpensively. You can do it yourself or have your local jeweler or watch repair shop do it for you.
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