Not a very spectacular watch but the Roamer has a special place in horological history and this is very much a typical example from around 1960.

Like most Swiss manufacturers, the company was established in the 1800’s, 1888 in fact but the first Roamer brand watches didn’t appear until 1952. In 1955, Roamer patended the Amfibio, a super water resistant one piece (monocoque) case that eliminated the case back and therefore one less avenue for moisture to penetrate. The technology was later adopted by many leading brands; I have examples by Omega, Citizen, Mido, Wyler, Breitling and even IWC. Coupled with non-complicated, well-finished in-house movements the Roamer soon gained a reputation for good sturdy, reliable watches without being bulky.

I’ve had trouble finding a good example from this era so I did a complete restoration on what was a rather sad example. I fitted new hands, glass and a balance complete, overhauled the nice MST430 movement and polished the case.

When a watchmaker repairs a watch it is customary to scribe a number or coded date in the back so as to record the repair. This watch had eight such inscriptions and with mine, made nine. From this, I figure that this watch has been used for most of its 50 years of existence! I find that amazing and a testament to the overall quality and of the hard gold plated case in particular.

It is signed five times including the watermark “R’ in the centre of the glass