Bring a Loupe A Stunning Rolex GMT-Master 6542, A 'Disco Volante' Patek Philippe Reference 2552, A Technical Mimo Loga, And More

After a two-week hiatus Bring A Loupe is back, with a killer selection of vintage watches. The Rolex GMT-Master reference 6542 is logically the star of the week, as it comes in great condition and retains its original bakelite bezel. On the dressy side, the Patek Philippe "Disco Volante" reference 2552 scores high as well, hiding a sumptuous automatic movement. You can also discover the Mimo Loga, a forgotten slide-rule watch that competed with the Breitling Chronomat and the Juvenia Arithmo in the 1940s. Lastly, two great chronographs from less obvious brands step in – a mint Minerva (with a gorgeous in-house Minerva chronograph caliber) and a beauty of a Nivada Chronoking Aviator Diver, at a no-brainer price. This is your Bring A Loupe for December 9, 2016.

The specific case shape of the Patek reference 2552 explains its "Disco Volante" ("flying saucer") nickname, yet there is another reason to look at this watch beyond mere aesthetics. It boils down to its movement, the caliber 12'600. It was indeed the very first automatic caliber ever made by Patek, first released in 1953 and produced until 1960. Its exceptional construction and lavish finishing are detailed in Ben's love letter to the reference 2526, but a quick look at its sumptuous rotor suffices to make a lasting impression. The reference 2552 offered here is said to have remained in its original owner's family, and the seller accurately discloses that the second hand is a replacement part. The gold hallmarks on the side of the lugs show some previous polishing, but they are still present and legible, which is always a good sign.

This Patek 2552 is offered for $13,750 on the forum Breitling-source.

The 6542 is the Rolex GMT Master that started it all, back in 1954. Its ingenuity is striking; the combination of a second hour hand and a 24-hour rotating bezel still remains one of the best ways to display a secondary time zone. It exhibits a lot of the traits from early sports Rolex, from a smaller 38mm diameter to the lack of crown guards and the use of radium as lume material on the chapter ring dial. And, of course, it made a noticeable appearance in a James Bond movie, when it was worn by the pilot Pussy Galore in Goldfinger. 

One of the best feature of this 6542 is actually a seemingly simple part: its bakelite bezel. (If you're wondering, bakelite was an early industrial plastic, invented in 1907.) These are fairly fragile and were often swapped for more durable but less charming metal replacements. The case shows great lugs, while the gilt dial is remarkably preserved; this is a really rare combination to observe in any tool watch produced more than 50 years ago. The watch also comes with a box and the booklets documenting a sale in 1960. It is the same date that can be found on the "Big Logo" clasp, so the riveted bracelet is fairly close to the production year of this GMT (circa 1958, according to its serial number). 

The dealer Matt Bain has this amazing GMT-Master 6542 for $135,000 on its website.

The Breitling Chronomat is often thought of as the first wristwatch with slide rule, but that honor actually goes to the Mimo Loga, which was the first in July of 1940 to apply for a patent regarding the use of logarithmic tables on a wristwatch, one month before Breitling (it seems that a similar patent was made for a pocketwatch in 1936). Juvenia followed in 1945 with the Arithmo model, still using the principle of scales to help perform calculations. (Circular slide rules are older than you might think – the first was from around 1630!)

As such, they were truly the smartwatches of their time, when electronic calculators took up the space of an entire room – not so bad for a 37mm wristwatch! The condition of this example is described by the seller as mint; the uncommon black dial and the different calculating scales seem indeed unmolested, but you would need additional pictures to evaluate the case.

Cestino offers this rare Mimo watch for €7,500 (or around $7,960) on Chrono24, while this watch can also be seen on the Instagram page of this French dealer.

Minerva is often overlooked when it comes to vintage chronographs, and this reference 1335 from the 1940s shows how unfair that is. The dial is spectacular, in its two-tone silvery finish, and with applied numerals. And the 34mm case is impressive in its own right, with well defined lugs (fixed lugs as you should know), a waterproof case back, and large pushers. Its chronograph movement is the respected 13-20CH caliber. It was made in-house by Minerva, something worth mentioning since the company was eventually purchased by Richemont in 2006 for its proven skills at making chronograph calibers, which now equip Montblanc and Panerai.

You can find this Minerva Chronograph on Carsandwatches, there it is priced at €5,499 (or around $5,920).

While all other picks this week come from the 1940s and '50s this Nivada very obviously belongs to a later decade, as evidenced by its dial and the use of tritium (the luminous material was only used in watches from the early 1960s until the late 1990s). The Chronoking's legibility is impressive, partly due to its 38mm case size, which allows for a tachymeter track on the edge of its dial. The mirror finish of its sub-registers and the large font on its hour-minute rotating bezel definitely play a role there too. And the unusual date placement at 12 o'clock adds some character, courtesy of the chronograph caliber Valjoux 234, which is a higher beat version of the classical Valjoux 23 movement.   

You can get this Nivada Chronoking for a Buy-It-Now at $2,499 on Ebay, and the seller will also consider lower offers.