This will be a pretty short article. Why? Well, when I acquired this Dunhill watch last November, I had no intention of publicising it as, a) it wasn’t important/interesting enough, and b) it was kind of a “fashion” watch – something I have an aversion to. All that said, I have worn the watch off and on since and am quite fond of it – hence this brief piece now.
Initially I had skated past this on my chum James Kibble’s watch site. However, I did find the design interesting and felt that the quality would be pretty good as – let’s face it, Dunhill don’t sell c**p. It was also pretty cheap at around £350. Also, and unusually, I was actually at James’ office in Clerkenwell so could view in person. So, the upshot was that I bought it.
The first task was to sort out the black leather (deployant) strap, which was pretty worn and in fact at the lugs was about to fail. By the way, this was known when I bought it! Anyway, this aspect had no quick fix, as getting a replacement strap from Dunhill was not a viable option – in fact I am not sure they even sell watches any more. Additionally, due to the somewhat unique design at the lug end, a conventional replacement was again a no no. Of course I could have had a new strap made, but at £150 plus, this was not particularly attractive – bearing in mind the low watch value. As such, after discussing with James, it was agreed that he would throw in a conventional black leather pin buckle strap so at least the watch could be worn.
I was staying in London for a few days, so on one bored evening I studied the strap again, and using the original as a template, set too with some modifications. The main task was to reduce the width of the strap ends so they would fit the narrow lug aperture. This was achieved by employing a tiny knife (for removing bottle foils) that is on a travel corkscrew I carry around! Now, I accept that my efforts were somewhat rudimentary, but in the end the result was acceptable – albeit not quite to the same quality of the original strap! However, the watch could now be worn with it’s original deployant buckle.
At this point, just a brief word about Dunhill. The firm was set up in 1893 in London (Conduit St) by Alfred Dunhill, and they originally simply catered for early motorists. They supplied leather helmets, googles, coats and gloves. They also patented a dashboard clock called Motorities. By the 1920’s they offered a range of watches, along with small clocks in-built into such items like belts, lighters, and writing instruments. These pieces were of high quality, with Swiss movements, but the cases were, for the most part UK sourced. I think it would be fair to say that if you asked most people about Dunhill, they would associate the name with high quality accessories – but mainly with smoking paraphernalia – such as lighters, pipes, cigars, boxes etc. Today, the business is owned by Richemont, and a range of luxury goods are offered.
In terms of the watch, as alas there were no accompaniments, an assumption as to vintage has had to be made. Although internet info is minimal, the watch is a reference 16611030 and probably dates from the 1990s – so let as average to 1995! It is made of stainless steel and this has a matt finish – no polished surfaces at all. The size is 37mm x 9.5mm. There is a unidirectional numbered bezel (with a centralising arrow with lumed pip) and a heavily knurled screw-in crown within protectors. The strap is secured via screws, with matching knurling. The dial is black, with an outer rail track. Heavy Roman numerals are employed – lumed, and the sword-like main hands likewise, as does the lollipop-type sweep hand – which also has a hacking feature. A neat date window is sited at 6 o’clock. The reverse reveals a sold case back, noting waterproofing to 200m. Inside resides an automatic ETA 2824-2 which beats at 28,800 vph. Finally, as mentioned earlier, the original strap was black, padded, and in fine calf. The mechanism here has again a brushed finish along with the Dunhill name. That, as they say, is that!
In conclusion, I have an attractive, distinctive, and reliable (keeps excellent time) watch, from a quality retailer – all for a pretty modest outlay. I also no longer think that it is a ‘fashion’ watch after all. So, frankly, one can ask for little more!
Words & Images: The Writer