Time Capsule
Vintage Personalized Wristwatches & the Stories They Tell
"You never actually own a watch...You merely look after it for the next generation"
Click any Photo above to read their Time Capsule stories....
New Stories –- February 2023
Time Capsule: Returning WW2 British Sapper David Breese’s 1947 Orator watch to nephew Ivan Breese
Capt. David Alexander Breese (1920-2009) had an illustrious career as a WW2 British Royal Engineer– a “Sapper". Breese was part of the D-Day Operation, blowing up bridges behind German lines in Normandy.
In 1947, prior to being deployed to Palestine, Capt. Breese purchased an Orator watch inscribed with his name & service number. His watched was returned to his British nephew, RAF Corporal (Ret.) Ivan Breese in January 2023.
“You never actually own a watch….You merely look after it for the next generation”
(You can also find his story on the <WW2 / Cold War> menu above…)
WW1 Military Watches
WW2/Cold War Military Watches
Athletes Watches
Presentation/Personal Watches
The Time Capsule Collection of Vintage Watches
Bob Stokes
I have spent my entire life collecting something. 1950s baseball cards (yup, I had all the Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays cards...) -- and of course my Mom threw them all out when I went to college. Over the next fifty years, that morphed into Victorian Furniture, Victor Talking Machines / Nipper collectibles, 19th Century Advertising; Opera memorabilia – and finally, vintage personalized wristwatches.
Why? First, through the miracle of the Internet, the lives of the original owners have have been documented and preserved -- military heroes; athletes; community leaders. Second, each watch is unique -- it is the only one in the world. If you don't buy it, no amount of money can get it for you. And third, when I research the owner's family, I can return it to them for posterity.
"You never actually own a watch....you merely look after it for the next generation"
