This is a fantastic vintage French-market skin diver branded North Star, dating to the 1970s. Beneath the North Star name is an interesting piece of the period's international watch trade, with both the case and movement carrying “E. Gluck Trading Co. France” markings.
Measuring approximately 35.8mm across, 40.6mm lug-to-lug and 12.6mm thick including the domed acrylic crystal, the watch has the compact proportions that make vintage skin divers so appealing. The case has sharp angular lugs and clean polished sides, while the outer case back is stamped 6-ATM Waterproof.
The matte black dial has a strong vintage dive-watch aesthetic, with aged creamy luminous plots and an unusual 3-6-9-12 Explorer-style numeral layout. The day-date display at 3 o'clock adds considerable practicality, while the contrasting markers and hands remain highly legible against the dark dial.
The watch is powered by a 17-jewel France Ébauches Cal. 140-1-A, a French manual-wind movement from the FE family. The movement is stamped “E. Gluck Trading Co. France”, providing a direct connection between the watch and the American importer behind the North Star name.
The bidirectional rotating elapsed-time bezel is characteristic of the skin-diver format, with its silver triangle at the zero position. It is paired with a black perforated Tropic-style rubber strap that suits the watch perfectly and reinforces its period-correct sporting character.
The movement presents particularly well, with clean bridges and components showing no obvious signs of corrosion or water damage. The combination of the preserved case, attractive aged lume, French movement and unusual North Star branding makes this a particularly interesting example of the affordable European dive watches that emerged during the 1970s.
A great vintage skin diver with French engineering, American-market history and classic 1970s dive-watch styling, all wrapped up in a very wearable 35.8mm case.
This is a fantastic vintage French-market skin diver branded North Star, dating to the 1970s. Beneath the North Star name is an interesting piece of the period's international watch trade, with both the case and movement carrying “E. Gluck Trading Co. France” markings.
Measuring approximately 35.8mm across, 40.6mm lug-to-lug and 12.6mm thick including the domed acrylic crystal, the watch has the compact proportions that make vintage skin divers so appealing. The case has sharp angular lugs and clean polished sides, while the outer case back is stamped 6-ATM Waterproof.
The matte black dial has a strong vintage dive-watch aesthetic, with aged creamy luminous plots and an unusual 3-6-9-12 Explorer-style numeral layout. The day-date display at 3 o'clock adds considerable practicality, while the contrasting markers and hands remain highly legible against the dark dial.
The watch is powered by a 17-jewel France Ébauches Cal. 140-1-A, a French manual-wind movement from the FE family. The movement is stamped “E. Gluck Trading Co. France”, providing a direct connection between the watch and the American importer behind the North Star name.
The bidirectional rotating elapsed-time bezel is characteristic of the skin-diver format, with its silver triangle at the zero position. It is paired with a black perforated Tropic-style rubber strap that suits the watch perfectly and reinforces its period-correct sporting character.
The movement presents particularly well, with clean bridges and components showing no obvious signs of corrosion or water damage. The combination of the preserved case, attractive aged lume, French movement and unusual North Star branding makes this a particularly interesting example of the affordable European dive watches that emerged during the 1970s.
A great vintage skin diver with French engineering, American-market history and classic 1970s dive-watch styling, all wrapped up in a very wearable 35.8mm case.