# Know Much About Sandoz?



## howie77 (Jun 21, 2009)

Sorry wasn't sure where to stick this, it could relate to Swiss / Chinese / Vintage / Load of Crap stop wasting our time...

So I've read the comparison over at Poor Man's... ( non commercia link! ) and still wouldn't say I could tell for definite. Over to you then.

Old Swiss Sandoz, or battered Hong Kong Sandoz?










Howie


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## grey (Apr 29, 2006)

howie77 said:


> Sorry wasn't sure where to stick this, it could relate to Swiss / Chinese / Vintage / Load of Crap stop wasting our time...
> 
> So I've read the comparison over at Poor Man's... ( non commercia link! ) and still wouldn't say I could tell for definite. Over to you then.
> 
> ...


For what my opinion's worth, I reckon it's from Honkers (which is where I think mine is from as well). Won mine on fleabay for about Â£40 (used) yonks ago and it spends most of its time in my watchbox. I spend half my time thinking it's an embarrassing overpriced knockoff, and then every time I get it out to have a look, I realise what a nice thing it is in its own right. Think I'm going to wear it tomorrow. Get a bezel insert and do the same, Howie (or maybe not, but certainly change the strap - mine's on a Lumpy now, and it looks great.)

Graham


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## howie77 (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks Grey, and yes I'd say your spot on there. And with there being a HK sub with pepsi dial reckon that clinches it. Shame really, thought I'd found a vintage! The only thing that threw me was the glass - no cyclops. But then again could have been cleaned off at some point I guess.

Good suggestion tho re fixing it up, that old blue strap is awful!

Yours is a belter, very nice.

Cheers, Howie


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## dombox40 (Oct 20, 2008)

This company used to be called Henri Sandoz and Fils years ago and turned out some decent Pieces with good swiss movements, but I think they lost their way over the more recent years like many watch makers. Here you go even found this pic of my watch it,s about somewhere this is from the 1950s notice the logo is very simular.


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## howie77 (Jun 21, 2009)

Aha! Now that is a proper vintage. Presumably the old Swiss Sandoz are all marked similarly then, with Henri ... & Fils script..?

As it happens, in typical fashion I missed the auction having been far too interested over here instead. It went for the sum of Â£32 and 50 pence.

Cheers, Howie


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## dombox40 (Oct 20, 2008)

howie77 said:


> Aha! Now that is a proper vintage. Presumably the old Swiss Sandoz are all marked similarly then, with Henri ... & Fils script..?
> 
> As it happens, in typical fashion I missed the auction having been far too interested over here instead. It went for the sum of Â£32 and 50 pence.
> 
> ...


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## zed4130 (Jun 25, 2009)

Surly its still worth a new bezel insert and a clean up, i would restore that if it was mine and put a nice strap on it :thumbsup:

paul


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## DaveS (Dec 7, 2009)

howie77 said:


> Sorry wasn't sure where to stick this, it could relate to Swiss / Chinese / Vintage / Load of Crap stop wasting our time...
> 
> So I've read the comparison over at Poor Man's... ( non commercia link! ) and still wouldn't say I could tell for definite. Over to you then.
> 
> ...


Howie

Certainly isn't a waste of time but, if you think so, you could stick it in a jiffy bag and send it to me. :thumbsup:

I'm not an expert by any means but I think the early Sandoz & Fils watches were Swiss made. Then the marque seems to have become fragmented with some made in HK, some in Singapore and some remaining Swiss made.

Irrespective of where this was "assembled" the movement will be an ETA 2824-2 so not to be sniffed at.

The pics look like one of the smaller cases. Is it a 1800-D-77-2 case (numbers on the back)?

If it's one of the smaller cases a replacement bezel insert may not be so easy to find.

If it's a 1953-D-70-8 case then you're in luck as its the same dimensions as the Rolex 5513/5517 case.

Here's a pic of mine with a Tropic 19 crystal, 5513/5517 style bezel insert and triplock style crown. Ubfortunately the Sandoz crown tube is not screw in so it's not a simple mod.










Certainly worth spending some time on IMO but if you don't want it, like I said, stick it in a jiffy bag etc. :thumbup:

Kind regards

Dave


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## howie77 (Jun 21, 2009)

Thanks guys for all your replies - I am now rather wishing that I'd been paying slightly more attention to the auction, as whoever did pick it up seems in this case to have done pretty well! Drat it.....

For what it's worth.... 200506935140.... somewhat erroneously described as 'Henri Sandoz' in this case.

Very impressed with the triplock crown mod btw Dave..

Guess I'll just have to keep my eye out see what turns up, though I really don't need an excuse at this stage to branch out being somewhat preoccupied with Seiko's at the moment!

Ah well... cheers all, Howie


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## DaveS (Dec 7, 2009)

howie77 said:


> Thanks guys for all your replies - I am now rather wishing that I'd been paying slightly more attention to the auction, as whoever did pick it up seems in this case to have done pretty well! Drat it.....
> 
> For what it's worth.... 200506935140.... somewhat erroneously described as 'Henri Sandoz' in this case.
> 
> ...


Ouch! Â£32.50! I bet that hurt. I wonder why the crappy Ebay search engine didn't flag that one up for me?

Having said that, all is not as the seller would wish us to believe. The box etc does not match the watch. That particular Sandoz logo is for the Munreco Sandoz watches made in Spain (http://www.munreco.com) and the watch has the Sandoz logo for (Ithink) the HK Sandoz company. So, a bit of kidology/marketing maybe going on here. Having said that, I'd have had it for that price - and a little bit more.

Thanks for the comments re the crown. My second attempt at this mod failed miserably. The steel case is very crystalline and brittle so it cracked when I was drilling out the case before tapping a new thread.  Anyone in close proximity may have learned a few new swear words that day.

Kind regards

Dave


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## ENY55V (Mar 17, 2006)

I had one - mint, many years ago but sold it, unfortunately.

Question is - what did I have???? :lookaround:

Ancienne Maison Sandoz Fils et Cie SociÃ©tÃ© Anonyme - since 9 May 1936 - ?? but they don't make watches.

( importation et exportation de produits en tous genres, vente en gros et au dÃ©tail de produits en tous genres, courtages, achat et vente d'immeubles, financement.)

These do make watches since 1983

Compagnie des Montres Sandoz S.A.

and they have HK "style" > Chu Po Ping Ignatius, de Chine, Ã Hong-Kong, CHN

In fact, for U$ 150 - I saw Sandoz watches on jewllery shop windows in HK (2005).

1870 grÃ¼ndete Henri-FrÃ©dÃ©ric Sandoz in Le Locle die Firma â€žHenri Sandoz & Fils - and <_<

somehow sold the name ?????

mmmmm ?? a bit of "cover up" here, somewhere. According to Wiki - the name was sold.

I don't think so - because I know the Spanish Sandoz (Munreco) and they have nothing to do with the Sandoz family/name - completely different line of watches.

For what I remember - Sandoz went out of business as far as 1970s. They used to make watches very similar to the Rolex/Tudor day-date.

A few years later it was revived by the Chinese (HK) as they saw the opportunity to "copy" Rolex with a Swiss made brand. Munreco came after 2000 and I have no idea on who is the Sandoz in Korea.


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