The Watches of Baghdad - Part 2
Zodiac Royal Automatic "Saddam Hussein"
I received this one as a gift. While I don't wear it, it does have a lot of curiosity value. I'm not sure if Zodiac delivered the watches like this or if the portrait on the dial was added later. The signature on the back shows it to be a limited edition of 500 By the grinding sound of the rotor, I suspect the movement is an ETA.
Caran d'Ache gold-plated lighter
These lighters are usually pretty expensive which again demonstrates how wealthy Iraq was. I'm curious to know the meaning of the Arabic script under the lid..
Zodiac Astroquartz
Except for the emblem and the Arabic script, this is a fairly standard watch typical of what the wobbling Swiss watch industry was doing in the 80's. Note the small red dot at 4:30. Possibly the watch can be used as a sun-compass and the dot shows the direction of Mecca at a certain time of the day. Noon perhaps ?
Unsigned Mido Commander and Piaget Ultrathin
Ten years ago, my fledgling watch collection consisted of a Revue-Thommen, two Oris and a Speedmaster. When Michael told me about the incredible deals that could be had in Baghdad, I bullied him into bringing me this Mido Commander, which I think has a really cool design and is totally ignored, undeservedly, by the watch community. It has a one piece case and the ETA-2836 movement is accessed by the dial side. The inside of the crown is actually sealed with cork, which ensures long term water resistance. I remember the days when the Commanders were displayed in see-through water basins to prove just how waterproof they were.
During the 38 days of air attacks, watch-hunting certainly didn't have any priority. As soon as the war was over, Baghdad was swarming with delegates from all kinds of international organizations, who completely grazed the markets for anything of value, particularly watches. Michael did however manage to pick up this Piaget for a song but, unfortunately, had to spend a small fortune having it restored to its former glory. It's a very flat and elegant watch with a white gold case and a lovely, shimmering gray dial.
Aftermath: After spending the rest of the year in Iraq and Kurdistan, Michael moved on to Sri Lanka where he worked for the ICRC and the Swiss government for three years and managed to completely ruin his Ocean 2000 surfing the Indian Ocean. He's now living in Switzerland again and I'd like to thank his wife and him for putting up with me last Sunday when I rudely invited myself to their home and made them go look for all the stuff shown here.
Hans
