#TBT The Cutest Vintage Regulator Watch I Have Ever Seen
I had no clue that a watch brand called Solix existed. You have to agree that it sounds more like a brand of construction materials than a watch manufacturer. Despite the weird-sounding brand name, the second I spotted this Solix Regulator, I knew I would bid on it.
There are watches that I hunted for years. They include the Mido Radiotime, Seiko Motorist, Montilier Telefoot, Breitling Lucy Digital, and Angelus Medical, to name just a few. But there still are watches I am after, such as the Mido Melik, Gallet Rattrapante, and Mimo Centric. I am not desperate about getting them, but if the opportunity arose, I would not hesitate for one-fifth of a second.
Image: Blomman Watch Report
The Mimo Centric
I spotted the Mimo Centric maybe seven years ago. Since that moment, I have witnessed one example resurface. It was on eBay maybe five years ago, and I was all set to get it. Well, but you cannot win all the auctions, can you? Something went wrong when I wanted to submit my bid just a few seconds before the auction ended. My phone crashed, and I felt frustrated and angry. It was a black-dial version of the Mimo Centric watch, and I haven’t seen it resurface a single time since. There were multiple dial versions, but these deserve a standalone #TBT feature.
My watch diet
If I exclude my Gallet collection, which expands slowly but steadily, I’ve been pretty successful in controlling my purchasing sprees. This year, I’ve purchased only three vintage watches except for Gallets. One is a true weirdo unicorn I had been hunting for years, and another is a prototype that may rewrite (or at least enrich) a few history books on chronographs. These watches will get their spotlight on #TBT soon, so stay tuned. But guess which watch was the third non-Gallet I bought this year? Ladies and gentlemen, the Solix Regulator is it.
An impulse buy
I was not looking for any Solix watch. But when I spotted it listed on an auction while I was after a different watch, it instantly reminded me of the Mimo Centric. It’s not a Mimo Centric, but there is something unusual about it. I have seen many regulator watches but not a single one like this.
A mind-bending dial
With most vintage regulators, the hours sit in the top sub-dial, minutes occupy the bottom one, and seconds run around the edge of the dial with the long central hand. But Solix did something unusual. Here, the hours still sit on the top, but the sub-dial’s typically closed circular structure is broken. Usually, the hours and minutes counterbalance each other, but they don’t this time.
The syringe-style hour and minute hands are the same style and length, but the Arabic numerals for the hours have been pushed out to the edge of the dial. Tiny dots are still printed on the imaginary circle of the typical sub-hours ring. On top of that, each dot connects to a respective number with a shorter or longer gold line. Some of you may find it uselessly busy, but it gives the dial a pretty interesting geometrical structure.
Solix
I made some not-so-nice remarks about the sound of the brand name at the beginning of the article, and I feel bad about bringing it up again. Whether funny-sounding or not, Solix was new to me. I was surprised to see the brand had some chronographs in its portfolio, as you can see on Omega Forums here. “Looking at Microlisk it seems that Solix was a brand name of Selza Watch SA in Biel, one of the many many brands they used,” says one commenter, referring to the source many of us turn to when researching.
I checked my Swiss Timepiece Makers bible by Kathleen H. Pritchard, and there is no mention of Solix. When I looked up Selza Watch Co, there is a brief company history but no mention of the Solix brand name. Honestly, I am not sure if the Microlisk records are correct. Educated members pointed out multiple appearances of Solix-branded watches using early Harwood automatic movements, with many of them coming from Scandinavia. If you have any further info on Solix, please share it with us.
Details I like
The red central seconds hand is a great, refreshing detail. Does it belong there? I can’t say for sure as I have no other Solix Regulator with which to compare it. The counterbalance tail and the hand’s length suggest it may be original. I also like how the numeral for 6 o’clock is printed on top of the bottom sub-dial, while the other hour numerals sit in their designated positions around the dial’s perimeter. The last detail is the unusual case back, which covers a waterproof protection cap and FHF 200 movement.
Last thoughts
I am not saying the Solix Regulator has the potential to be a candidate for my daily beater watch, but I find it amusing and interesting from a design perspective. I had no pure vintage pure-regulator watch in my collection, and this Solix covers that perfectly. With a 34mm diameter, it may seem like it gets lost easily on the wrist, but the striking details on the dial confirm the opposite. This watch is certainly a conversation starter. Find me another. Happy hunting!
