1960s Accurist Shockmaster Chronograph Crosshair Dial
Ref: Shockmaster

Specification

Points of Mention

This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original Accurist box or original Accurist paperwork. The watch comes paired on an aftermarket Suede style Leather Strap. The watch is from the 1960s and as such is showing signs of wear as you can see from the photos, some scratches, and marks here and there. However, I decided to leave this example as it is as from my assessment the watch has never been polished, featuring its "sunburst" finished atop the case and sharp angels. The movement is keeping great time and comes with our 6-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.

The Watch

In 1946, from St John Street in London's Clerkenwell district, Asher and Rebecca Loftus established Accurist. Their watches were made entirely from Swiss components; that guaranteed quality, which coupled with competitive pricing helped establish their reputation for value. Innovation was important to them such as the introduction of the Accurist 21 Jewels this was the first watch to promote the 21 Jewel lever-movement and to promote this fact they also became the first watch company to use television for their advertising campaign. Richard Loftus, soon after finishing University, created a range of watches that revolutionized the watch market worldwide. Soon Accurist's watches were seen on the wrists of the famous and fashionable: with the likes of  Princess Anne, The Beatles, and Twiggy wearing them. Their large brightly coloured watches became as famous as the mini skirt, Carnaby Street, and London in the swinging '60s.

This 38mm Accurist Shockmaster Chronograph encapsulates their design philosophy. A stainless steel tonneau shape with a subtle curve and crisp lines separating the polished and brushed surfaces. Chronograph pushers and large crown reside down the right side. Its dial has a white outer track with red five-minute markers, applied steel chamfered indexes mark the hours complete with a lume pip. The matte black dial has 2 white registers with concentric circles, a 30 minute at 3 o’clock, and a continuous 60 seconds at 9 o’clock. Thin pencil hands have lume infill while the chronograph seconds is bright red which works perfectly with the red accents on the dial. Its symmetry is helped by them using a red crosshair on the dial. Its screw-down case back has the watch details etched into it. Inside a Manually Wound Landeron 248 17 Jewels 18,000 Beats per hour. Fitted on an 18mm light brown leather strap with quick release.

Personal Note

I love getting vintage Accurist watches in as most people who aren't too into vintage see the name and immediately think of the modern affordable fashion brand... And it's a true shame that, that is what has become of the once incredible brand! But it allows us watch nuts to get insane deals on vintage Accurist! Their quality and design are amazing, as you can see by this Chronograph, it is a well-kept secret, but for how long?