Photo: ShopGoodwill listing (seller: Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette)
The camera company made watches — and this 1970s automatic wears its era openly, lattice cross and all.
Verdict
| What it is | Ricoh 21-jewel automatic day-date — 36.5mm stainless case and bracelet, ref. R61-517-02, black dial |
| Price | $29.99, 1 bid, spotted Sun Nov 1, 2026, 6:25 PM PT |
| Where | ShopGoodwill auction #282134512 — ends Tue Nov 3, 2026, 12:15 AM PT |
| The angle | Tested and running per the seller — with a heavily scratched crystal stated just as plainly |
| Verdict | An honest 1970s Japanese automatic from an unexpected maker. The condition is disclosed; the crystal is the cost to price in. |
What it is
The camera company made watches. Ricoh's 1970s automatics were real in-house movements, and this one wears its era openly — black dial, white lattice cross, day-date at 3. The listing gives the full markings: Ricoh, Automatic, 21 Jewels, WR, Japan, R61-517-02 on the face; Ricoh Watch Co Ltd on the case.
The watch is a 36.5mm stainless case, 12mm thick, on a stainless bracelet, 80.9 g per the listing, sold by Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette. The seller tested it: running. The same listing states the crystal is worn with significant scratches and the watch shows general wear consistent with use and age, with structural integrity intact. Both halves are the seller's words, carried as such.
Why it matters
Ricoh is filed under cameras, so its watches trade without the premium the dial quality would earn under a watch-only name. A tested, running, all-stainless Japanese automatic day-date at a $29.99 spotted price is the gap the Finds lane exists for — provided the crystal, which the seller does not minimise, is priced into the bid.
Specs
| Brand | Ricoh |
| Model | Ref. R61-517-02 (per listing face markings) |
| Movement | Mechanical automatic, 21 jewels (per listing) |
| Dial | Black, white lattice cross, day-date at 3 |
| Case | Stainless steel, 36.5mm diameter, 12mm thick (per listing) |
| Bracelet | Stainless steel (per listing); length 6.25 in (per listing) |
| Weight | 80.9 g (per listing) |
| Condition | Crystal worn with significant scratches; general wear consistent with use and age (seller's words) |
| Running condition | Seller tested: running (seller's words); sold as-is |
| Seller | Goodwill Industries of the Columbia Willamette |
| Sale terms | Sold as-is (ShopGoodwill standard) |
What to check before bidding
- The crystal is heavily scratched — the seller says so. On a black dial, the crystal is the view. Replacement belongs in the bid maths.
- Tested running is not serviced. A 1970s automatic that runs still wants a service for daily wear. Price both.
- Bracelet length is stated: 6.25 inches. Check it against your wrist before valuing the watch as a wearer; links for a discontinued Ricoh bracelet are not a catalogue item.
- Day-date setting is period-correct work. Expect crown-position setting, not a modern quickset habit. The listing does not state the setting method — Not stated.
Price record
| Spotted | Sun Nov 1, 2026, 6:25 PM PT — $29.99, 1 bid |
| Re-checked | Sun Nov 1, 2026 — $31.00, 2 bids (listing detail checked in-run) |
| Auction ends | Tue Nov 3, 2026, 12:15 AM PT |
| Hammer price | — to be updated after close — |
Want one?
- In the shop: browse current stock — one-off pieces, and they turn over fast.
- Hunting one? Join the Want List — tell us the maker and the budget; pieces like this surface in our trawl most weeks.
- This one: bid at the source — See it at ShopGoodwill — item 282134512 (auction ends Tue Nov 3, 12:15 AM PT). Not our listing. See Disclosure.
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- Wyler Incaflex on ShopGoodwill — a balance wheel built to flex, at a $29.99 opening bid
Spotted, not sold by us — this piece lives at a ShopGoodwill auction listing. Prices are a snapshot from when we spotted it; auctions move. Disclosure
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