Photo: ShopGoodwill listing (seller: Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland & East Central Ohio)
Sears on the dial, a Swiss wind-up diver underneath — the catalogue name was the camouflage.
Verdict
| What it is | Vintage Sears Swiss mechanical wind-up diver — 36mm cushion case, timing bezel, date at 3, tropic strap |
| Price | $34.33, 4 bids, spotted Sat Oct 31, 2026, 6:14 PM PT |
| Where | ShopGoodwill auction #282146770 — ends Tue Nov 3, 2026, 8:26 PM PT |
| The angle | Catalogue-era Sears sold Swiss divers that still hide behind the store name |
| Verdict | A real Swiss diver under a department-store signature — bought as a project, because the seller states it is not working. |
What it is
The dial says Sears. Underneath it is a Swiss-made mechanical wind-up diver: a cushion case of about 36mm, a bi-directional black rotating timing bezel with a triangular marker at 12, a black dial with bold luminescent markers, Arabic numerals at 6, 9 and 12, a date window at 3, and baton hands with luminous inserts — on a textured black perforated strap, the tropic pattern divers wore. Base-metal bezel, stainless steel case back, per the listing.
Catalogue-era Sears contracted Swiss makers for its watch lines and signed the dials with the store name. The watches were real; the name is why they still surface under generic titles at thrift prices. This one is sold by Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland & East Central Ohio, and the seller states the position without varnish: fair vintage condition, not working, will require service or repair; crystal with moderate scratches and hazing; case and bezel with visible wear, scuffs and edge rubbing; strap intact with a functional buckle. All of it is the seller's word, quoted as such.
Why it matters
Store-signed Swiss watches are a whole stratum of vintage diving watches that brand-first searching walks past. The specification here — cushion case, timing bezel, Swiss wind-up movement — is a period diver's, whatever the dial signature says. The honest counterweight is the condition: this is a non-runner, and its price has to carry a service before it carries anything else.
Specs
| Brand | Sears (dial signature; Swiss-made) |
| Model | Diver, mechanical wind-up (per listing) |
| Movement | Swiss mechanical wind-up (per listing) |
| Dial | Black; luminescent hour markers, Arabic numerals at 6, 9 and 12, date at 3, luminous baton hands (per listing) |
| Case | Cushion (tonneau) case, approx. 36mm; base-metal bezel, stainless steel case back (per listing) |
| Bezel | Bi-directional rotating timing bezel, black, triangular marker at 12 (per listing) |
| Strap | Black perforated tropic-style strap; total length approx. 9 inches (per listing) |
| Condition | "Fair vintage condition" (seller's words); crystal scratches and hazing; case and bezel wear, scuffs and edge rubbing |
| Running condition | Seller states not working — requires service or repair; sold as-is |
| Seller | Goodwill Industries of Greater Cleveland & East Central Ohio |
| Sale terms | Sold as-is (ShopGoodwill standard) |
What to check before bidding
- Not working means a service is the first cost. The seller states it plainly. A wind-up movement that does not run can be anything from a mainspring to a full overhaul — bid as if it is the overhaul.
- The crystal is hazed, per the seller. On a black dial, hazing is the view. Replacement belongs in the maths alongside the service.
- Base-metal bezel, stainless back. The construction is stated in the listing — period-correct for a catalogue diver, and the bezel is where the wear shows.
- The maker behind the signature is not named. Sears contracted several Swiss makers. Do not pay for a specific manufacture the listing does not claim.
Price record
| Spotted | Sat Oct 31, 2026, 6:14 PM PT — $34.33, 4 bids |
| Auction ends | Tue Nov 3, 2026, 8:26 PM 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 282146770 (auction ends Tue Nov 3, 8:26 PM PT). Not our listing. See Disclosure.
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- Bulova Oceanographer on ShopGoodwill — a dual-day diver behind a "35 Jewels" listing title
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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