Maty Besancon Automatic Vintage Watch

A rare Maty Besancon automatic vintage watch is now available in our vintage collection. This is an exciting watch model, with a unique dial design, in beautiful earthy tones. The watch is in full working condition, and it has been very well preserved. Its only signs of previous wear are on the crystal, which will be replaced once the watch is purchased.

The watch is in full working condition. 

About Maty Besancon Watches

Maty was started in 1951 by the 24-year-old Gérard Mantion and his wife Elyane, with the idea of selling watches by mail order from his little workshop on the rue Janney in Besançon. His first catalog featured just a dozen mens and ladies watches. Gerard Mantion was originally going to call his business Mati, but decided it would have a more American feel to it if it was changed to Maty.

Within 18 months his catalogs began to feature jewelry as well as watches, but for the first few years watches were still the prime product. As the business continued to expand jewelry became by far the greater part of the business, which enabled Maty to prosper through the seventies, unlike so many of its contemporaries. Maty is still going strong, with over 50 retail outlets throughout France, and with a thriving web-based division supplementing the catalogs. Over 2 million catalogs are still sent out each Spring & Autumn.

Watches now form a minor part of Maty, with what looks like generic Far East quartz imports being the main ranges, although one or two automatics are generally available. Maty are now based on the Boulevard Kennedy in the Montrapon-Fontaine-Ecu quarter of Besançon, as well as having facilities in Belfort, and overall employ around 800 people. Although Gerard Mantion died in 2004 Maty is still to this day 100% family-owned. Like Emile Cattin in nearby Morteau, of course, there is now a road in Besançon named after Gérard Mantion.

About mechanical and automatic watches

A mechanical watch is a watch that uses a clockwork mechanism to measure the passage of time, as opposed to quartz watches which function electronically, with the help of a small battery.

A mechanical watch is driven by a mainspring which must be hand-wound periodically. Its force is transmitted through a series of gears to power balance, a weighted wheel that oscillates back and forth at a constant rate. The difference between an automatic and a mechanical movement is that the automatic movement continues to tick without having to wind it each day. So long as you wear it on your wrist, the motion of your arm keeps the watch wound.

Mechanical watches are classic vintage pieces, beautiful displays of minimalism, and old-school features. Some of the most elegant mechanical watches, for true vintage enthusiasts, are now available in our vintage mechanical watch collection. 

Shop the most beautiful vintage mechanical watches on Vintage Radar!

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All you need to know about Vintage Radar

From our collection of vintages and antiques, only the best pieces make it through our selection for this platform. Our goal is to locate the finest vintage pieces and reclaim their original, timeless beauty. 

The process behind our brand is a complex one: restoring antique and vintage pieces, making them look flawless, carefully reconstructing what is broken and capturing them as accurately as possible so that these articles get a chance to a second story.

The age, the brand and all the work behind every product, are all reflected in the price of our items. You can read more about the story behind our brand here. 

Our vintage watches are extensively verified by local watchmakers that we work with. Any repairs needed are done by professionals, so rest assured, all the watches are in perfect working condition. They are additionally checked for another 24 hours, once the order is placed, before shipping.

The pieces we sell are vintage, so they may present marks of the passage of time. Make sure you have a close look at the photos of each product. We try to capture them as accurately as possible. Colors may differ slightly. 

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Shipping information:

We offer Free International shipping with Tracking Number. The shipping price is already included in the price of the watch.

The items can be shipped worldwide, from Romania. In particular cases, items can be shipped from a different country.

We advise that you provide your phone number when entering the shipping address so that the post office can contact you if necessary, once the package arrives.

For more information regarding shipping see the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Secure Payments - Paypal Express Checkout:

All payments are securely processed through Paypal Express Checkout, which accepts all major credit card networks (Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover). All processing fees are included in the price of the product, no extra taxes will apply. 

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Got a question for us? Check out the Frequently Asked Questions page.

Or contact us for more information.