Watches with Arabic crests. Most Swiss watch brands issued special versions of their models upon special requests in the 70's, 80's and 90's. Famous and much sought after are the Rolex watches with Arabic crests. Having a crest on the dial often means that collectors are willing to pay a bonus for these rare versions.  

The Tissot Seastar Quartz with Arabic crest in my collection is the only one I have seen in my years of collecting vintage (Swiss) watches. In the Tissot catalog of 1981 you can see the watch as it was ussued to the general public. One of the Seastar Collection Quartz comprised water resistant sports models.

The Arabic military crest

It took me a long time to figure out what the text is on my special Tissot watch. As I don't speak Arab and don't know anyone who does, and it is clear that the crest on the dial is a military one, I just kept on surfing on the internet and using Google Translate. 

I first found out that the text meant Air Defense College, a school for a division of the military of some Arabic country. But which Arabic country? Comparing military crests was the next step. It took me over a year and with a little help of my watch friends, to determine the country was Lybia. The proof of this military crest was found!

Other famous Swiss brands with crests