I am interested in adding an odometer to my '69 Armstrong, but I think the new ones look gauche.
why aren't there any vintage odometers about? do they go bad?
is there anything faux vintage that would look less kludgey on my bike?
or should I just stick it on and deal with it?

I bought a English Lucas recently on Eby. There have been a couple more listed.
Also search for Schwinn - some were Lucas.

Try Sachs huret. They are belt driven cyclometers that have a reset feature. All mentioned are vintage mechanical odos.

The Lucas one will drive you nuts with its constant tick-tick-tick-tick. Besides, they're probably much in demand by the vintage 3-speed collectors and could be pricey now.

If you aren't interested in speed and other feedback while riding, you could always mount an unobtrusive wireless model and and keep the computer in your pocket or tucked away up under your saddle.

When I bought one of my computers at Target, they also had a cheap "retro" computer. I think it was still digital, but had the big round dial like the old speedometers. That's been a year ago or so, and I haven't seen them since.

I've gone thru a couple vintage ones...one was new in the package...and all broke right away. I dunno - maybe oil it a little before you start using it. I'd love to have a vintage one, but I've given up trying.

i used a Sachs Huret odometer with the little rubber belt on my vintage Mercier for many years. I foolishly sold it along with the bike at a garage sale. They work well and are completely mechanical. You still see them occasionally for sale on E-Prey.

While looking for the Sachs huret, i found this site with a few retro style
https://www.shopfun24.com/beachcruise...r--Retro-.html