21,250 CHF
IWC, REF. 431, B UHR, WORLD WAR II, GERMAN AIR FORCE (LUFTWAFFE) International Watch Co., movement No. 1014464, case No. 1033804, Ref. 431, request No. FL 23883. Made in 1940 for the German Air Force. Very fine and extremely rare, oversized, center seconds, anti-magnetic, anti-corrosion stainless steel military pilot’s wristwatch with indirect seconds and a very long aviator’s leather strap. Accompanied by the Certificate of Origin and the original numbered card box. Four-body, matte gray, inclined bezel, concave lugs, large winding crown, stainless steel anti-magnetic lunette to protect the movement against magnetic fi elds, snap-on case back, band engraved “FL 23883.” Black with luminous Arabic numerals and baton indexes, outer minute/seconds track. Luminous blued steel lozenge hands. Cal 52 T, gilt brass, 16 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, swan neck micrometer regulator, hack mechanism. Case and movement signed. Diam. 55 mm. Thickness 17 mm. Notes Die Grosse Fliegeruhr This model is one of the watches delivered to the Luftwaffe, the German Air Force, supplying their pilots with a wristwatch that was accurate, robust, and easy to read during missions. A good example of their fi rst use is the “Battle of Britain” or operation “Sea-Lion” (August 1940-May 1941). Only movement numbers between 1.013.801 and 1.015.000 and case numbers between 1.033.201 and 1.034.200 are considered correct for the 1940 “Gros
Auctioneer:
Antiquorum
Date:
2012-03-11
