Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Oct 04, 2009
LOT 130
Die Grosse Fliegeruhr International Watch Co., movement No. 1014085, case No. 1033485, Ref. 431. Made in 1940 in 1000 examples 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.
CHF 20,000 - 30,000
USD 19,000 - 28,000 / EUR 13,000 - 20,000
Sold: CHF 20,400
C. Three-body, matte gray, inclined bezel, concave lugs, large winding crown, stainless steel anti-magnetic cap to protect the movement against magnetic fields, snap-on case back, band engraved ?FL 23883?. D. Black with luminous Arabic numerals and baton indexes, outer minute track. Luminous blued steel lozenge hands. M. Cal 52SC, gilt brass, straight-line lever escapement, bimetallic balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, hack mechanism. Case and movement signed. Diam. 55 mm. Thickness 18 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-01 |
Good HANDS Original |
Notes
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 first 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 ?Grosse Fliegeruhr?. The inside case back is engraved: - B-Uhr: Beobachtungs-Uhr (German for Navigation Watch) - Bauart, (German for Manufacture): IWC - Werk Nr, (German for Movement No.): 1014085 - (Anforderz, German for Classification Number): FL 23883. The FL 23883 number indicates the watch?s assignation. ?FL? stands for flight qualified; the first two numbers indicate the department the watch was assigned to. 22 was the flight control department, 25 was radio surveillance, and 23 was the code number for the navigation department. The following numbers were given by the D.V.L. (Deutsche Versuchsanstalt Luftfahart), the German Aviation Research Institute. Cal. 52 Produced in 1,200 examples in 19???, (height 6 mm), the caliber was designed in keeping with ?Observatory? watch quality and accuracy. Only 1,000 examples were delivered to the German Air Force. The remaining 200 were used for English deck watches. This caliber is considered to be the largest caliber made by IWC.