Rare high grade World War 2 German Navy Kriegsmarine (KM) pocket watch in superb all original condition from the famed house of Solvil, Paul Ditisheim of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Many Swiss and German manufactures such as Alpina, Berg, Zentra and Cortebert filled orders before and during the second world war era to meet the needs of the German navy, but it is these rare high grade examples that have become especially difficult to find. The heavy stainless steel case with two thick snap on backs is correctly stamped with the military issued number on the back and is in excellent condition with no major dents or scratches. Even the dial is near perfect with no hairlines and most of its original radium luminous paint still intact. This timepiece must have fallen into the hands of an officer who genuinely respected and cared for its condition and now is a beautifully preserved relic from a period of intense human history. A superb example of fine Swiss watch-making, designed to be a reliable source of timekeeping as well as withstand the rigors of military service.
Style: Military
Circa: 1940’s
Case: Heavy solid stainless steel 4-piece case with doulbe snap-on back for added dust and moisture protection. Measures 49mm in diameter and 13mm thick with a beautiful unpolished patina and no major dents or scratches. Stamped with the issue number on the outer back cover but no marking inside. The back cover is slightly concave in shape but this does not look like it was damaged from an impact so I would say almost certainly the way it was made. Even the original crowns shows very little wear, still sharp near mint condition.
Dial: Near mint original factory printed white enamel Arabic dial with no hairline cracks or chips visible anywhere. Bright white background with cream colour luminous paint still mostly intact in the both the numbers and blue steel hands. Large sub-seconds dial at 6:00 with outer minute track, signed KM Solvil Genf.
Movement: High quality Paul Ditisheim calibre 4292 manual wind movement with Breguet over-coil blue hairspring, “Geneve stripe” plate decoration and incabloc protection on the balance for greater durability. 15 bright ruby jewels highlight the elegantly curved triple bridge movement plates, signed Solvil Geneve. A very light patina is visible on the upper plates but overall this movement is in excellent all original condition, freshly serviced by our watchmaker and keeping great time.
Do you have a Solvil, Paul Ditisheim Watch? If so we would love to see it and may be interested in buying it if you are looking to sell. Email: info@styleintime.com