Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Cyma "Watersport" Oversized Chronograph Clamshell Case, 1940s
- Maker / attribution
- Cyma (maker)
- Date
- 1940s
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Dimensions
- Case 38 mm
- Stock no.
- W-3192
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-3192)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Cyma "Watersport" Oversized Chronograph Clamshell Case (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-3192), this is a wristwatch by Cyma, dated 1940s. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 38 mm. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Bulang & Sons
Cyma's origins can be traced back to the Schwob brothers, Joseph and Theodore, who founded Schwob Frères (Schwob Brothers) in 1862 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. They operated under the établissage system, assembling watches from parts sourced from various Swiss suppliers. Over time, Schwob Frères registered several brand names and established a broad international distribution network, including in the United States, to promote and sell their timepieces. Crafted in the 1940s, this impressive oversized (38mm) steel wristwatch features a chronograph with pump pushers, a three-register dial, and a tachometer. It boasts a 38mm two-piece clamshell case with a stepped bezel. A clamshell case is typically held together by four screws at the back of the lugs. These cases have become highly sought after by collectors and are increasing in value due to their rarity. The dial is a beautiful silver color with unusual copper-colored Arabic numerals, red gold-gilded hands, and a little detail we love: the snake hand on the hour counter! This cool chronograph is fitted with a Bulang and Sons strap, and the hand-wound Valjoux 71 movement has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications: - Cyma "Watersport" Oversized Chronograph - 38mm steel “Clamshell” case - 3-register chronograph - Serial 295xxx / 14x dating to the 1940s - Silver dial with Arabic numerals - Red gold-gilded handset, “Snake” hour counter hand - Valjoux 71 hand-wound movement - Fully serviced by our watchmaker
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Chronographs and split-seconds watches
A chronograph is a watch with an additional seconds hand that can be started, stopped and returned to zero independently of the timekeeping. Louis Moinet built an early example in 1816 and Nicolas Rieussec a recording 'chronographe' in 1821; Adolphe Nicole's heart-shaped reset cam (patented 1862) made the modern return-to-zero possible. Split-seconds (rattrapante) chronographs add a second hand that can be stopped for intermediate times; flyback chronographs restart instantly.
Chronographs were essential tools for doctors (pulsometer scales), artillery (telemeter), engineers and sport. In wristwatches, Valjoux, Venus, Lemania and later the automatic chronographs of 1969 (Zenith El Primero, the Chronomatic Calibre 11 group and Seiko 6139) are milestones.
What to look for
- Push-pieces on the case band or a single button in the crown (monopusher).
- Subsidiary registers for minutes and hours; tachymeter, telemeter or pulsometer scales.
- Column wheel versus cam control visible in the movement.
- Calibre markings of specialist makers (Valjoux, Lemania, Venus, Landeron).
Dating clues
- Pocket chronographs with heart cam reset: after 1862.
- Wrist chronographs: from c. 1910; two-button designs from the 1930s.
- Automatic chronographs: from 1969.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
Read next:Flyback chronographChronograph
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