
Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Excelsior Park Dual Scale Steel Chronograph, 1960s
- Maker / attribution
- Excelsior (maker)
- Date
- 1960s
- Historical period
- Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
- Country of origin
- Unrecorded in source
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Materials / technique
- steel
- Dimensions
- Case 37 mm
- Stock no.
- W-836
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Bulang & Sons (W-836)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Excelsior Park Dual Scale Steel Chronograph (English)
View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction
Record summary
Catalogued by Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen (stock number W-836), this is a wristwatch by Excelsior, dated 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Materials and techniques recorded by the source: steel. Recorded dimensions: Case 37 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
When two scales are better than one… If you had to choose, which would you go for – tachymeter or telemeter? Well, we are taking that conundrum away and offering a watch with both! This cool, large size 37mm steel chronograph features both a ‘Base 1000’ tachymeter and a telemeter. The former measures speed and the latter allows you to measure the distance that a sound occurs from your location (useful in combat situations!). The caseback features an engraving ‘N 323’. Our best guess is that this is a military mark, but we can’t be sure. The black dial features painted arabic numerals and crisp, original printing. The hands are all white and the hour and minute hands have luminous in-fill, which is a nice match to the hour markers. The watch houses a high-quality Excelsior Park 4-68 movement that has been fully serviced by our watchmaker. Specifications - Excelsior Park Chronograph - Steel 37mm case - Dates to the 1960s - Arabic numerals - Excelsoir Park 4-68 movement - Will come with a Bulang and Sons strap - Fully serviced by our watchmaker - Includes a handmade single leather watch pouch
Historical context
Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Tool watches for divers, pilots and astronauts; electric watches anticipate the electronic age.
The classic era of the mechanical wristwatch: dive watches, chronographs for motor racing and space flight, GMT watches for jet travel, slim dress watches, automatic calendars, and the rise of Japanese manufacturers alongside Swiss, American, German and Soviet industries.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking
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
Related records
Wristwatches · 1970s
Excelsior Park Montecarlo Chronograph New Old Stock, 1970s
Bulang & Sons (dealer), Copenhagen
Wristwatches · 1945
Wristwatch by Eterna, 1945
Museum Rotterdam
Wristwatches · c. 1945
Breitling Premier, ref. 790, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1945
Universal Genève Uni-Compax, ref. 22492, c. 1945
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1950s
Ami Watch Chronographe, c. 1950s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1950s
Baume & Mercier wristwatch, c. 1950s
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
Wristwatches · c. 1955
Child's wrist watch by Timex, Dundee, c. 1955
Victoria and Albert Museum, London
Wristwatches · c. 1950
Jaeger Lecoultre Triple Calendar, c. 1950
Antiquorum auction archive, Geneva
