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Heuer Bundeswehr Sternzeit Reguliert 1551 SGSZ, late 1960s — view 1 of 6
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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Heuer Bundeswehr Sternzeit Reguliert 1551 SGSZ, late 1960s

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.
Maker / attribution
Heuer (maker)
Date
late 1960s
Country of origin
Switzerland
Object type
Wristwatch
Dimensions
Case 43 mm
Stock no.
Product 3955358105687
Credit line
Dealer listing, S.Song Watches (product 3955358105687)
Catalogue title (original)
Heuer Bundeswehr Sternzeit Reguliert 1551 SGSZ (English)

View the source record (dealer listing) ↗ (opens another website in a new tab)Suggest a correction

Record summary

Catalogued by S.Song Watches (dealer), Seattle (stock number Product 3955358105687), this is a wristwatch by Heuer, made in Switzerland, dated late 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. Recorded dimensions: Case 43 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 — S.Song Watches

The Heuer Bundeswehr Flyback Chronograph was made for the Germany Army between the ’60s and the ’70s and it is one of the most famous issued chronographs out there. There were several variants of the ‘Bund’ with the rarest example you see here- the ‘Sternzeit Reguliert’. The aforementioned term translates to sidereal time and it is a way of telling the time based on the Earth’s rotation in relationship to distant stars. As a result, a sidereal day lasts 23 hours and 56 minutes as supposed the solar day which as we know is 24 hours. You might be wondering why the German Army needs this absurd way of time-telling and the answer is that they mostly didn’t. This is why the standard Bunds were normally regulated and why the Sternzeit is so rare. This variant was used exclusively by the Artillery forces where they used sidereal time along with theodolite positions to determine the horizontal and vertical planes in order to accurately launch rockets. It was important to know where you are so you can gauge exactly how far to lob shells. It is estimated that a handful of these pieces exist today (50-150 is anyones guess), making it one of the rarest military issued timepieces. This example is completely original with the markings on the dial clear and the unique reference number SG SZ engraved between the lugs. The caseback retains its military engravings and NATO numbers. On the wrist, it has a huge presence at 43mm and it further comes with a ‘Bund’ strap that has its NATO numbers on the back.

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

Wristwatches

Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.

After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.

What to look for

  • The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
  • The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
  • Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
  • Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.

Dating clues

  • Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
  • Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
  • Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.

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.

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