Universal Genève HC-1 Bomb Timer by A. Cairelli Roma, 1960s

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Sure, Analog:Shift is a business built around the love of wristwatches. But it’s our love for timepieces, timekeeping, and artifacts from history in general that are the common themes present in the items we procure. And that includes a love of clocks in general: pocket watches, travel clocks, and more. After all, in the couple hundred years before the First World War, personal timekeeping was all about the pocket watch, and before that, it was larger clocks that were front and center, horologically. We still believe a good clock deserves a place in any watch lover’s collection. Offered here is a Universal Genève HC-1 dash instrument that dates to the 1960s and was produced for A. Cairelli of Roma, Universal's agency in Italy, who also modified and supplied timepieces to the Italian government for military contracts. Any double signed Universal Genève/A. Cairelli dial is highly coveted among collectors. This particular timepiece was designed to be installed on board the Fiat G.91, a fighter-bomber-reconnaissance aircraft for the Italian Air Force. This military-grade instrument features a Bakelite case measuring approximately 65mm, a large winding crown at 12 o’clock framed by a pair of pump pushers, a luminous matte black dial with Arabic numerals and a pair of recessed subsidiary registers displaying a 60-minute and 12-hour counters and a curious tri-colore display window at 6 o'clock operated by pushing the crown, likely used by bomber crews to denote payload drop intervals. Internally, this UG dashboard clock uses a manual winding Calibre 296 movement which has just been fully overhauled. This is a phenomenal example of a rare and highly collectable military-grade timing instrument from Universal Genève!