Wittnauer 242T Professional Chronograph — view 1 of 6 — View 1 of 6 · Image: Collectors Corner NY · original image source (opens another website in a new tab)

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Wristwatches · Wristwatch

Wittnauer 242T Professional Chronograph

DocumentedDocumented from a dealer's listing; attribution and date as stated by the dealer.

Maker / attribution: Wittnauer (maker)
Date: c. 1960s
Historical period: Modern Mechanical Horology (1945 – 1969)
Country of origin: Unrecorded in source
Object type: Wristwatch
Dealer: Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York
Stock no.: Product 10049158938900
Credit line: Dealer listing, Collectors Corner NY (product 10049158938900)
Catalogue title (original): Wittnauer 242T Professional Chronograph - *Unpolished* (English)

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Record summary

Catalogued by Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York (stock number Product 10049158938900), this is a wristwatch by Wittnauer, dated c. 1960s. The Atlas places it in the Modern Mechanical Horology period (1945 – 1969) of its Wristwatches collection. 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 — Collectors Corner NY

The Wittnauer 242T has surged in popularity in recent years, fueled partly by its oft-repeated—though unproven—association with NASA’s moon-watch testing. Yet its appeal goes far beyond the lore. The 242T’s dial is genuinely distinctive, with luminous plots of varying sizes arranged in an almost celestial pattern against a matte black backdrop, reinforcing its space-age mystique. Layered details like the inner dotted track, peripheral decimal scale, and glossy sub-dial rings add depth and complexity, while the bold lume-filled hands and lollipop seconds hand complete one of the most striking vintage chronograph designs out there. This particular example, circa 1960s has remained in stunning vintage condition. The matte dial has aged gracefully with no notable blemishes. There is a touch of degradation in some of the plots but they remain mostly intact and have taken a warm patina, matching the hands. Its case is equally impressive and appears sharp and unpolished. The icing on the cake here is its very rare Kestermade Bambi with correct end links, signed Wittnauer. It displays light stretch and will fit an approximate 7.25 inch wrist.

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 timeline More wristwatches from this period Earlier: 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.

Mechanisms mentioned

Chronograph — Complication

Record completeness

Maker or attributionRecorded
DateRecorded
Place or countryNot in source
MaterialsNot in source
DimensionsNot in source
Narrative descriptionRecorded
Inscriptions / marksNot in source
ProvenanceNot in source
Several photographsRecorded

Editorial status: Documented — facts as published by the source; not independently verified by Atlas editors.

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Sources & image rights

Record source: Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York (opens another website in a new tab).

Image rights: © Collectors Corner NY — dealer photographs; permission required (opens another website in a new tab).

Images are hosted by the Atlas for study and credited to their owner. Rights holders may request correction, credit changes or removal, or grant permission, via the editorial office.

Cite this record

"Wittnauer 242T Professional Chronograph." Collectors Corner NY (dealer), New York, Product 10049158938900. Catalogue record in The Horology Atlas, WatchMuseum.org, https://atlas.watchmuseum.org/museum/wittnauer-242t-professional-chronograph-f4862d.