Wittnauer Chronograph (Ref. 800) "Valjoux Cal. 72", 1950s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

While Wittnauer certainly isn’t one of the commonly known watch brands, it certainly has the history to rival just about any other out there. Founded in 1885 in New York by Swiss immigrant Albert Wittnauer, the eponymous company set out to craft timepieces designed for exploration and adventure, especially in aviation and sea navigation. In fact, Neil Armstrong wore a Wittnauer for the Gemini 8 mission. The Wittnauer and Longines relationship dates back to the 1800s when Wittnauer became the official US distributor for Longines watches. Then, in the 1950s Longines actually purchased Wittnauer and the two brands worked harmoniously to produce some of the most beautiful wristwatches of the mid-21st century, most notably their chronographs. Stock # WITT800 Brand Wittnauer Style Chronograph Model 800 Serial 56XXXX Size Men's Material Stainless Steel Dial Silver Millimeters 35 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The excellent case has been lightly polished in the past and the lugs retain the original geometry and finishing with honest signs of light use throughout. The unsigned crown appears to be an early replacement, however, the pump pushers are believed to be the originals. The case back displays evidence of previous corrosion which has since been cleaned. The watch comes supplied on a 2pc handmade leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The original silver dial features both red and blue timeing scales and gives off a beautiful vintage aesthetic, showing some marks and age that would be expected for its age. The silver dial has taken on an attractive warmth as well. The radium lume arabic numerals all remain intact and feature a tan and dark brown patina, under U.V. light inspection all of the plots remain intact though the 4 and 5 o'clock plots exhibit light degradation. The original radium hands feature a slightly darker tan color, under U.V. light inspection both the hour and minute hand display lume loss and remain stable. ACCESSORIES