Original Item: Only One Available. We have had a few of these Torpedo Timer type Stop Watches in over 35 years of business in the U.S.A. This appears to be a presentation watch given after completing flight school, and was made by the German WW2 Military Contractor Junghans, as marked on the dial. The rear of the case is marked in the center with the Luftwaffe Eagle, surrounded by an inscription in blackletter typeface:
Flugzeugführer-Schule
Breslau-Gandau
This inscription is from the “Pilot School” at the Breslau-Gandau Luftwaffe airfield in Poland, which was established by the NSDAPs after the invasion in 1939. This particular watch comes in a steel case, which is magnetic, so they were finished in a black oxide gunmetal finish, to distinguish them from the nickel and silver plated alloy versions. The knob and chain loop are still the standard silver. This particular example has been lovingly polished for decades, which unfortunately has removed almost all of the original finish, but has left it with a lovely aged steel patina.
This is the classic design for Torpedo timing and used in U-Boats and E-Boats in the North Atlantic. Offered in great fully functional condition. The fluted knob on the top controls everything. You wind it up and when you push it in once the single seconds had starts moving immediately. On the second push, the second hand freezes at the time elapsed position. On the third push the timer resets itself to zero ready for reuse.
The face is maker marked below center in script:
Junghans
indicating manufacturer by German watchmaker Junghans. It comes in a lovely burgundy leather covered presentation case, lined with lovely burgundy velvet and satin. The satin lining is marked with the store where it was purchased in the German city of Cologne (Köln):
C.J. Bleienheuft
Köln a. Rh.
Wallrafplatz 2
From the information we can find, C. J. Bleienheuft was a Glashütter und Genfer Uhren, which translates to glassworks and Geneva Watches. They were located in the region of Cologne by the Rhine river, in one of the Wallrafplatz business districts. This is a high quality case for a high quality timepiece.
History of Junghans Timepieces
Junghans Watch Factory was founded in 1861 by Erhard Junghans in Schramberg, a small town in the Black Forest of Germany. The first Junghans watches were designed and constructed by the company’s master Watchmakers in 1866. By 1900 this was the largest timepiece manufacturer in Germany with over 3,000 employees and in 1903 they relocated to Schramberg in Baden Wurtemburg.
Today, a mechanical Junghans watch will remain with a single watchmaker or a small team of specialists, who are fully responsible for its development from the first moment onwards.
“An innovative spirit and the incessant pursuit of precision” is the Junghans mission statement – and the German brand uses custom equipment to assemble each of its distinguished watches. A stalwart of fine timepieces for over 150 years, the label prides itself on attention to detail and ergonomic designs.
How many times have we all seen these being used in WW2 movies?
Movement is in a fully working condition.
There is no warranty for this watch and returns for a non-working watch will not be honored. Please note all watches are wound and tested then recorded on video before shipment. We are not in the watch repair business- ALL SALES ARE FINAL.