Here we have a beautiful piece of 1940s design. This Erso watch has an eye-catching Salmon dial with the lightly linear brushed satin finish. The hour markers have a beautiful Art Deco stylised font. The watch is in near new old stock condition, with light markings from storage.

The case is chrome plated to the front, with a stainless-steel snap on back. It is well proportioned, measuring 36mm x 36mm. It has the polished finish to the bezel, with brushed finish to the top of lugs and the sides. The lugs are fixed bar, requiring an open-ended strap. Inside is the 15 jewel manual wind AS 1130, which is keeping accurate time.

Erso was a brand used by Walter Storz and Uhrenfabrik Stowa GmbH (Stowa Watch Company).

There are many pleasing design touches to this piece, but the dial takes centre stage. This has the most beautiful Salmon tone with the linear brushed finish to the satin tone. There is a simple dash minute track to the exterior with the Art Deco stylised font to the hour markers. It is a minimalistic and geometric design with the rounded forms, avoiding sharp angles. The open ended 6 and 9 also catch the eye. It is neatly signed ‘Erso Ancre Extra’ below 12, with the inset sub-second dial at 6 o’clock. It has the grained concentric circles which react with the light, with a radial sunburst stemming from the centre. This is a lovely touch which further adds to the depth and intrigue of the dial. The hour and minute hands are of simple and elegant stick style with the slim profile. The sub-second hand is of the most unusual design, one which we have not seen before. All hands have the bright thermally blued finish which turns electric blue in the right light, providing the perfect contrast against the salmon dial.

The case is of oversized proportions for the era, measuring 36mm x 36mm, with an impressive lug-to-lug measurement of 42.7mm. It is a comfortable wear on the wrist with a depth of 8.5mm. The front section of the case is chrome plated, with the snap on back being Stainless Steel. The thin bezel has a polished finish. The tops of the lugs and the sides and rear of the case have the brushed finish. The lugs curve inwards and downwards towards the wrist, which aids the comfort and presence of the watch. To the right is the thin crown with the neat coin edge finish. The case back has the circular brushed sunburst finish and is signed as being made of Stainless Steel.

Inside is the reliable AS 1130. It is a manual wind movement. Aesthetically, it is a pleasing movement with the Geneve stripe finishing and the chatons surrounding the jewels. The service history is unknown but it is keeping reliable time to within 60 seconds per day. It has an amplitude of 260 degrees.

The watch is modelled on a 17.75” wrist circumference.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below. A further condition report is below.

Dial:
The dial is original and is in very good original condition. It has no obvious ageing or wear. The signing is good and clear and the base tone is even.

Hands:
The hands are original and are in very good original condition. They are the bright thermally blued tone with no bending.

Glass:
The acrylic crystal is a replacement which is in perfect condition.

Crown:
The crown is original. It is in good condition with some light wear to the plated finish on the face.

Case:
The case is chrome plated and is in very good condition. The case has a polished finish to the top of the bezel. It has the original brushed finish to the top, sides and rear which is the lugs and the sides of the case.

Caseback:
The snap-on case back is formed of Steel. It is in good condition with the brushed sunburst finish. There are some light scratches to the top from poor opening attempts in the past.

Strap:
The watch comes on a new leather strap for fixed bar lugs.

Movement:
Inside is the reliable AS 1130. It is a manual wind movement with a jewel count of 15.
The service history is unknown but it is keeping reliable time to within 60 seconds per day. It has an amplitude of 260 degrees.

Case dimensions
Case width: 36mm
Case width with crown: 37.5mm
Case length: 36mm
Case length lug to lug: 42.7mm
Case depth: 8.5mm
Lug width: 18mm