This is a neatly designed watch from an underappreciated brand. More collectors are becoming aware of the impressive design and good quality that Wittnauer offered, particularly during the 1950s. This particular watch is relatively uncommon, with only a couple of examples coming up for sale and being well recieved. The 32mm case is is smaller, but mighty with the bezel being the standout feature of the case, with its notched sections, in line with the hour markers. The lugs are also very nicely designed in a horned or dog legged style. The dial has a cream powder base tone and applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9. These are accompanied by circular Radium lume plots which have aged to the dark pumpkin tone. This adds a great balance to the dial. The other hour markers are applied arrow markers. These have a lume in-fill to the base. They are a champagne tone along with the Arabic markers. The movement is a good quality and well-designed Wittnauer Calibre 11ESB which is a modified ETA 1080.
The case is Stainless Steel and is in good condition with a polished finish. It is a two-piece case, with the main body consisting of the bezel, sides and lugs. The case back is a screw back. The case sides are flat and polished. With a couple of neat design elements, this compact case becomes the main talking point of this watch.
The case back is stainless steel. It is in very good condition, with no dents and only light surface scratching. It has an excellent circular grained finish. It is signed Stainless Steel. The inside of the caseback is signed “Wittnauer, New York, Geneva Montreal, Star W.C. Co. Stainless Steel 2065”. It has the serial number 2528212.
The hands are original and are made of Stainless Steel. They have a polished finish which has some signs of corrosion. They are of a luminous Dauphine style, with the original Radium lume in-fill to the centre. The lume has aged to a beautiful dark Pumpkin tone with age. The central second hand is original and has a thermally blued finish, which catches the light nicely, changing tone depending on the light.
The crown is original and has a neat coin edge finish. It has some light surface scratches but is in good condition. The strap is a modern replacement. The Acrylic crystal is a recent replacement and is in very good condition.
The movement is manual wind with 17 jewels, shock protection, a power reserve of 45 hours and a frequency of 18,000 BPH. The movement is in good condition both cosmetically and in terms of function. Service history is unknown, but the time keeping, and other figures are very good. The movement would appear to have been recently serviced. It has a daily gain of +15 seconds.
Full condition report below. Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is in very good original condition. It has a cream powder base tone which is in good condition with an even tone. The base tone has been burned slightly by the Radium on the hands, with the hands having been in one position for some time.
The hour markers are the standout features of the dial, with some subtle and beautiful aspects. The dial has applied Arabic numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9. These are accompanied by circular Radium lume plots which have aged to the dark pumpkin tone. This adds a great balance to the dial. The other hour markers are applied arrow markers. These have a lume in-fill to the base. They are a champagne tone along with the Arabic markers. They have some signs of corrosion as expected with age. The minute/second track sits around the edge of the dial and has simple dashes. The dial is signed Wittnauer below 12 O’clock, with Swiss below 6 O’clock.
Hands:
The hands are original and are made of Stainless Steel. They have a polished finish which has some signs of corrosion. They are of a luminous Dauphine style, with the original Radium lume in-fill to the centre. The lume has aged to a beautiful dark Pumpkin tone with age.
The central second hand is original and has a thermally blued finish, which catches the light nicely, changing tone depending on the light.
Glass:
The Acrylic crystal is a recent replacement and is in very good condition.
Crown:
The crown is original and has a neat coin edge finish. It has some light surface scratches but is in good condition.
Case:
The case is Stainless Steel and is in good condition with a polished finish. It is a two-piece case, with the main body consisting of the bezel, sides and lugs. The case back is a screw back. The bezel is the standout feature of the case, with its notched sections, in line with the hour markers. The lugs are very nicely designed in a horned or dog legged style. The case sides are flat and polished. With a couple of neat design elements, this compact case becomes the main talking point of this watch.
Caseback:
The case back is stainless steel. It is in very good condition, with no dents and only light surface scratching. It has an excellent circular grained finish. It is signed Stainless Steel. The inside of the caseback is signed “Wittnauer, New York, Geneva Montreal, Star W.C. Co. Stainless Steel 2065”. It has the serial number 2528212.
Strap:
The strap is a modern replacement. It is an 18mm lug width watch Geckota brown suede strap with quick release spring bars. It will fit from a up to a 8.5 inch wrist diameter.
Movement:
The movement is a Wittnauer Calibre 11ESB which is a modified ETA 1080. The movement is manual wind with 17 jewels, shock protection, a power reserve of 45 hours and a frequency of 18,000 BPH.
The movement is in good condition both cosmetically and in terms of function.
Service history is unknown, but the time keeping, and other figures are very good. The movement would appear to have been recently serviced. It has a daily gain of +10 seconds, with an amplitude of 235 degrees and a beat error of 1.8m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 32mm
Case width with crown: 34mm
Case length: 32mm
Case length lug to lug: 38mm
Case Depth: 10mm
Lug width: 18mm