For sale we have a lovely example of a 1960s Pronto Submersible diver watch. It is in a skin diver style, but with its screw down crown and sturdy case construction, it was original rated to 666 feet. It is a good quality diver with a 21 jewel ETA 2472 inside, which has been serviced within the last 18 months.
The case is made of Stainless Steel and is a tonneau shape with sharp lugs. It has a rectangular notch for the lugs at either end. The top of the case has a brushed finish which follows the circular lines set by the bezel. The sides of the case are bevelled with a polished finish before falling into a sharp flat side with a brushed finish. The lugs extend well beyond the case and far below the watch, creating a sharp angular presence. The bezel is formed of stainless steel and has a neat coin edge finish. It is bi-directional as was common in the 1960s. It has a 60 minute count down timer.
It is a screw back which is in average original condition. To the centre is the Pronto logo and signing. It is signed; Automatic, Incabloc, Swiss Made, All Stainless Steel, Antimagnetic, Super Waterproof. There is light surface scratching associated with age and a couple of deeper marks from poor opening attempts.
The dial is completely original and is in very good condition. It has a black matte base finish which aids the legibility of the watch. The white hour markers are thin but large and are very visible. The hour markers are clear and have the original Tritium lume in-fill which has aged to a lovely yellow tone. The dial is signed Pronto Submersible with the Pronto logo below 12, whilst is is signed 21 jewels automatic above 6 O’clock. Either side of the base of the dial it is signed T Swiss Made T. The dial is nicely balanced with a date window at 3 O’clock, accompanying the Arabic 6, 9, 12.
The hands are all original and are of stick style. They are a silver tone and have a good polished finish. They have aged Tritium lume in-fill to the centre which is intact and has aged to a good tone.
The Acrylic crystal is a replacement and is in very good condition, with no noticeable marks.
The crown is a well-matched replacement. It screws down as it should and is a tight fit. It winds and sets the hands as it should.
The movement is an ETA 2472. It has a jewel count of 21 and a frequency of 18,000 BPH. It has a 42-hour power reserve, with sweep central second hands, automatic winding and shock proofing. It has a semi quickset date change. You can cycle between 20:30 and 24:00 to advance the date. This is a well specked divers watch, as expected from a good 1960s example. The movement is very clean and is in good condition. It was serviced 18 months ago. It is keeping time to within -13 seconds a day.
Please see the images as these compliment and aid the description provided below.
Dial:
The dial is completely original and is in very good condition. It has a black matte base finish which aids the legibility of the watch. The white hour markers are thin but large and are very visible. The hour markers are clear and have the original Tritium lume in-fill which has aged to a lovely yellow tone. The dial is signed Pronto Submersible with the Pronto logo below 12, whilst is is signed 21 jewels automatic above 6 O’clock. Either side of the base of the dial it is signed T Swiss Made T. The dial is nicely balanced with a date window at 3 O’clock, accompanying the Arabic 6, 9, 12.
Hands:
The hands are all original and are of stick style. They are a silver tone and have a good polished finish. They have aged Tritium lume in-fill to the centre which is intact and has aged to a good tone.
Glass:
The Acrylic crystal is a replacement and is in very good condition, with no noticeable marks.
Crown:
The crown is a well-matched replacement. It screws down as it should and is a tight fit. It winds and sets the hands as it should.
Case:
The case is made of Stainless Steel and is in good original condition. It is a tonneau shape with sharp lugs and a rectangular notch for the lugs at either end. The top of the case has a brushed finish which follows the circular lines set by the bezel. The sides of the case are bevelled with a polished finish before falling into a sharp flat side with a brushed finish. The lugs extend well beyond the case and far below the watch, creating a sharp angular presence.
The bezel is formed of stainless steel and has a neat coin edge finish. It is bi-directional as was common in the 1960s. It has a 60 minute count down timer, with 60 marked by a lumed triangle. The marks and Arabic numerals are infilled with black enamel.
Caseback:
It is a screw back which is in average original condition. To the centre is the Pronto logo and signing. It is signed; Automatic, Incabloc, Swiss Made, All Stainless Steel, Antimagnetic, Super Waterproof. There is light surface scratching associated with age and a couple of deeper marks from poor opening attempts.
Strap:
The watch comes on a new Zulu diver Nato strap.
Movement:
The movement is an ETA 2472. It has a jewel count of 21 and a frequency of 18,000 BPH. It has a 42-hour power reserve, with sweep central second hands, automatic winding and shock proofing. The movement is very clean and is in good condition. It was serviced 18 months ago. It is keeping time to within -13 seconds a day, with an amplitude of 245 degrees and a beat error of 0.3m/s.
Case dimensions:
Case width: 36mm
Case width with crown: 41mm
Case length: 36mm
Case length lug to lug: 46mm
Case Depth: 13mm
Lug width: 18mm