106th Auction
2022/5/21
Lot 165
A. Lange & Söhne
An extremely rare deck watch for the Waffen-SS "Messbatterie" - ordered by the SS-Führungshauptamt in Berlin - purpose-built watch with seconds' device in mirror writing and flying fifths of a seconds indication - with extra long leather strap and Lange & Söhne certificate of the watch museum Glashuette
Sold
estimated
25.000—50.000 €
Price realized
31.300 €
specific features
Case
Brass, matted grey, push back.
Dial
Matted black, luminous Arabic/Roman numerals, centre seconds, outer minute scale 5-55, inner hour scale in mirror writing 5-55, fifths of a seconds' indication, extended devices at 15 and 45, swastika, luminous blued steel lance hands (re-lumed).
Movement
Manual.
Case no.215691
Cal.48-1
Diam.65 mm
Circa1943
Ctry.Germany
In 1940 the Waffen-SS ordered the company Lange & Soehne to develop a deck watch for the "Messbatterie", based on the Luftwaffe watch B but with a larger diameter. For photographic purposes the seconds numerals were to be added in mirror writing too. After some silver-cased prototypes, ten watches per month were to be delivered starting in March 1941. According to the document at hand Lange & Soehne produced 22 of these watches in nickel-plated brass cases and with a diameter of 65 mm in 1943.
Lit.: "Militäruhren" by Konrad Knirim, Essen 2002, page 452.