Lot 81

Zenith

A. Cairelli, Cronometro Tipo CP-2

A pilot's legendary, extremely rare vintage wrist chronograph, intended for the Italian Air Force, delivered by the Italian concessionaire A. Cairelli in Rome - with Zenith box

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A. Cairelli in Rome was a retailer established in 1932, selling wristwatches, board watches and other mechanical instruments to the Italian Air Force. He signed the dials of the instruments and watches with his own name. The design of the Cronometro TIPO CP-2 (Cronometro da Polsa Type 2) was not done by Zenith but followed the extremely detailed specifications of the military. Altogether about 2,500 watches were produced in the 1960s and 1970s, but not all of them were delivered to the military. Cairelli kept about 500 watches back on standby and as replacements; he sold them later on the civil market.
This aviator’s chronograph is a rare model produced for the civil market without the Italian air force engraving A.M.I. (Aeronautica Militare Italiana) on the back. It is in excellent condition with well-defined edges and very light surface scratches. The attractive matte black dial has two subsidiary dials. The luminous material of the Arabic numerals and the hands has slightly darkened with age. The used calibre 146DP is Zenith’s first in-house chronograph, which is based on the Martel calibre 749 which is known for its excellent reliability and accuracy.