jpynson | 8 September 2022

By Joël Pynson
The standard of the diving wristwatch was defined in the early 1950s: a waterproof steel case, a black dial with luminescent numerals and indexes, and a rotating bezel to indicate the dive time and respect the decompression stops.
There were of course many waterproof watches before this date,...
jpynson | 31 January 2022

By Joël Pynson.
Minerva is recognized by all vintage chronograph collectors for its aesthetic qualities and the superb finishing of its calibers. However, there is one Minerva chronograph that is an exception: the one equipped with the curious caliber 52. It is the only Minerva manufacture caliber that we do...
jpynson | 7 November 2021

By Joël Pynson and Sébastien Chaulmontet.
One might think that this beautiful Lowenthal chronograph from the 1930's is a simple monopusher chronograph, as there were many in Switzerland at that time. However, a small detail on the pusher should draw your attention: there is a crenellation at the end, which actually...
iernst | 17 November 2020

By Joël Pynson & Sébastien Chaulmontet.
The first watches with date windows began to be mass-produced in the 1930s, particularly at Mimo, with its Mimo-Meter model dating from 1930, and at Helvétia, a brand of the General Watch Co. in Biel, which in 1932 offered an attractive rectangular model with a...
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