Minerva 1930s Rare Vintage Pilot’s Chronograph 41 mm, Excellent Condition

This a large and – in this near-mint condition – an exceedingly rare stainless steel military single button chronograph wristwatch with a thirty-minute register, black gloss dial and luminous Arabic numerals & luminous hands. The watch is all original, and indescribably exciting on the wrist. The timepiece is signed Minerva, Case Number 435’356 puts the production date in the 1930s.

The aviator style case is in excellent original condition, and although it measures relatively large at 41mm, the curved lugs allow the watch to fit comfortably on a smaller wrist. The case features fixed lug bars consistent with military pilot watches of the era. The crown, crystal and the dial are in perfect condition.

This Minerva chronograph is powered by a manual-wind manufacture-grade caliber 16.29 CH Column Wheel movement, 17 jewels. This is one of Minerva’s most coveted and rare manufacture cailbres, featuring an individually engraved balance. The large 15’’’ Ligne movement with pocket-sized balance provides accuracy of a pocket watch.

About Minerva

Minerva was originally founded in 1858 by Charles-Yvan Robert and Hyppolite Robert of Villeret as a company that specialized in assembling pocket watches from components made by other manufacturers. The Minerva Watch brand was launched in 1887 to engineer high-grade watches, and the company produced its first wristwatch with a completely in-house movement in 1909. Minerva's initial success came in 1923 with the introduction of the calibre 20, a movement that perfectly illustrates the classic and refined architecture of wrist chronographs of that era, with the iconic “V”-shaped bridge, column-wheel mechanism, a Breguet balance-spring and 17 jewels. With the launch of this watch, the company earned its reputation as a manufacturer of complicated movements of exceptional quality. Minerva was bought by the luxury goods group Richemont in 2006.

Technical

Movement:        Cal 16.29 CH

Jewels: 17

Frequency:         18,000 VpH

Power Reserve: 42 hrs