Still in the Camerer & Cuss case, this high end Lemania Mk 5B pocket chronograph was issued by the Air Ministry. Model reference 6B/140.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
The movement in this watch was launched in 1910, but the Air Ministry didn’t start until 1918 and ran until 1964. We know it is not a really early one, as Camerer & Cuss changed their name in 1914 from Camerer & Kuss to make it sound less Germanic. We do have a similar example in the excellent book British Military Timepieces, along with a navigation document that shows these watches being used in 1944 for navigation. It is likely this watch was first issued circa 1940.
CONDITION
A split chronograph is a complex thing to make. They require many more parts than a standard chronograph, and we show in the video how it works. Lemania had a great record of building such things, but still these would only have been issued to those who really needed the extra functionality as they would not have been cheap. Given this was the Air Ministry purchasing them, it would likely be navigators or bomb aimers – so a vital tool. The case is gunmetal, and is unpolished. The crystal is heavily yellowed with age, so likely original. The dial has some damage at the ten marker and the hands have rust on them, but given how many of these watches would not return we are happy to have been able to find one. The fitted case is a real bonus, but the clasp has a part missing.
This watch will be supplied with the original presentation box, and our Certificate of Authenticity.
Please see the HD video for more detail. All photos and videos are part of the description and are of the actual watch unless mentioned. We do not photoshop any pictures, and the images are copyright of birthyearwatches.com and should not be used without permission.
SIZE
Width with crown 76.8 mm (excluding bow)
Width without crown 59.8 mm
Case Thickness 17.2 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 3 month guarantee and free delivery to UK addresses. If you live outside the UK we can still deliver to most countries. Please see our Worldwide Shipping information, or Contact Us. Payment can be made by most credit or debit cards, bank transfer or PayPal.
From 1st September 2021 we will be planting a tree for every watch we sell, working with the International Tree Foundation (Est 1922) to make this business positive on carbon. By buying anything pre owned you are effectively reusing what already exists, but this takes it further and makes us feel good.
