A split second, or Rattrapante, decimal stopwatch from Excelsior Park is about as good as stopwatches got.
HOW DO WE DATE THIS WATCH?
Stop watches are difficult to date, as movements stayed in production for decades. However this watch has the slide stop start like this watch on Hodinkee had that they said was circa 1950. These were generally swapped for pushers as time went on, or crown operated stop start like in the c1965 Excelsior Park we had. We have no evidence to contradict Hodinkee, so we will stick with c1950 too
CONDITION
Excelsior Park were founded in 1918 in Switzerland and built an impressive client lists for their chronograph movements, with companies like Gallet and Zenith among others using EP movements in their watches. But, like Lemania, stopwatches were their main thing. As this has the minute divided into 100 units it was likely intended for use in either science labs or industry, The slide on the right starts the timer, and both the red and black hand starts counting. If you then press down the winding crown the black hand flies back and instantly restarts counting (a feature called flyback) but the red hand stops on the time indicated. This allows people to record the result while simultaneously timing the next part. By pressing the pusher on the left the red hand catches up with the black hand to carry on. This is not an easy thing to do in horology, and you can see the ultra fine centre wheel clutch in action when you have removed the case back and dust cover. The movement is calibre 11-66, and it is all working well. The condition is museum quality, with the chromed case only having light storage scratches.
This watch will be supplied with a basic 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 63.9 mm (excluding bow)
Width without crown 49.0 mm
Case Thickness 16.7 mm
All sizes are approximate.
Included with this watch is a 1 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.
