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The chronograph is probably my favorite complication. My grail when I started this hobby was the Omega Speedmaster. It’s arguably one of – if not the most – iconic chronographs ever produced. Similarly, vintage watch ads for chronographs are some of my favorites. I’ve amassed quite a few of them, and decided I’d share them by time period. This post will cover the 1940s, with ads shown in alphabetical order by brand name.
Angelus Ad From 1946
Angelus is still around today, but they make watches much different than the one showcased in the ad below.
The compnay began manufacturing its own ébauches, or movement blanks, as far back as 1904. By this time, it was also already making complicated watches. This included repeaters and chronographs – the chronograph especially being one of Angelus’ specialties.
The ad displayed in this post is for a complicated triple calendar chronograph watch. About four years before this ad was released, in 1942, Angelus actually released the first series chronograph with a calendar complication. Angelus called it the Chronodate initially, but by 1943 was calling it the Chrondato (as it’s called in the above advertisement).
1945 Breitling Advertisement
I shared this one already in my post The Wakmann Watch Company: An Answer to Post-War Protectionism?, but it’s so cool, I think it’s worth sharing here again.
The above ad is for the original Duograph, a model that Breitling recently re-released. It’s a split-seconds chronograph, which is even cooler than your normal run-of-the-mill chronograph.
World War 2 came to a conclusion during the end of 1945, which is around the same time the above ad was released. The US watch industry, which was only producing watches for the military, had already lost a large amount of market share to the Swiss by this time.
After striking a deal and creating the joint venture with Breitling, Wakmann was an American company importing and co-branding clocks with its new partner for US military (and civilian) aircraft. For more on this subject, you can revisit my earlier post by clicking here.
Heuer Advertisement From 1945
No chronograph post from the 1940s would be complete without Heuer. Unlike regular watches, chronographs specifically were considered “war material” by the surrounding Axis Powers. Exporting them outside of Switzerland was difficult, so Heuer concentrated more on its own domestic, Swiss market.
After World War 2 was over chronograph sales exploded, and Heuer was a major beneficiary. Chronographs specifically were associated with heroic war veterans during this boom period in sales, but by 1949, these sales started to rapidly decline.
Kelbert and Tourneau Watch Ads from 1945
According to Fratello, Kelbert was founded in 1938. It was an importer of Swiss watches, but resided in New York itself.
Besides this basic information provided by Fratello’s article, I can’t seem to find much else about the company. The above ad dates to around 1945.
Tourneau is another non-manufacturer that seems to have provided chronographs with its name on the dial in the 1940s. Tourneau is a retailer that’s still in operation today.
The company was purchased by European retailer, Bucherer AG, in 2018. Tourneau was originally established all the way back in 1900, selling watches in the Russian Empire. After the Russian Revolution, the founding family briefly fled to Paris, before arriving in New York in 1924.
Universal Geneve Advertisement From 1945
Another cool ad from the 1940s comes from Universal Geneve.
This one is advertising for the timing and registering up to 45 minutes in 1/5 seconds. A little odd when it comes to the increments it can time for, but that’s what makes it cool.
Conclusion
The 1940s was an interesting time for chronograph wristwatches. They were important for militaries in WW2, and were popular after the war’s conclusion. The 1960s would see a resurgence in chronographs, which will be the subject of a future post.
According to Heddels History Of The Chronograph, the first modern chronograph was created in 1816. It would be Breitling, however, that would be responsible for the first wrist chronograph with two pushers – which is the archetypal image of modern chronographs today.
Before this innovation, chronographs operated with a single pusher. Breitling filed this patent in 1934, and by the 1940s, we can see clearly through these ads that this was the predominant configuration that almost the entire industry would adopt going forward.
Know more about Angelus, Breitling, Heuer, Kelbert, Tourneau, and Universal Geneve and want to add to the discussion? Please post a comment below!