Pre-Extra Fort Chronograph - Two-Tone Snail Dial - Watch Only (1940s)

Eberhard & Co. Pre-Extra Fort Chronograph - Two-Tone Snail Dial - Watch Only (1940s)

A honest, unrestored example of Eberhard & Co.'s revered pre-war two-register chronograph, built around the column-wheel Caliber 16000 that would soon evolve into the legendary Extra-Fort line. The multi-scale two-tone dial with its spiral tachymeter, outer telemeter track and blued steel hands captures the technical elegance of 1940s Swiss chronograph making at its highest level.

Details:

• Reference: Pre-Extra Fort (Caliber 16000 generation)
• Year: 1940s
• Case Size: 40mm, stainless steel
• Bezel: Fixed steel, polished
• Dial: Two-tone silvered dial with warm copper/salmon patina, applied Arabic 12 and 6 numerals, spiral (snail) tachymeter graduation, outer telemeter scale in kilometres, two registers (running seconds at 6, 30-minute chronograph counter at 12), blued steel hands
• Movement: Eberhard Caliber 16000 (Valjoux-base), manual-winding, column-wheel chronograph, 17 jewels, monometallic balance, Breguet hairspring, 18,000 vph
• Crystal: Domed acrylic
• Bracelet: Period vintage stretch-link steel bracelet (aftermarket)
• Functions: Hours, minutes, small seconds, chronograph with 30-minute counter, tachymeter and telemeter measurement scales

Set Includes:

• Watch only

Condition:

• Honest used condition consistent with regular wear for an 80+ year old watch
• Dial shows an even warm patina across the two-tone finish
• Case with light surface marks on the polished sides
• Blued hands intact and evenly toned
• Domed acrylic crystal free of significant scratches
• Movement running, chronograph functions operating

The Pre-Extra Fort designation refers to Eberhard & Co.'s two-register column-wheel chronographs produced from the mid-1930s through the early 1950s, before the "Extra-Fort" name was formally applied to the dial - a transitional and increasingly collectible chapter in the Swiss brand's storied chronograph history, and one of the last generations to use the acclaimed Caliber 16000.