We relive and rewrite history. When we tell about watches, few names are evocative to the point of having marked history. All fans and collectors of military watchmaking know the name of Antonio Cairelli in Rome, combining your workshop with the customization of ZENITH and UNIVERSAL GENEVE branded watches for military use. The uninitiated will wonder ... who was Antonio Cairelli? From online research it appears that the Antonio Cairelli company was operating in Rome from the early thirties until the end of the sixties. He had a watch shop located in the center of Via del Corso 144 and a laboratory at an unspecified street number of the peripheral Via Trionfale. In addition to the common watchmaking business, he was the intermediary between the Ministry of the Armed Forces and the two Swiss companies that used Martel Watch movements, namely Zenith and Universal Geneve, of which he imported various models according to ministerial specifications. It also provided for maintenance and reconditioning of the same. Especially in the 60s he distinguished himself for the supply of CP 2 models to the AMI (Italian military aviation) and in smaller numbers to other departments of the armed forces. The Universal Geneve branded CP 2s were characterized by the presence of the "retour en vol" function which was absent in the Zenith brand models. It was perhaps the higher cost of the former that limited the number produced, while the latter is said to have been produced a total of about 2500 pieces of which only 2000 actually delivered and registered by the armed forces. From the quoted numbers we understand how much these watches are desired by collectors, especially if in excellent condition and with a history behind them. Over the years, there has been a continuous rise in the figures at stake, especially in sector auctions, with high peaks in the case of models of well-known Swiss brands produced in any case in a limited number of pieces, from a few hundred to thousands. Until recently, I was unaware that a batch of OMEGA watches had passed through their "WORKSHOP", until I came into possession of an unusual but extremely technological watch for the time it was produced. The thing aroused in me interest and curiosity such as to push me to carry out in-depth research, which allowed me to discover that I have in my hands a very rare watch: a navigation chronograph for airplanes, model LE 304 B from 1933. Equipped with a 39 CHRO movement, the clock, in addition to indicating the time, has the particularity of allowing to display / record the minutes of the chronograph function on a counter with a scale of 30 minutes during the progress, which occurs in progressive mode (!!!) and not with the usual snap every minute, as in most chronographs. The hour and minute spheres are in blued steel. The luminescence of the spheres and of the dial was determined by a mixture of radium and zinc sulfide. The material of the aluminum shell has a diameter of 82 mm and is mounted on an elastic support which was fixed to the cloche. Manual winding is done using the knob at the end of the flexible arm. With great surprise we read on the dial the words "A. Cairelli Rome ”. It undoubtedly follows that the instrument belongs to a military supply. LE 304 B 39 CHRO installed on the cloche of a Savoia Marchetti S55X seaplane In-depth research, thanks also to the book "OMEGA - VOYAGE A TRAVERS LE TEMPS" written by Marco Richon, I discovered that this model was associated with a historical event of global resonance. OMEGA, in the advertisements of the time, is proud to be the supplier of the "Regia Aeronautica Italiana" and to have delivered 24 Dashboard Watch model Aviation Cockpit Chronograph, with reference LA 304 B Caliber 39 CHRO, to equip 24 seaplanes and supplied 48 watches from pulse for the Commanders and Pilots taking part in the Atlantic crossing of RAID ROME - NEW YORK. The Minister of Air, Gen. Italo Balbo, is in command to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Regia Aeronautica. PHOTO: Advertising of the time From the OMEGA archive extract the watch appears to have been delivered to ITALY on March 8, 1933 to the official CAIRELLI retailer ROMA. Subsequent in-depth analyzes carried out with the kind collaboration of OMEGA Museum technicians showed that, following an order received from Antonio CAIRELLI in 1933, OMEGA processed the supply in three lots of LE 304 B 39 CHRO for about thirty pieces. Today, after 86 years, there is no news of other watches assigned in circulation and the OMEGA museum itself does not have one. From the above it should be deduced that the copy of the article is the only (!!!) survivor of that supply. As the only surviving specimen out of 24, given the limited editions of all the official military watches ever produced, it is today the rarest example in the world, second perhaps only to the Speedmaster who belonged to Armstrong and then lost on returning from the lunar mission. In the light of this discovery, one wonders if we need to rewrite the history of the Antonio Cairelli workshop in Rome, which is associated exclusively with the previously mentioned brands, or whether it has been forgotten over the years, given that the OMEGA supply passed in their workshop dates back to an order made 86 years ago, practically in the first years of the activity. If from the data kept in OMEGA in their archives, in the 30s the Company A. Cairelli in Rome was their official dealer, surely they had lost track of this considering the long time spent. At this point all that remains is to make a brief overview of the DECENNIAL AERIAL CRUISE - 1933 The Decennial air cruise, Orbetello-Chicago-New York-Rome or the Atlantic cruise, took place between 1 July and 12 August 1933. It was organized by the Italian Minister of Aeronautics Italo Balbo in the first decade of the Regia Aeronautica as a propaganda occasion for the Century of Progress, the universal exhibition held in Chicago for the centenary of the city's foundation. Perhaps it is the most famous Italian aeronautical company and one of the most famous in the world. 25 SIAI-Marchetti S.55X seaplanes took part, organized in 8 squadrons. On board 52 pilots officers, 1 engineer officer and 62 specialist non-commissioned officers. They returned to Italy in 24 aircraft, one having been lost in the tragic accident in the Azores (Bay of Horta). Today we have no more trace of these seaplanes. Idroscalo of Orbetello seaplanes Savoia Marchetti S55 X lined up The means: Seaplanes Savoia-Marchetti S.55X The seaplanes were of the Savoia-Marchetti S.55 X, the "X" stood for the tenth anniversary of the founding of the Air Force, were vehicles that have been tested for ten years since the first flights, which took place in August 1923. The structure of the Seaplane, compared to the initial model, it remained almost unchanged. The on-board systems were subjected to various modifications: the main difference was represented by the adoption of 18-cylinder "W" Isotta Fraschini Asso 750 engines in a line which together supplied 1,500 horses. The stages : Orbetello - Amsterdam Amsterdam - Londonderry Londonderry - Reykjavík Reykjavík - Cartwright Cartwrigh t-Shediac Shediac - Montreal Montrea l - Chicago Chicago - New York New York - Shediac Shediac - Shoal Harbor Shoal Harbor - Ponta Delgada Ponta Delgada - Lisbon Lisbon - Rome There were two serious accidents that occurred during the Cruise. On 1 July 1933, after a 1,000 km section, at the first landing in Amsterdam, the pilot captain Mario Baldini's plane tipped over and Colorno's sergeant engineer Ugo Quintavalla lost his life. On the way back, on August 9th 1933 to take off from Horta Bay to Lisbon, 1,440 km away, the pilot-captain Celso Ranieri turned over the seaplane causing the death of the second pilot Lieutenant Enrico Squaglia of Lucca and the loss of the aircraft. It's time to return this unique piece to history, kept hidden for years. What better time than the year of the 50th of the moon landing, the 50th of the first integrated automatic chronograph, the world's first quartz watch?
Very interesting, thanks for this nice bit of scholarship! One small correction... It was Aldrin's speedy that was lost, not Armstrong's.
I just read this whole thing before realizing it’s a very old post. Impressive write up and thanks for taking the time to share @Mariog. I’d never heard of this expedition before. Very cool and quite the piece of history. What happened with the clock?