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SOLD J Bianchi Armee de Terre (French military issued) diver

  1. Braindrain May 21, 2021

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    Due to an incoming(s), I am reluctantly selling my Jacques Bianchi Armee de Terre diving watch.

    For those who aren't familiar with the history, the Armée de Terre watch was issued to divers in the French Army (note, not the Navy - or better known to mil collectors as "MN/Marine Nationale") - les plongeurs de l'Armée de Terre. There were two basic groups - the SAF (spécialistes d'aide au franchissement) and the TSIO (travaux subaquatiques/intervention offensive). The SAF had duties that included specialization in assisting with armored crossings, mine clearance, and recon missions in "dirty" water, or inner waters, rivers, lakes, and sewage. The TSIO were a specialized subgroup of the SAF, who were known as combat divers.

    Bianchi sent 3 prototypes to the French army for testing, along with other competitors for the contract. Two protos were completely destroyed. Bianchi finally won the contract and the army put in an initial order for 300 watches, which were delivered in May, 1993. Following that, the army requested two additional orders (delivered through the end of 1994), for a total of 1000 watches delivered.

    The watches were to be issued to divers when they were first assigned to the units. If they changed to another part of the army, the watches were to be returned and re-issued to new divers. These watches were supposedly never decommissioned nor sold to the public. And, contrary to the MN who kept all record-keeping of assets in a central location (in Lorient and Toulon), the Bianchis were registered within each individual diving unit. There were 16 individual diving units, thus, it's virtually impossible to completely trace a watch's history.

    These watches were not only made to be worn but they were also made to be put on an underwater navigation board. (Photos from the internet.)

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    The specs for my watch, as best as I can find them as they weren't officially published, is as follows:
    - The movement is an ETA 2824 (throughout all batches). The width (without crown) is 42mm.
    - The first order/batch had tritium lume. Later batches/orders had luminova. Mine is from the later order.
    - Each hour index on the dial doubles up with the military/24h clock.
    - Unidirectional bezel with 60 clicks. Minute markers extend throughout the entire bezel.
    - Lug width is 20mm

    My watch is an actual military issued watch so it wasn't babied. Having said that, I consider it in pretty good condition given that detail. The watch will come with an NOS vintage perlon strap.

    I do not know the watch history and the watch has not been serviced whilst in my possession. I wore it in rotation with a large collection, equating to about a week every 3-4 months. I did not notice any irregularities with timekeeping. If you plan to use it as a daily, I recommend a service.

    It was purchased from a MWRine several years ago and, as far as I'm aware, has all original bits.

    My asking price is $1800 USD (Interac transfer/wire/PP F&F). I'm open to regular Paypal (goods and services) +4%, as long as your references check out. The price includes shipping within Canada and CONUS. I'm open to other international, with potential additional shipping charges.

    If in the Vancouver BC area, we could do a face to face. If there are any questions, please feel free to contact me via PM and I will answer as soon as possible.


    Reasonable offers are welcome.

    A ton of unedited pics follows. Both with indoor and outdoor light. The only edited pic is the shot of the caseback, showing the two star CETEHOR (CEntre TEchnique de l'industrie HORlogere) engraving, a manufacture date of November 1994, and a serial number of 19X.

    I am also sorry but I could not get the caseback off, using my rubber ball. If you are a serious buyer and require this pic, we can work this out.

    The fine print
    I am a private watch enthusiast and not a watch dealer/privateer. I only sell watches to reduce my collection. Please note all pictures have not been retouched (save the blurring of the serial) and taken in natural lighting.

    Please note, the sale is final unless there is significant misrepresentation of the watch. The watch description includes all included pics of the watch.

    References: For references, I have the following posted feedback but have done private deals with Vancouver based (redbar) OF members. I would be happy to provide additional usernames, upon request. If you're registered on MWR, I can point you to feedback there.

    https://omegaforums.net/threads/smooth-transaction-with-braindrain-kendall.123587/
    https://omegaforums.net/threads/braindrain-aka-kendall-is-a-great-seller.123345/
    https://omegaforums.net/threads/braindrain-was-a-pleasure-to-deal-with.96353/
    https://omegaforums.net/threads/braindrain-excellent-to-deal-with.53757/

    Thanks for reading my ad.



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    Edited May 21, 2021
  2. shishy www.hpmor.com May 21, 2021

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    nice one! glws
     
    Braindrain likes this.
  3. Foo2rama Keeps his worms in a ball instead of a can. May 21, 2021

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    Interesting perlon NATO!

    killer piece you should try MWF to get the most money.
     
    Tony C. and Braindrain like this.
  4. Faz May 21, 2021

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    Wow...sweet price too.
     
    Flatfoot and Braindrain like this.
  5. Braindrain May 24, 2021

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    Thanks for the kind words, everyone!

    It actually was up on MWR concurrently! And, a big thanks to OF for the space!
     
    Foo2rama likes this.