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wouter van wijk
·Hi guys, I know I am a dealer but I want to show you an unique piece. I just love these kind of rare watches. They are way more special imho than a stock vintage watch from the main brands. This is a piece with a real soul in it since the graduate chose the parts to complete his graduating piece.
This is a Montre Ecole Technicum Cantonal Ecole d’Horlogerie St’ Imier School Watch. This is a very nice graduating watch or Montreal École from the watchmaking school of Saint-Imier (called Technicum cantonal of Saint-Imier from 1960 to 1975). Nowadays this school still exists as part of the The Arc Engineering High School , the result of the merger of the engineering schools of Locle (EICN) and St-Imier (EIS).
The watchmaking school of Saint-Imier was founded in 1866 in a region - the arc Jura - and at a time when the watch industry is expanding. As in Geneva , La Chaux-de-Fonds and Besançon , it was important for Saint-Imier to have a vocational school that can train a skilled workforce in an increasingly mechanical manufacturing process. Saint Imier is nowadays the home of Longines and it used to be the home of Breitling and Heuer.
At watchmaking schools at that time, students could follow classes for 2, 3, 4, and 5 and 1/2 years. The students who studied the most years had to pass their exam by building a graduating piece’ an observatory chronometer. Trough the 50s and the 60s watchmakers were competing to make the most precise watch movement. To make the competition fair, all testing was done at observatories. Neuchatel Observatory, Geneva Observatory, Besancon Observatory, and Kew Observatory were examples of observatories that certified the accuracy of mechanical timepieces.
Some of the students who graduated as a Ingénieur Technicien after 5 and 1/2 years also made an additional optional wristwatch to complete their course. This watch is such a piece. It was bought by a collector friend who’s interest lies in the chronometer pocket and desk watches. This is sort of his side catch. He bought this piece directly from an alumnus from the Technicum Cantonal Ecole d’Horlogerie St’ Imier. I am completely in love with this piece since it shows an unique craftsmanship. It has the coveted Valjoux 23 movement inside, which is a celebrated hand-winding chronograph movement in the Valjoux 72 family produced from 1916 through 1974. The Valjoux 23 and 72 are almost identical except that the latter adds a 12 hour counter at 6:00 on the dial.The Valjoux 23 family is 13 ligne in size (29.5 mm) with a nine-pillar column wheel. It is typically a two-register design, with small seconds at 9:00 and a 30- or 45-minute counter at 3:00.
The movement of this Montreal École has been hand finished and looks really stunning. This particular piece runs as a chronometer Besides the highly skilled movement there is more to admire. Look at that dial!! It has golden hour markers as well as really interesting sword looking golden hands which are also seen in some of the Patek Phillip models such as some of the examples of reference 3417 the Amagnetic as well as the Calatrava references 3466 and 2584 .
This is a Montre Ecole Technicum Cantonal Ecole d’Horlogerie St’ Imier School Watch. This is a very nice graduating watch or Montreal École from the watchmaking school of Saint-Imier (called Technicum cantonal of Saint-Imier from 1960 to 1975). Nowadays this school still exists as part of the The Arc Engineering High School , the result of the merger of the engineering schools of Locle (EICN) and St-Imier (EIS).
The watchmaking school of Saint-Imier was founded in 1866 in a region - the arc Jura - and at a time when the watch industry is expanding. As in Geneva , La Chaux-de-Fonds and Besançon , it was important for Saint-Imier to have a vocational school that can train a skilled workforce in an increasingly mechanical manufacturing process. Saint Imier is nowadays the home of Longines and it used to be the home of Breitling and Heuer.
At watchmaking schools at that time, students could follow classes for 2, 3, 4, and 5 and 1/2 years. The students who studied the most years had to pass their exam by building a graduating piece’ an observatory chronometer. Trough the 50s and the 60s watchmakers were competing to make the most precise watch movement. To make the competition fair, all testing was done at observatories. Neuchatel Observatory, Geneva Observatory, Besancon Observatory, and Kew Observatory were examples of observatories that certified the accuracy of mechanical timepieces.
Some of the students who graduated as a Ingénieur Technicien after 5 and 1/2 years also made an additional optional wristwatch to complete their course. This watch is such a piece. It was bought by a collector friend who’s interest lies in the chronometer pocket and desk watches. This is sort of his side catch. He bought this piece directly from an alumnus from the Technicum Cantonal Ecole d’Horlogerie St’ Imier. I am completely in love with this piece since it shows an unique craftsmanship. It has the coveted Valjoux 23 movement inside, which is a celebrated hand-winding chronograph movement in the Valjoux 72 family produced from 1916 through 1974. The Valjoux 23 and 72 are almost identical except that the latter adds a 12 hour counter at 6:00 on the dial.The Valjoux 23 family is 13 ligne in size (29.5 mm) with a nine-pillar column wheel. It is typically a two-register design, with small seconds at 9:00 and a 30- or 45-minute counter at 3:00.
The movement of this Montreal École has been hand finished and looks really stunning. This particular piece runs as a chronometer Besides the highly skilled movement there is more to admire. Look at that dial!! It has golden hour markers as well as really interesting sword looking golden hands which are also seen in some of the Patek Phillip models such as some of the examples of reference 3417 the Amagnetic as well as the Calatrava references 3466 and 2584 .
