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Dan S
ยทAs I continue to clear out some room in my collection, I am selling a Grana Kurth Freres "big-eye" chronograph from the 1940s. The Grana company was the predecessor to the well-known Certina brand. Grana also provided chronographs with this same large stainless steel case and Venus 175 movement to the Hungarian Air Force, but this is a civilian version. I know we often mock the word "rare", but in this case it fits ... this is a unicorn.
This piece ticks many boxes for a vintage collector. The case is all stainless and oversized for the era, at 38mm excluding the crown. Because of the narrow bezel and all-dial design, it wears very large on the wrist. The original dial is a champagne color, and despite some patina, it is attractive and unusual, with large "big-eye" sub-dials, symmetrical 6-12 numerals, gold-button markers, and a blue outer tachymeter track. The dial shows signs of age as shown in the photos including some crackling and discoloration, and fading around the outside. All 5 hands are a matching blued steel. The case and pushers show wear, but are completely original and unpolished, and the lugs exhibit their original chamfers, which is remarkable for an 80-year-old watch.
I've included plenty of photos that show the condition of the piece under various lighting conditions, please look carefully to judge for yourself. The movement is the classic column-wheel workhorse Venus 175, which was fully serviced in December 2016 by my watchmaker, as marked inside the case-back. Just for fun, I've also included an "exploded view" of the movement that my watchmaker sent me before re-assembly. It is running well and ready-to-wear; all time-keeping and chronograph functions work correctly, although the sweep hand motion is a little jerky.
Specifications:
Brand: Grana Kurth Freres (Certina)
Year: 1940s
Movement: Venus 175, manual winding
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case size: 38mm
Lug width: 21mm
Crystal: acrylic
Strap: generic leather strap
My asking price is $1,200 by PayPal, including insured shipping within the US. Other payment and/or shipping options can be discussed on a case-by-case basis. Lurkers should not expect a discount, but I'm happy to consider offers from my friends and regular OF contributors.
Links to my OF selling and buying feedback are below, and I'm happy to share personal information by direct message. I can also provide a few additional references for OF members who have not posted feedback threads. Please let me know if you have any questions or want more information/photos. If anyone thinks I have made an error or omission in this listing, please send me a direct message, and I will happily make any necessary correction.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-great-seller.78044/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-great-seller.79576/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-rock-solid-buyer.80126/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-pleasure-to-do-business-with.80035/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/pudz-is-a-solid-buyer.87102/
This piece ticks many boxes for a vintage collector. The case is all stainless and oversized for the era, at 38mm excluding the crown. Because of the narrow bezel and all-dial design, it wears very large on the wrist. The original dial is a champagne color, and despite some patina, it is attractive and unusual, with large "big-eye" sub-dials, symmetrical 6-12 numerals, gold-button markers, and a blue outer tachymeter track. The dial shows signs of age as shown in the photos including some crackling and discoloration, and fading around the outside. All 5 hands are a matching blued steel. The case and pushers show wear, but are completely original and unpolished, and the lugs exhibit their original chamfers, which is remarkable for an 80-year-old watch.
I've included plenty of photos that show the condition of the piece under various lighting conditions, please look carefully to judge for yourself. The movement is the classic column-wheel workhorse Venus 175, which was fully serviced in December 2016 by my watchmaker, as marked inside the case-back. Just for fun, I've also included an "exploded view" of the movement that my watchmaker sent me before re-assembly. It is running well and ready-to-wear; all time-keeping and chronograph functions work correctly, although the sweep hand motion is a little jerky.
Specifications:
Brand: Grana Kurth Freres (Certina)
Year: 1940s
Movement: Venus 175, manual winding
Case Material: Stainless steel
Case size: 38mm
Lug width: 21mm
Crystal: acrylic
Strap: generic leather strap
My asking price is $1,200 by PayPal, including insured shipping within the US. Other payment and/or shipping options can be discussed on a case-by-case basis. Lurkers should not expect a discount, but I'm happy to consider offers from my friends and regular OF contributors.
Links to my OF selling and buying feedback are below, and I'm happy to share personal information by direct message. I can also provide a few additional references for OF members who have not posted feedback threads. Please let me know if you have any questions or want more information/photos. If anyone thinks I have made an error or omission in this listing, please send me a direct message, and I will happily make any necessary correction.
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-great-seller.78044/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-great-seller.79576/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-rock-solid-buyer.80126/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/dan-s-is-a-pleasure-to-do-business-with.80035/
https://omegaforums.net/threads/pudz-is-a-solid-buyer.87102/
