Selling this very cool and interesting historical piece in order to raise funds to put towards the purchase of an 18k Constellation pie-pan. This WWII bomb timer was made for the Italian Air Force by Universal Geneve and retailed by A. Cairelli Roma. The timer features a modified high beat (36.600) Valjoux 067 movement. The original dial is in extremely well-preserved condition. The small scratches visible in the photos are on the crystal. The case is also well-preserved but there are some scratches underneath the crown from lazy attempts at opening the case. Just over 50mm without the crown. I had the timer serviced a couple weeks ago while I was in Europe. I have included three pictures taken by the watchmaker during/following the service. A service receipt will be included with the sale. The following is a description of how the timer was used (from Christie’s auction website): The luminous numerals indicate the distance travelled by a dropped bomb in hm (hectometer: 100 meters). The operator, knowing the launch altitude, would set the arrow at the corresponding distance. Then, he would use the crown to start the timer, and press the button once the hand reached the desired distance to stop it. When the bomb is dropped, one more push on the crown would set the hand in motion counterclockwise, thus starting the countdown to the moment the bomb would reach the ground. At this point, another push on the button would stop the timer, and a last activation of the crown would reset the hand. Watch and I are located in Vancouver, BC. Price: $3500 USD (net) Price is based on the following auctions from 2-3 years ago where the same models (not serviced) sold for $3000 CHF and $5250 USD (respectively): https://www.christies.com/lotfinder...-unusual-stainless-steel-5893015-details.aspx https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/24845884_rare-and-unusual-universal-geneve-a-cairelli-italian A very similar UG timer was listed for sale on OF earlier this year for $5000 euro. Trades – as noted above, I intend to use the funds from the sale of the timer towards the purchase of an 18k pie-pan and would consider trading the timer for a nice, clean 18k Connie. Payment by PayPal or bank transfer. Returns only if grossly misrepresented. A few OF references: https://omegaforums.net/threads/vanallard-is-an-excellent-seller.71715/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/doesnt-get-better-than-purchasing-from-vanallard.70590/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/vanallard-is-the-best.72710/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/great-transaction-with-vanallard.72661/ https://omegaforums.net/threads/vanallard-is-an-excellent-seller.72616/ Feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions.
Entertaining offers and trades Here's another example (not serviced and worse condition) that sold recently on eBay for ~3500USD: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-...KoYgPH9%2BrXOw30V6%2Fp677uY%3D&orig_cvip=truePurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network
In case anyone is interested, this piece is being auctioned off by Sotheby’s and the auction ends tomorrow. Here is the link: https://www.sothebys.com/buy/535d39...ff75d29-8b16-4b6c-a4cc-6122882ccb95?locale=en