Watches to wear with your flight jackets...

[Carlos Fandango]

Helvetia..great brand and quality...
Have two of them ( DH watches) on the market right now...
Very nice pieces of history...supporting the fact that even Switzerland supported actively the German war efforts during WWII.

I have two DH Helvetia as well, just received the second one today. Have you read my page on the DH Helvetias on the link I posted? I would be interested in details of yours if I haven't already got them in my records.

I think Helvetia actually struggled to keep up with the orders from Germany and other places during the war. At different times I think they used some of their DH cases to build civilian watches and also later added DH numbers to some cases originally earmarked for the civilian market.

They are a very interesting but little known brand.

 

[Pilot]

My two Helvetia’s

 

[B-Man2]

My two Helvetia’s
View attachment 26051View attachment 26052View attachment 26053View attachment 26054

Brice
I’ve no experience with this particular watch. What’s the value of something like this?

 

[KariJ]

SKX007 with Strapcode oyster

 

[Pilot]

Brice
I’ve no experience with this particular watch. What’s the value of something like this?

Thx Burt for asking.
Depending on its condition and state ( all original, working condition etc...)...ranging from 380,— Euro to 800 Euro

 

[Pilot]

Most valuable” D-H “ ( standard issued wrist) watches are Longines, Minerva, Mimo and Zenith...
All delivered from 1937 to 1944 to the 3rd Reich....and paid in solid gold...via a diplomatic case and transfer in Zürich or Basel.
So far for the “ neutral “ Switzerland...

 

[B-Man2]

Thanks Brice

 

[Pilot]

Those deliveries and in particular the ones done from IWC- Schaffhausen for FLAK ( extreemly accurate ) detonators annoyed the allies...hence this :

Aerial incidents in Switzerland in World War II - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[Carlos Fandango]

My two Helvetia’s

Many thanks for posting those Pilot. The 363 is the lowest Helvetia DH number I've seen, the previous one was 428. They go up to about 40,000 which is relatively low for DH numbers and I think all the orders were placed near the beginning of the process though some were not delivered until 1944 and some I believe never made it to the Germans at all.

I think the Swiss were neutral in that they supplied watches to both sides! Lots of British GSTP pocket watches were supplied by Helvetia for instance and these nice Admiralty wrist watches, with thanks to a MWR member and Konrad Knirim, were also supplied by Helvetia.

When I've finished cleaning up my new acquisition I'll post a picture of my two together.

Thanks. Carl.

 

[Carlos Fandango]

Brice
I’ve no experience with this particular watch. What’s the value of something like this?

Thx Burt for asking.
Depending on its condition and state ( all original, working condition etc...)...ranging from 380,— Euro to 800 Euro

I think they tend to be a bit cheaper in the UK, I think British watches are more popular here. The one I received yesterday I paid £150 for and my other last year was £160. As pilot says some makes are a lot more popular than Helvetia though.

 

[Pilot]

Thx,
Got my two Helvetia‘s from two WW2 vets who „ borrowed „ them from POW‘s.

 

[Pilot]

I think they tend to be a bit cheaper in the UK, I think British watches are more popular here. The one I received yesterday I paid £150 for and my other last year was £160. As pilot says some makes are a lot more popular than Helvetia though.

Lucky you

WW2 Era Helvetia 82C-3190 US Army ORD Mens Military Watch, Swiss-made | eBay

Helvetia is well-known for making watches for the German military. H serial number on the caseback suggests that this watch was originally made for the German army. Comparatively few were diverted to the U.S. military, making this watch less common than most of the Helvetia military watches.

www.ebay.co.uk

The „others“ , the Ukrainian versions...hmmm

 

[Carlos Fandango]

Lucky you

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WW2-Era-...048160?hash=item5934178da0:g:pPsAAOSw3gJdZqhM

The „others“ , the Ukrainian versions...hmmm

Lucky you getting them with provenance from the 'liberators' of them. Which country was this in?

Yes, that sort of price is more usual. That type of numbering is the latest type on Helvetia DH watches from about 1944, that type also have the Helvetia serial number inside the case back to help date them. I couldn't tell you if the US Army Ord markings are correct though I don't know enough about them. These late ones often have these marks though so I think some were captured or diverted to the US Army. My one from yesterday is this style but without the US markings.

As Helvetias are not among the most popular they are normally not messed about as much as some others luckily.

 

[Pilot]

Thx.
All original Helvetia DH ...from straps ...to crown and movement holding ring etc... are very seldom though...

 

[Carlos Fandango]

Thx.
All original Helvetia DH ...from straps ...to crown and movement holding ring etc... are very seldom though...

No, I agree, strap, crown and often crystal are at least replaced. The hands have often lost a lot of their original white paint as well.

 

[Carlos Fandango]

As promised here are a couple of pictures of my Helvetia German Army DH watches. Earlier type on left and late war on right, slightly different dial hands and case.

 

[Pilot]

As promised here are a couple of pictures of my Helvetia German Army DH watches. Earlier type on left and late war on right, slightly different dial hands and case.

View attachment 26142

View attachment 26143

Nice! congrats!

 

[Clark J]

DJ 41

 

[Saint-ex]

@Clark J , I love this white Datejust. I think my next could be a white Oyster Perpetual.

It's a kind of pilot watch...

 

[B-Man2]

@Clark J , I love this white Datejust. I think my next could be a white Oyster Perpetual.

View attachment 27232

It's a kind of pilot watch...

A classic