1940s CYMA Antimagnetic 36mm Steel Valjoux 22 Chronograph
Ref: 6039
Specification
Lugs : 18mm
Condition : Pre-Owned
Box & Papers : None
Case Material : Stainless Steel
Warranty : 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty
Points of Mention
This watch is sold as "Watch Only" and therefore comes with no original CYMA box or paperwork. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 18mm vintage-style brown suede strap and a pin buckle. The watch is from Circa. 1940s and is sold in worn, vintage condition and signs of wear and age can be seen throughout, as you can see from the photographs. The watch comes with our 12-Months NON-Waterproof Warranty.
For more photos see here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1eN9FGAn8EoQx_fl4U0zdM3_mcca4QEkX?usp=drive_link
4K YouTube video, skip to 21:47 - https://youtu.be/PhMUGFQDMFU
The Watch
Here we have a 1940s CYMA Antimagnetic Valjoux 22 Chronograph, the brushed sides and polished topped 36mm stainless steel case sit on your wrist with tapered lugs, and a lug-to-lug length of 43mm and a case thickness of 12.5mm ensures a comfortable fit. These types of chronographs were given to officers and pilots during World War 2 and were a common site in motorsport racing during the 1940s and 50s. Down the right side, we have the long chronograph pushers and a large crown in the centre. A polished smooth bezel holds a domed crystal above a glossy black dial. An outer gilt Tachymeter scale, above a gilt minute track precisely executed, surrounds Gilt Arabic “12” and “6” indices and bullet-shaped indexes in between marking the hours, at 3 o’clock a 30-minute register and at 9 o’clock a small seconds register, each clearly marked with a gilt stick hand, elegant gilt leaf hands sit majestically in the centre complemented by a tapered chronograph hand, at 12 o’clock we have the CYMA motif and “Antimagnetic” underneath completing this distinctive vintage bicompax chronograph. On the reverse a snap-off case back, inside a manually wound Tavannes Signed Valjoux. 22, 17 jewels, beating at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour. This legendary column-wheel movement was first introduced in 1928 and remained in production until 1966. Tavannes Watch Company's sub-brand was CYMA and was one of many manufacturers who signed this movement including Heuer, Eterna, and Vacheron Constantin. The watch comes paired with a well-suited 18mm vintage-style brown suede strap and a pin buckle.
Personal Note
There will forever be something special about a 1940s vintage Chronograph and this CYMA cased in Stainless Steel and 36mm featuring the renowned Manually Wound Valjoux 22 is the perfect epitome of that! Just look at the perfectly glossy black gilt dial and the golden hands, it looks just as good on the wrist as it does off the wrist!
The Brand
Cyma was founded in 1862 by the brothers Joseph Schwob and Theodore Schwob, in the town of Le Locle Switzerland. In 1871, Henri Sandoz established Sandoz & Cie in Le Locle. Sandoz moved to Tavannes in 1891, just North of Biel where he manufactured highly desirable repeaters and chronographs. Sandoz soon saw the potential of Cyma forming a business relationship with the Schwob brothers and Cyma was officially registered in 1903. During the 1940’s Britain's Military of Defence (MOD) needed watches to be issued to the Army during World War II. Rather than relying on one watch manufacturer, they invited many Swiss brands to build a watch to a tight specification. Out of those submitted 12 brands were chosen: Buren, Cyma, Eterna, Grana, Jaeger Le-Coultre, Lemania, Longines, IWC, Omega, Record, Timor and Vertex. This is where the “Dirty Dozen “ derives from. The watches had engraved into them the W.W.Ws, a code established by the British Army to distinguish these from other military equipment and it simply stood for Watch. Wrist. Waterproof. Two serial numbers were engraved, one being the manufacturer’s number, and the other (with the letter) being the military store number. A Broad Arrow (pheon) was also put on the watch to indicate British Government Issue property. They were delivered by 1945 which was the closing period of the war, therefore many of these watches never actually saw action. Cyma produced an estimated 20,000 watches. In 1943, Cyma unveiled its first automatic wristwatch, endowed with a 420 calibre featuring a unidirectional rotor. In 1966 the company was bought by the ASUAG Chronos Holding and production continued under their Synchron group in 1968. Cyma became a sister company to Doxa and Ernest Borel throughout the 1970s. The company is currently owned by Stelux International Ltd, a Hong Kong holding firm that invests in jewellery and watches.