Fellows to Auction Military Classics
As a principal supplier of watches to the German military during World War II, A. Lange & Söhne produced watches for the Luftwaffe. Known as the Beobachtungsuhr observation watch, or the ‘B-Uhr’, they followed official design specifications for aircraft navigation.
This alloy watch has a diameter of 55mm, with an extra-long strap to fit around the outside of a leather flying jacket. The oversized crown was made so that it could be turned whilst wearing gloves. These watches are chronometer rated and had the same dials as the actual aircraft. This exceptional timepiece is listed as lot 294 and has an estimate of £5,000 - £7,000.
The second notable military watch in this Vintage and Modern Wrist Watches auction is a Longines ‘Greenlander’. This Longines watch was once believed to have been specifically developed for use by the British armed forces during the Greenland expeditions from 1952-1954. The Greenland expeditions were a major military exercise used for training service personnel in arctic conditions, as well as to carry out important scientific experiments.
Although the origins of this watch are now disputed, this is clearly an expedition watch built to handle such extreme conditions. This rare Longines ‘Greenlander’ is lot 292 and has an estimate of £1,200 - £1,800.
You can view the videos for both of these lots by visiting the Fellows' YouTube channel here.