Pre-Heuer Clebar Rally Timer
- Park & Tilford, North Vancouver
Pick up curbside at Park & Tilford in North Vancouver.
Shipping Available at buyers expense.
• Late 1950's or early 1960's rally stopwatch
• Dash mountable
• Includes letter from Leonidas
$1,795 CAD
Description
Letter from Leonidas (pre-Heuer):
Thank you for reaching out regarding the Leonidas 121. We are always happy to check our archives for further information regarding particular Leonidas movements.
We had a look through our records a little earlier today and can share the following information - this particular (usually) 7 jewel mechanical hand wound movement was developed for Leonidas by VENUS. Established in 1923 in Moutier, Bern Canton, Switzerland, these movements are usually marked with a five-pointed star. These markings are generally found under the balance wheel, although not all movements produced by Venus for Leonidas carried this identifier – some are branded LEONIDAS WATCH, some are unbranded, some have the star.
The 121 type was based on the Venus 120 Calibre, an incredibly popular, versatile workhorse first produced circa 1931. Our records show mention of the adapted 121 variant from 1949 onwards, however, please note that this doesn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t being produced by Venus prior to then.
A wonderful quirk of this particular movement is the little compartment for spare parts. It has a glass cover, held in place by a small screw. I have attached an image from our archive which details the movement and highlights the compartment along with the spare parts contained within.
Back when your dash-timer was new it was not always easy to come by spare parts, this mini storage compartment enabled quick work to be made of minor repairs. Quite a revolutionary idea at the time - it was actually an idea Leonidas developed and registered - our records show Swiss patent CH131402 filed back in 1929.
Trying to help you nail approximate vintage is difficult, although I can confirm that the 121 was widely used by us throughout the 50s and well into the 60s, most commonly in the 1/5 of a second timer with 0-30 min register all purpose stopwatch. 1/5 being the most frequently used time unit for measurements in laboratories, research, and sports.
We hope you find the above both informative, and of some use.
Have a lovely weekend.
Warmest.
LEONIDAS Global Comms Team
The BAR Consultancy
Brand Awareness Raconteurs®