WW2, British, Military GSTP Pocket Watch, Swiss Made by Helvetia

*GSTP Army Issue WW2 White faced Pocket Watch, by Helvetia*

A Helvetia British military, pocket watch. Helvetia provided the British Army a 19’” pocket watch with luminous hands and dial, a base metal chrome plated case with a snap on case back, and a 15 jewel non shock protected calibre 32A movement. The calibre 32A movement was the same as that supplied to the German Army and was of excellent quality and finished to a surprisingly high standard for a mass produced military watch.

A white enamel dial with Arabic numerals, no lumen on the 12,3, 6 and 9. The face is signed “Helvetia, Swiss Made”. A snap on back and bezel. The back has the British Broad Arrow, followed by the letters “G.S.T.P”, (G.S.T.P. stands for General Services Timepiece/Temporary Pattern, which indicates that the watch was purchased by the British government for the armed forces 1939-1945). This is followed by the army stores number “G24772”. It is known that the Helvetia army watches were issued with G or P stores numbers. The G marked watches are the most scarce of the Helvetia watches. 5cm diameter.

This Helvetia G numbered pocket watch has a Type 3 dial – This type has a ‘railroad’ minute track around the outside of the dial, the lume dots incorporated into the printing at the at 1,2,4,5,7,8,10 and 11 positions and there are also boxes printed into the track at 12, 3 and 9 as well as 6 though only the 6 o’clock position is lumed. This dial is mainly seen in the higher numbered P marked watches and the G marked watches.

In 1892, the Swiss watch company Louis Brandt & Frere registered the name ‘Helvetia’ for their watches. Two years later, in 1894, they also registered the name ‘Omega.’ In 1895, a new company, ‘Société d’Horlogerie La Générale,’ was formed in La Chaux de-Fonds as a joint venture with directors Louis Paul Brandt and Edouard Boillat. By 1897, the company was registered under its English name, ‘General Watch Co,’ and moved its office to Bienne. From 1920, the company began using the English version of its name, General Watch Co, in advertising, with ‘Helvetia’ as the primary brand. During WW2, they expanded, supplying watches to British and German armies, and wristwatches to German and, post-war, US armies, as well as specialized wrist timers to the Royal Navy. By the late 1940s, the company’s value doubled from 350,000 Swiss Francs in 1938 to 700,000 by 1948. In 1948, they changed their name to ‘Montres Helvetia Société d’Horlogerie La Générale,’ and from then on, they are commonly known as Montres Helvetia S.A. or the Helvetia Watch Company.

*Condition*
The face is in good condition. There is no lumen on the 12,3,6 or 9. The stem works to pull to change the time and to wind the watch. The second hand works and the watch appears to keep time. The case has some scratches and marks commensurate with its age and service. There is a round patch of metal coming through the nickel plating on the back. We can open the watch on request. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.

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