*GSTP Army Issue WW2 Black faced Pocket Watch by Cortebert Extra*
A Cortebert Extra British military, Officers, pocket watch. A black enamel dial with brown Arabic numerals, lumed at the quaters. The face is signed “Cortebert Extra, Swiss Made”. A snap on back and bezel. The back has the British Broad Arrow, followed by the letters “G.S.T.P” followed by the army stores number “T5857” (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). 5cm diameter.
This movement bears a striking resemblance to the Rolex military pocket watch movement – unsurprisingly, as Cortbert supplied ebauches to Rolex based on the caliber 526 movement. Although superficially the connecting bridge work follows a different layout, all the working parts are interchangeable between the two models.
Founded in 1790 by Abraham-Louis Juillard who opened a watchmaking store in Cortébert, Switzerland, the Cortébert brand name was only registered in 1855. Cortébert became well known for their railroad watches: they supplied both the Turkish railroad system and the Italian railroad system, as well as a number of street car systems throughout Europe – very precise timepieces, as the tracks were often single, so the timing had to be carefully checked to avoid accidents! The company was also a notable supplier of movements to titans of the Swiss watch industry such as Rolex and Panerai.
*Condition*
The face is in good condition with some wear to the painted lumed Arabic numerals. 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. We can open the back of the watch on request. Please see photographs as part of the condition report.
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