WWI Sterling Patria Trench Watch with Shrapnel Guard Original Box, Tag SERVICED

Voted Forbes magazine's "Best of the Web" consecutively since 2000. Men's WWI Era Sterling Patria w/ Shrapnel Guard.

W/Original Box, Tag - SERVICED. As many of our clients know, we particularly enjoy rare and unusual military timepieces. We pride ourselves on offering historic examples from around the globe; watches that were created by famed watch houses for the purpose of keeping the war running on time. Few people realize the effort put into military timepieces. Often, they were manufactured out of a sense of duty for a particular cause: sometimes they were produced reluctantly, an effort that took away from day-to-day business and the bottom line. They were, however, the product of a great effort, often representing the most advanced engineering of the day. Officers tended to wear timepieces from better watch houses, while enlisted men wore standard military issue produced wholesale by strong, but lesser regarded manufacturers. Both genres are highly collectible today. We are delighted to offer what we believe to be one of the world's finest examples of a vintage wristwatch: a WWI era solid silver "Patria" watch with integrated shrapnel guard bearing what appears to be its original canvas strap; U. " marked buckle and in what we believe to be its factory original "Fahys box with price tag. We do not believe this watch was carried and believe the piece to be in original factory finish. Having emerged from an upstate New York estate, it is a staggering find destined for a museum or collection of an exceedingly discerning client. As many of you may know, Patria movements were produced by Omega and marketed under the Patria name. During World War I, Omega made a brilliant marketing decision by entering a still unproven wristlet market created by soldiers in Europe. Their Patria name became synonymous with the trench watch, and by the end the war, every man recognized the advantage of having a watch on his wrist instantly accessible versus a pocket watch that one would have to fumble to retrieve. The move proved to be quite profitable for Omega: today they remain one of the finest watch houses in the world. Wristwatches were in their infancy and not issued until World War II: if you were a WWI soldier and wanted a watch, often you bought one for yourself or did without. What happened to the man intended to wear it? Did he forget the piece and never return?

Did he pass away before he could leave for Europe? Oh, if only this watch could tell us its story! Remove its shrapnel guard and you'll find a magnificent and completely original porcelain dial marked Patria with glorious, oversized numerals, sub-seconds register, and restored stained-glass hands. Open its snap back and you'll find a completely and professionally serviced, 15 ruby jewel Patria movement that is as remarkable today as it was what was manufactured. We cannot overstate the rarity of this watch.

SVW has been serving vintage watch patrons for almost 20 years, specializing in, among other genres, early military watches. In all those years, I've never seen such a preserved example. And I know of no other surviving "Fahys military wrist watch" box of this type.

Rare, crisp and remarkable, this masterpiece is truly as good as it gets! As many of our fine buyers and repeat clients know, each day we offer a smattering of things we've picked up here and there, many fine watches and pieces of jewelry that for one reason or another we'll not be offering on our Web site some new old stock! Watches this week include a'20s ladies antique watch or two,'30s Deco pieces, a'40s military style wristwatch, and fine Retro stainless steel wristwatches that are representative of a style thats becoming all the rage; as well as gold rings and vintage wire lug examples perfect for restoration. Coming up are sterling silver wristwatches and a few items dug out of the workbench drawer of a retired watchmaker or two.

Don't know anything about wristwatches? Have no idea about your grandfather's railroad pocket watch? We're one of the Web's largest vintage wrist and pocket watch dealers and are delighted to answer any questions you have about the timepieces we offer or those heirlooms you're unsure of.

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We invite you to find out more about us by clicking on our ME page! The item "WWI Sterling Patria Trench Watch with Shrapnel Guard Original Box, Tag SERVICED" is in sale since Friday, November 11, 2016. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Watches, Parts & Accessories\Wristwatches". The seller is "strickland_vintage_watches" and is located in Tampa, Florida. This item can be shipped worldwide.

Brand: Patria
Gender: Men's
MPN: Does Not Apply
Features: SERVICED
Movement: Mechanical
Display: Analog
Band Material: canvas
Case Size: 33mm by 40mm lug-to-lug
Lug Width: 16mm
Style: Luxury: Dress Styles
Year of Manufacture: Pre-1920
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Age: Antique (pre 1920)
Type: Luxury