Vintage Watches

Vintage 1940's men's WWII Vira/ Miramar 17J Swiss military dial wristwatch, running well!

$85.00

Shipping to United States: Free
  • Details
    This Vira wristwatch, made in Switzerland by the Miramar Watch Company, is an excellent example of WWII, men's military wristwatches of the 1940's.

    The chrome plated case measures 30.03 mm / 1.19" in diameter (common for military men's watches of this era), excluding crown and lugs.

    The gold dial shows some light patina, but is very well preserved for a 80+ years of service. The hour and minute syringe hands are well defined but no longer luminous, and the center sweep second hand, Arabic numbers, and outer chapter are handsome under a new bright, hi-domed crystal.

    The 17 jewel, Swiss, manual wind, incabloc, movement, sets and winds as it should, is running well and keeping very good time.

    It has a stainless-steel screw-down back and has been fitted with a brown, genuine leather stitched 2-piece strap with stainless buckle.

    STOCK CODE: K-5

    ABOUT THE MIRAMAR SWISS WATCH COMPANY:

    The Miramar watch company was a small watchmaking and finishing workshop based in Geneva, Switzerland, with origins dating back to 1927 when Charles Reuge established the business.

    After Reuge’s death in 1949, Henri Kohler took over and renamed the company Miramar.

    Kohler left the following year, and the brand began producing watches under its own name.

    Early Years and Models
    From the 1950s onward, Miramar launched classic anchor watches based on movements from Ébauches SA. In 1955, the company introduced a notable model with a 24-hour display, a feature popular in the late 1950'S.

    In 1956, Claude Girardin became director, but he soon became involved in other companies such as Ogival, Era, and the Sagiter group, leading to reduced promotion of the Miramar brand.

    Decline and End

    Like many small Swiss watchmakers, Miramar struggled during the quartz crisis of the 1970s–1980s, which disrupted the mechanical watch market and the brand effectively disappeared from the market in 1995.

    Legacy
    Miramar’s history is a microcosm of the broader Swiss watch industry’s challenges during the quartz revolution. While it did not survive the industry-wide downturn, its early models—especially the 1955 24-hour watch—remain of interest to collectors and historians of mid-century Swiss watchmaking.

    We are Stonehenge Watch Company and have been selling vintage and new watches on the internet for over 18 years with hundreds of happy, satisfied, often repeat, customers with over 5,000 positive reviews

    We offer free ground advantage domestic shipping on our watches and ship First Class International Mail for a flat fee of $22.00 to assure prompt, safe, and secure shipping to our customers.

    Please note: We offer our products on multiple sites and do not remove them until payment has posted and very rarely multiple customers will "buy" an item but it will be sold to the first payment received.

    We do our best to accurately describe items on our site and, if for any reason, you are disappointed in your purchase we will provide a swift and satisfactory resolution to your concern.
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