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SWISS, LA SPIROTECHNIQUE – A very rare and attractive diver’s wristwatch with screw down crown at 12, center seconds and date
An early competitor for the recreational dive watch market, the French frm La Spirotechnique, with its long and distinguished history in underwater technology, introduced the Triton dive watch in 1963. In the early 1940s, the famed diver and explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau approached the frm Air Liquide, which specialized in compressed gas, to make underwater breathing devices. Cousteau and his partner, Émile Gagnan, wanted air regulators that could be attached to compressed air gas tanks to be used underwater. Due to the success of these early prototypes, Air Liquide formed the subsidiary frm, La Spirotechnique, in 1946 in order to mass-produce dive regulators. Today the frm is known as Aqua Lung/La Spirotechnique and remains one of the largest manufacturers of scuba diving equipment. At frst glance one notes the unlikely position of the winding and setting crown on the Triton watch. Jean René Parmentier (1921-1998) designed the case, which was manufactured by Dodane, giving the watch an instantly recognizable look with the crown placed at the 12 position. This provided a safety measure, ensuring the diver didn’t get the watch caught on something while underwater.
Manufacturer
Swiss, La Spirotechnique
Year
circa 1965
Movement No.
2’782
Case No.
471’328
Model Name
Triton
Material
Stainless steel
Calibre
Automatic, cal. 11.5’’’, 21 jewels
Bracelet/Strap
Canvas
Clasp/Buckle
Stainless steel pin buckle
Dimensions
37mm. Diameter
Signed
Dial signed
The watch was one of the few in the era certifed waterresistant to 200 meters - one of the reasons professional divers chose this tool watch for their work. Not only was it sold to civilians, it was also issued to French military personnel well into the 1970s. Accompanied with its hardly ever seen original box, it’s an unusual and rare fnd for the collector of vintage sports watches.
Estimate CHF 5,000-10,000 $5,200-10,300 €4,600-9,200 Accessories Accompanied by a ftted box
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