The Watch
The story of Leonidas begins with Julien Bourquin, who established a workshop for watches, silverware, and jewelry in one of the most prestigious buildings in Saint-Imier in 1841. This was quite early in the history of watchmaking in the town, and Bourquin was a pillar of the trade in the 1850s alongside Auguste Agassiz, ancestor of Longines.
The next era of Leonidas was overseen by Constant Jeanneret-Droz and his son Charles and Ernest. Constant purchased the Leonidas Watch Factory out of bankruptcy in 1911 and Charles would lead it and Berna, which he acquired in 1930, through the post-war period. Leonidas remained a maker of fine watches in gold cases throughout this period, and the chronographs produced by the Jeanneret-owned firm are under-appreciated today. But the fine chronograph market was not enough to sustain so many companies in the 1950s, and Leonidas was increasingly reliant on inexpensive stopwatches by 1960. This strategy worked, with Leonidas quickly becoming the leading vendor of Swiss stopwatches in the United States.
This leads to the era of Heuer-Leonidas, which began in 1964 as the young Jack W. Heuer purchased Leonidas just a year after taking over his family’s firm. He leveraged Leonidas’ strength in stopwatches for the American market.
Specific Information
Object nr: 559
Brand: Leonidas
Model: Chronograph
Reference: 825506
Year: 1950's
Movement: Manually-wound, Landeron 48 (SYN). Professional serviced and under warranty
Material: Stainless steel
Original crown: Probably original crown
Size: 35mm ex crown
Strap/Bracelet: Used leather strap
Lug Width: 18mm
Box/Papers: No/No
Serviced: The movement is professional serviced and under 12 months of warranty from date of purschase
The Condition
If you search for a beautiful vintage chronograph - this is it!
This Lenoidas "Chrono" is in excellent and honest overall condition. The watch shows of course some signs from wear but it is still as good as We like them. Well preserved case with clear and visble chamfers and a beautiful original dial with just small signs of ageing. The lume have developed a dark green colour. The lume in the hands may have been re-lumed at some point in history.
The crystal is new and without any damage and the caseback got some signs of opening but nothing remarkable.
If you search for something authentic and uniqe this is the watch for you!
The pictures is a part of the description, study therefore the pictures carefully!