Lot 116
Lemania. A very rare and historically interesting stainless steel mechanical chronograph wristwatch
Ref.35-67, Series III, Royal Navy military issue No.0552/924-3312 / 3242, made in the 1960s
Auction: 20 May 2026 from 14:00 BST
Description
Gilt movement, white dial with black baton indexes and numerals, outer minute track, subsidiary dials for running seconds and 30 minute register, black leaf hands, crows-foot military insignia, asymmetric case with screw-down reverse numbered with military engravings. Dial and case signed.
Dimensions
Diameter 40mm.
Footnote
This model of Lemania chronograph with white dial and reference 3312 were restricted for use on British Royal Navy nuclear submarines, as the dial didn't use any luminescent material that could create interference with onboard radiation monitoring equipment. This version is considered the rarest of Lemania military-issued chronograph and according to our research, issue number 3242 is the lowest number to appear at auction with other series III examples bearing a 5 digit number starting with 8. The casebacks for this model used the reference 3306, this was then scribed out and a new number, 3312, to indicate the dial was non-luminous. The movement used in this example is from the earlier Series 1 model with gilt finish and no shock-protection. Details on the models, movement and series variations are described in the book ‘British Military Timepieces’ by Konrad Knirim, pages 638-646.