CYMA Jumbo Gilt Field Watch

Despite — or perhaps because of — the Second World War, the 1940s were an incredible period for watch design. Clean, elegant dials, highly legible aesthetics, purpose-built complications — these were the features that constituted timepieces from this most tumultuous of eras. And while Cyma may be best known for its W.W.W. ‘Dirty Dozen’ watch of 1945, the Swiss firm produced numerous designs that are equally worthy of your attention. Take this simple, everyday watch in stainless steel, for example. Dating to circa the 1940s, it features what would have been considered an 'oversized', 38mm chrome-plated steel case with an acrylic crystal, a snap-caseback, and an almost ink-like, glossy black gilt dial with gold foil Arabic indices, a running seconds at the 6:00 position, and a matching 'feuille' handset. Fixed lugs and a highly legible face make this an ideal candidate for military use, while a 15-jewel, manually wound movement keeps the case nice and thin. Paired to a tan, single-pass Zulu-style strap, this WWII-era beauty is remarkable not only for its looks, but for the condition of its case and dial. We surely don’t have to tell you twice: Don’t sleep on this one!