185 - LEONIDAS Chronograph. Switzerland, 1950s.

LEONIDAS Chronograph. Switzerland, 1950s. Vintage wristwatch with chronograph. Circular yellow gold-plated steel case with a stainless steel caseback, polished bezel, slender lugs, fluted crown, and two chronograph pushers positioned at the 2 and 4 o’clock positions. Silvered dial with Arabic numerals and applied hour markers in a gold tone. Gold-tone central hands and a bicompax chronograph comprising a central hand and two sub-dials: a 30-minute counter at 9 o’clock and a small seconds sub-dial at 3 o’clock. Dual perimeter tachymeter and telemeter scales. Swiss mechanical hand-wound movement, Landeron caliber 48. Brown leather strap with a reptile-skin finish and a metal buckle clasp. It works, but it needs servicing. The case shows signs of use and wear on the plating of the pushers and areas exposed to friction. Measurements: 37 mm (case diameter, excluding crown). Provenance: Family bequest of Ramon Martí Alsina and Ricard Martí Aguiló. An art and heritage collection whose origins lie in the legacy of the Catalan painters Ramon Martí Alsina (1826–1894), a key figure in 19th-century Catalan realism, and his son Ricard Martí Aguiló (1857–1935). Passed down and enriched over successive generations, the collection brings together works from the original estates of both artists, along with new acquisitions made by their descendants. They maintained a special dedication to the preservation and restoration of the family legacy, acquiring works by the painters themselves as they came onto the market and progressively expanding the collection with paintings, sculptures, archaeological artifacts, and other objects of artistic and historical interest. This Leonidas chronograph from the 1950s brings together some of the most prized elements of vintage Swiss chronographs: a Landeron 48 hand-wound mechanical movement, a bicompax configuration, and an instrument-inspired dial with tachymetric and telemetric scales. Its design reflects the tradition of chronographs designed both for measuring time intervals and for sports and technical applications. In the watch descriptions, when it states “it works,” it means the watch is functioning. Since collector’s watches typically have delicate and complex mechanisms, the buyer is responsible for any general servicing, overhaul, battery replacement, adjustment, or repair that may be necessary. We do not guarantee the perfect functioning of any watch. All photographs of our watches are original and have been taken by our photographers; in other words, we do not use stock photography, which is why the photographs are considered part of the catalog entry.