1970s Gigandet (Wakmann) “Big Boy” Chronograph - Landeron 248

Description: Up for sale is a beautiful 1970s stainless steel Gigandet “Big Boy” chronograph, featuring a Monte Carlo dial, Landeron 248 movement with 45-minute chronograph counter, oversized crown and 40mm EPSA 20 Atmos (600 feet) waterproof stainless steel case. The Big Boy is a name given to a series of diver’s chronographs produced in Switzerland by Gigandet, Wakmann and others, beginning in 1969. They are typically equipped with an eye-catching coloured dial and handset, two mechanical chronograph counters, and, most importantly, the same prominent, rotating diving bezel and thick-lugged stainless steel case as the Heuer Autavia refs. 2446C, 3646C, 7763C and 7764. These cases, made by EPSA (Ervin Piquerez SA) are among the most iconic of the 1960-1970s heyday of the mechanical manual-winding chronograph. The present example features an avant-garde black, orange and grey colour scheme reminiscent of Rolex’s Tudor Monte Carlo chronographs that were produced around the same time. The main handset and applied block hour markers feature tritium that has aged to a lovely orange patina. The dial is signed Gigandet and also “Incabloc” (a reference to the shock-protection system supporting the balance wheel), “20 ATM” (a reference to the 200m/600ft waterproof case) and “T” to denote the tritium dial. Big Boy chronographs housed a number of dependable movements, from the Lemania 1872, Valjoux 234, 236, 7733, Landeron 148 or 248, and even the Caliber 12 automatic. The present example features a Landeron 248 cam-switching movement with a 45-minute elapsed minute counter. One quirk of this movement is that it stops and resets using the bottom pusher, as opposed to stopping with the top pusher and resetting with the bottom. The watch is in very good aesthetic and mechanical condition for its age. Although the service history is unknown, all functions are running correctly, and the chronograph resets accurately. The outer bezel rotates uni-directionally as it should. There is a small ding on the outer bezel insert, between 53 and 54 minutes. There are faint marks on the surface of the acrylic crystal that do not impede functionality. Surface scratches are present on the case, including two small dents on the lateral side of the top left lug, and a number of heavier marks and scratches on the case-back. The engraved caravel motif on the case-back is free of any marks. Given the age of this vintage watch, I would not recommend using it underwater without a service by a knowledgeable watchmaker. The watch comes on a quality hand-stitched chestnut-brown 20mm leather rallye strap from WatchGecko, with stainless steel buckle. I will ship fully insured to the eBay authenticator; international buyers welcome through the global shipping programme.

Price: 2150 GBP

Location: London

End Time: 2024-08-24T15:28:35.000Z

Shipping Cost: 144.35 GBP