SILVANA Vintage Chronograph cal. Landeron 48 / 1950s

— Chronograph history in the 1940s and 50s —

An age in which many brands put their names on watches — but behind those names were other craftsmen's hands.

Through the 1940s and 1950s, celebrated brands including Rolex put their own names on watches while sourcing cases, movements and crystals from other firms and assembling the results.

Which is why genuine engineering lived behind even a relatively unknown brand of the day.

A crystallisation of craftsmanship standing for the chronograph's golden age in the 1940s and 50s. Stop and reset through the lower pusher, thanks to the celebrated Cal. Landeron 48. Solid mechanical construction, nurtured by the division of labour of the period, that gives nothing away to the great names. Luminous paint aged beautifully to patina, on an atmospheric dial. A piece for enjoying the deep resonance and exotic shadow of Swiss watchmaking history.

— Cal. Landeron 48 —

Landeron supplied general-purpose chronograph movements and let many brands put their names on them.

There is a history of even local jewellers selling watches under their own brands, and this example is one of those.

On an ordinary chronograph the upper pusher starts and stops and the lower one resets; on this model, stop and reset are both handled by the lower pusher at four o'clock — an unusual method of operation.

— A dial that reflects its era —

The dial is in good condition, yet the luminous paint carries a patinated character that gives it real vintage feeling.

That atmosphere is not mere age: it resonates with a warm appearance holding an exotic shadow.