Wittnauer Polara (Gold)

An elegant LED watch

Description:

With its elegant tapered face and crystal, this excellent timepiece blends a bit of classical elegance with a bit of 70s futuristic design.

Wittnauer Polara advertisement

The Wittnauer company was a venerable importer and manufacturer of high quality wristwatches.

The Wittnauer company was founded in 1880 by Albery Wittnauer as an importer of fine Swiss wristwatches. Thet began designing and manufacturing their own designs about ten years later. In the early to mid part of the 20th century, Wittnauer became known for providing watches for scientific exploration and polar expeditions.

Wittnauer watches were used in polar expeditions and were used by many famous explorers of the day including Roald Amundsen, Richard E. Byrd, Howard Hughes and Amelia Earhart.

Wittnauer LED advertisement

A noted horologist once wrote, "No one company has been more involved in the design and production of so many different types of navigational timepieces and been involved in so many history making expeditions..."

The Wittnauer company was purchased by Bulova in 2001, which was then purchased by Citizen in 2008.

Condition:

Case: Good.
This watch is in good condition with minor signs of wear. The front bezel is nicely smooth and polished to a mirror finish with just one small scratch. The case sides are also in good condition with just minor signs of wear.

Face / Hands: Excellent.
All digits are complete and bright. The display on this type of Hughes module has very large, bright, readable digits. This early module uses dot style digits, which are only used in very early LED watches and are coveted by collectors.

Crystal: Very good.
The crystal is very good condition with just some minor scratches and no large scratches or nicks. The logo is clear and complete.

Band / Bracelet: Good.
The original bracelet is good condition and fits an 8" wrist. The only real problem with this bracelet is that the first link on the bottom lug is noticeably bent and the link on the top lug has a very slight bend. All other links are nearly perfect. The clasp is signed with the Polara logo and is in very good shape with only a few tiny scratches. This watch is extremely comfortable to wear.

Function / Accuracy: Excellent.
All functions work perfectly. Digital quartz accuracy.