Helbros Chronograaf

Helbros  
Chronograaf 
Roestvrij staal    
Jaren '50
Mechanisch handopwind  
Schakelrad  
17 Jewels  
Uurwerk kal. Venus 175  
Ø 38 mm

In 1913 the German watchmakers duo and brothers Helbein started their mission under the name Helbros, which was to manufacture good quality Swiss watches for affordable prices. And they achieved their goal with flying colors throughout the years. The Helbros Brothers produced a small collection of their own, but soon became primarily assemblers and marketers of Helbros brand.
Rather surprisingly, or perhaps not so much, the Helbros brand was also involved in the War Bond efforts of the 1940s in the US. At a later date Helbros was responsible for the design of a watch that actually tell ‘lunar time’, very interesting subject if you live on the moon ツ     
Watch brands have the tendency to change ownership frequently, but Hebros has only changed hands three times and all three were trained by their predecessor, keeping all the knowledge close to home.

The Helbros at hand features an impressive 38mm stainless-steel case, which was considered  huge especially in the 1950’s. The Helbros is powered by the Venus 175 caliber, a manual wind Swiss chronograph movement with pillar wheel.
Funny thing about the movement is that the bridge has been engraved by hand, something that I have seen more than once on movements from the same caliber for Helbros, I have no idea why, mystifying.
The dial is two toned, it looks rather cream colored in the photo’s which is not the case, it’s more of an off-white color.
We found a beautiful woven olive green perlon strap that fits the watch perfectly.