Auction House Eppli (Stuttgart/Germany) features a Ref. 3646 / Type D with anonymous, painted brass dial and engraved caseback in their auction on September 1st, 2018 (Lot 560). Eppli is known for auctioning another Ref. 3646 / Type D with brass dial two years ago in April 2016.

This Ref. 3646 / Type D has been consigned for auction at Eppli by the family of the first owner Horst Muntau, who was a “Kampfschwimmer” in the Kriegsmarine / German Navy at the end of the Second World War.

Several documents of this era, as well as historic photos of Horst Muntau are part of the lot and making it a very rare “full set”. This 3646 / Type D is recorded in our database since April 2018 and appears for auction for the first time.

The watch features a typical Rolex 618 / Type 1 movement and comes with an original leather strap sewn onto the soldered lugs of the cushion shaped case including its original nickel plated brass pin buckle (“ergonomically” customised – bent down, like we know it from many other buckles of this type).

The engraved initials on the caseback “HM” (surrounded by the year of his service as “Kampfschwimmer” in 1945) are matching the name of the “Kampfschwimmer”. We have published more on this watch earlier in our Watch Point.

Recently we have published an update on today’s existing pieces of this number group in our database. With the beginning of August 2018, Horst Muntau’s “Kapmfschwimmer” watch is one of nineteen watches with painted brass dial within the 95 watches of the Ref. 3646 / Type D registered in our database.

We hope that this watch will find a good new home and remains surfaced in the Vintage Panerai collectors world. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

[Historic photo of Horst Muntau courtesy of Auktionshaus Eppli e.K.]