Additional photos reached us “just in time” before the auction at Bonhams Auction House in London is about to start (December 4th). They have a Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” in their Fine Watches & Wristwatches auction (LOT273). We published information on this watch earlier here.

Interesting to be able to see the inner caseback. The surface of the inner caseback is completely decorated. More Information about the different finishings on inner casebacks of 3646 watches can befound in our book “History1” (page 166-167) and in our book “History2” (page 546-547). The Rolex engravings, in combination with the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement (see photo below), are matching our database criteria for a Ref. 3646 / Type D.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260505
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

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

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.bonhams.com]

Bonhams Auction House in London has a Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” in their Fine Watches & Wristwatches auction (LOT273) on december 4th, 2013.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260505
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

The Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement, typical for 3646 watches of this type, is matching our database criteria. A tubular crown (“Oyster Patent” inscription / Type 13) is screwed down on the neck of the 47 mm cushion shaped case.

The outer caseback of the watch bears the initials of its first owner, a german frogmen (H Sch), which leads the traces back to the end of the 2nd world war, when the watch changed ownership to a servicemen of the United Kingdom. Here it has been kept for the following 68 years as a memorable piece.

It is fantastic to see such a rare watch surfacing in “untouched condition” after so many years, which makes it also a new entry into our database. Further informations on rare Ref. 3646 watches with similar engraved casebacks can be found in our two books History1 and History2.

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

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.bonhams.com]

Additional photos reached us “just in time” before the auction at Christie’s Geneva is about to start (November 11th).

As we published info and an excerpt of our database earlier, we can provide here a couple of interesting photos, showing the condition of this Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” with two engraved initials on its caseback.

The watch comes with original strap and buckle, both case and plexi appear to be unpolished with heaps of patina “built” over the past decades. The movement shows the typical features of a Rolex Cal.618 / Type 1 movement. A tubular crown (“Oyster Patent” inscription / Type 13) is screwed down on the neck of the 47 mm cushion shaped case.

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

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.christies.com]

We recently received a few more photos of the Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” watch, which will be auctioned next week in Geneva.

In Addition to the previously published info on this watch, we can see on these photos interesting details: the “volcano dome” plexi (top left), the non-engraved caseback (top right), the typical 3646 / Type D cushion shaped case with short looped lugs (low left) and a close look at the sewn-in buckle (low right).

For further info on the different shape of soldered lugs on Ref. 3646 watches, you can see comparing photos on page 769 in chapter VIII.I of our book “History2”.

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.sothebys.com]

Sotheby’s has a Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” watch in their upcoming Important Watches auction in Geneva, november 12th (LOT 293).

This watch is one of the lowest case numbers known today in the number group of Ref. 3646 / Type D. It is accompanied with a compass and comes with its original domed plexiglass. The tongue part of the leather strap is missing, while the buckle part is still present.

The inner caseback engravings, in combination with the Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1 movement, are matching our database criteria (see photo below).

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260429
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

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

[Photos with kindly permission / courtesy of www.sothebys.com]

Christie’s has a Ref. 3646 / Type D “Kampfschwimmer” in their next auction (LOT 337) in Geneva, november 11th. The watch was auctioned in 2011 at Christie’s and was introduced back then in our blog with an excerpt of our database.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260628
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

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

We have added another unknown watch into our database – yet another piece of the puzzle surfaced. The “Kampfschwimmer” watch with the case number 260739 will be up for auction on june, 11th at auctioneer Bonhams in London (LOT 357).

Aside the flat brass dial and the corresponding flat bezel it is bearing typical features of watches of the Reference 3646 / Type D. The original plexiglas and the winding crown have been replaced. Typical feature of the brass dial is the closed 6 and 9 digit because the numbers and markers are embossed into the brass dial and not engraved into the dial (like the sandwich dials from Panerai are made).

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (painted brass, anonymous)
Case number: 260739
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

Auctioneer Bonhams features the following provenance under this LOT:  Provenance: This watch was given to the current vendor’s father by a German prisoner of war in Italy in 1944, while serving in the Royal Engineers bomb disposal unit.

It underlines our theory that in the future such watches will surface in allied countries which fought against german and italian forces in the 2nd world war. Ownership changed quite often and watches were sought after pieces for allied servicemen. From interviews we took with veterans, this has been confirmed several times (read also “History1”, Chapter III, page 207, which features a simliar Ref. 3646 / Type D watch with brass dial).

Special thanks to Mike Wood for providing additional info on this watch for our database. [Ralf Ehlers & Volker Wiegmann]

The caseback of a Ref. 3646 / Type D watch. It bears engraved initials of the first owner of the watch: “SK”. The initials are placed above the year in which the “Einsatzgruppe Keller” was founded (February 1945).

The history of this watch is featured in our new book “History2” (Chapter V). Aside this watch’s history, we discovered in the last years the history of three other today existing watches of the same task force (16 frogmen). In the last months of the 2nd world war, several missions have been carried out under the command of Lieutenant Alfred Keller.

Our book “History1” carries the story of the “HP” watch (Chapter II), while two more watches of the “Einsatzgruppe Keller” are featured in our new book “History2”: The “HK” watch (Chapter VII) and the “WL” watch (Chapter VIII).

Recently we added another surfaced Ref. 3646 / Type D watch into our database.

The caseback number fits perfectly into the number group of today existing Type D watches, aside the fact that all other features of this “Kampfschwimmer” are matching our database too. Another important “piece of the puzzle” is added.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer” (sandwich, anonymous)
Case number: 260424
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

The watch has been discovered “accidentially” by a Panerai collector during his visit of a museum in the Netherlands (“Het Polderhuis / Westkapelle”). The history of this watch can be tracked back to january 1945 when the crew of the german small submarine (of the type “Seehund”) U 5327, Lt. Andersen and his engineer Hardacher, were captured by local resistance and british forces. The submarine was taken over by the british and the watch was kept by a local farmer. He used the watch until he died some years ago and his family passed this watch to the museum where it is displayed today.

The discovery of this watch has been published by Gert Jan Wijkhuizen in the public forum at www.paneristi.com.

Looking thru my photo library recently, I stopped at a nice photo of a “volcano dome” plexi. Many Ref. 3646 watches don’t have the initial plexi anymore because of damage or replacement.

Features of the watch:
Reference: 3646 / Type D
Dial: “Kampfschwimmer”  (sandwich, engraved)
Case number: 260437
Movement: Rolex Cal. 618 / Type 1

This watch was featured in a german watch magazine (“Chronos”). Read also our blogs with more information about this watch – pre-auction – movement – dial – caseback – post-auction which have been posted earlier this year.