A Super and Intriguing WW2 German, Third Reich, Military, Surveillance Officer's Wrist Watch, Stamped, DI H, Deutsches Inteligenz {or Italienisch For Afrika Korps} Heer. Made For The German Armed Forces By Helvetia Swiss Watch Co. Good Working Order and

Supposedly only 8000 ever made. An Helvetia watch Co. fine & rare, original, German, Third Reich issue, 1940's military surveillance officer’s wrist watch. Only the second we have found in over 30 years. Our last one was a type 2 case.

A Helvetia DI H, Type 1 case {stamped 3199 with 2 below} watch, second type dial signed Helvetia and Swiss made, 800C movement, Deutsches Heer officer issue, but classified as the rare type. Serial numbered DI 0000688 H, the “2” denotes an 11.5 ligne movement
All Type 1 case watches use the Helvetia 800C sweep second hand movement.

This watch was issued by the German military during the early 1940's of World War II, Helvetia were a renowned Swiss maker producing fine and accurate watches for the Nazi officers.

The case of the watch is nickel plated with light to average wear. The cream dial is in good condition with Arabic numerals, signed Helvetia Swiss Made. GWO/C

The movement is a hand wound Swiss movement. The watch sits on a black leather military style strap.
The great majority of the companies were Swiss .
with Helvetia being one of the best, making superb timepieces. Stamped either side of the probably three figure serial number, is the official Wehrmacht classification DI.H, with 2 and then 3199 stamped above. However DH was the regular stamp classification, but the much rarer type, have DI H with its serial number stamped between the I and H. This has always been the subject of debate amongst some collectors, due to some limited belief that they were assembled from parts, likely due to their rarity, however, this timepiece, alongside all the 'deemed correct' examples have the has the important 3199 stamp on the back case cover. In a seminal work “A Concise Guide to Military Timepieces 1880 -1990” by Z.M. Wesolowski IT specifies that the DI H marks are “Deutsches Heer property marks found on non-waterproof wristwatches used for surveillance purposes, the I in DIH may stand for Inteligenz or Italienisch for surveillance officers and spies etc.

The Italienisch mark may have been for a contract for the specialist Italians serving with the Afrika Korps in the desert campaign under Rommel.

See in the gallery three photographs of the standard watch type, with regular black dials, worn by officers during World War II in the German Heer/SS, one being Herbert Otto Gille, seen here as SS-Gruppenführer and commander of 5. SS Panzer Division Wiking.

Helvetia DI H watches are really relatively rare, it seems that only around 8000 of all types were ever completed

Code: 26096