Heuer "Bund" Bundeswehr Flyback Chronograph - Small T

Year: Circa 1970s
Model: Bundeswehr Flyback
Case Diameter: 42mm 
Lug to Lug: 50mm
Case: Steel
Dial: Black
Movement: Manual

Condition
The watch, as you can see, is in nice condition for a vintage military watch. The matte dial has light signs of wear with all the lume still intact. The hands have been professionally relumed. The original bezel has some marks but is still 100% functional. The case is unpolished with all its battle scars, a true time capsule.

The bund strap is a classic way to wear a watch, but it also has a practical purpose. It was initially made by Leonidas before being bought by Heuer, which supplied the watches under its own moniker as reference 1550 SG. These flyback chronos were based on Valjoux movements and had bold, painted Arabic numerals. The dials had two sub-registers, one at nine o'clock that displayed running seconds and the opposite sub-register showing a thirty-minute chronograph counter.

The early watches made by Leonidas were also issued to other forces, including the Italian Air Force. In the 1960s, the Valjoux calibre 222 driven flyback chronos were given the reference CP2, the code for the Italian forces specification for a wristwatch. There was also a CP1 spec for watches under 40mm, which Leonidas also produced, but the 43mm CP2 is the most sought after of the two. Both the Air Force and the Army issued the watches with different caseback engravings. E.I. signed case backs signify that the watches issued to the Esercito Italiano, which is the Italian Army, and A.M.I. marked watches issued to Aeronautica Militaire Italiano, the Italian Air Force. Watches marked E.I. were normally worn by aviators within the army, such as helicopter pilots.

Being close to the Soviet border and being the lead NATO partner, the Bundeswehr was one of the best equipped forces. The Heuer watches were designed to be comfortable and safe for pilots, especially during extreme weather conditions. The bund strap became a style statement for style icons like Paul Newman, Steve McQueen, and Miles Davis, who adopted the look for their style.

The history of the Heuer brand dates back to 1860 when Edouard Heuer established his watch manufacturer in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Heuer spent two decades acquiring unique patents and establishing its reputation for creating highly precise and accurate timepieces. He was granted his first patent in 1869 for a crown-operated winding system for pocket watches and the "oscillating pinion" for stopwatches. Heuer's sons Jules-Edouard and Charles-Auguste took over the company, patenting one of the first water-resistant cases for pocket watches.

The company continued to grow in the next decade, driven by its partnership with Henri Freund & Bros. and the introduction of product novelties. The first wrist chronograph of the brand, the "Mikrograph," hit the market in 1914, and the "Auto-Graph" was introduced in 1948. In 1958, they introduced dashboard timepieces such as the Super Autavia chronograph, the Sebring split-second timer, and the Monte Carlo twelve-hour stopwatch.

In 1958, Jack Heuer, Charles-Edouard Heuer's son, took over the company and became head designer, responsible for the brand's most famous creations, including the Carrera and the Monaco. The 1960s saw the Heuer brand deeply enmeshed in the auto-racing world, with Formula 1 drivers wearing Heuer chronographs.

In 1985, Techniques d'Avant Garde (TAG) acquired the brand, leading to the modern era of experimentation. TAG Heuer revived some models from the 1950s and 1960s, made larger chronographs, and introduced daintier models for ladies. Before the new millennium, Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH) acquired TAG Heuer, introducing new approaches to the brand. Today, Tag Heuer offers a wide range of timepieces, known for record-breaking precision and bold aesthetics.