The "military watch pope" Konrad Knirim describes on pages 77/78 of his "Bible of Military Watches" a Junghans cockpit clock from this small series, which was used in the airship of the Imperial Air Force LZ 86 (see photos).
This wonderfully rare piece offered here is essentially identical to the one described by the "military watch pope" Konrad Knirim from LZ 86, except that the rare example offered here must be opened for winding and Knirim's watch had a winding mechanism located outside the case.
Today we can no longer tell from this unique and extremely rare piece of military watch history which naval airship it served on, but there is not the slightest doubt about its originality and authenticity, see Konrad Knirim, page 78ff.
During the entire era of airship travel up to the Hindenburg disaster, there were exactly 130 Zeppelins in the Imperial Air Force and later the Reich Air Force.
In total, exactly 130 airships had this model of the original on-board clock developed by Junghans specifically for Zeppelins of the Imperial Navy Zeppelins, and many of them burned on enemy missions or were lost in the respective shootdowns and crashes.
A more exclusive highlight for any military watch collection is hardly conceivable than one of a maximum of 300 pieces ever built and deployed worldwide.
Case diameter: 75mm, case height: 105mm, flawless, unrestored porcelain dial, signed and in excellent condition, Doxa signed with Arabic numerals, blued steel hands in Breguet style
Blued hands in the Breguet style – just like the model shown by Konrad Knirim from LZ86 – solid, concave, presumably original mineral crystal, held floating by a triple-screwed metal ring/bezel
The entire clock is slightly angled, which clearly identifies it as a Zeppelin instrument clock; the instrument has no metal/brass case back, as it was mounted on a dashboard – presumably made of wood.
Condition: Excellent condition for its age; the presumably original mineral glass is sturdy and scratch-free; bezel rings are well preserved, no dents, no cracks.
It winds smoothly and can be set via the easily identifiable crown; it runs and functions perfectly (accuracy not tested). When opened, this magnificent piece of (military) watch history is displayed on the unrestored, flawless dial.
Excellent technical and optical condition, unrestored dial in good condition, brass case in good condition, adjusting screws and shafts in top condition
Good collector's condition: EZ 2 - considering its age and origin, few visible signs of wear, starts and runs (accuracy not tested), all bezel screws present and grippy.
Information on the use and end of military airships/zeppelins in the Imperial Air Force of World War I:
The first and the last of the proud giants of the sky:
Prototype LZ 1
The prototype LZ 1 (LZ for "Luftschiff Zeppelin," meaning "Zeppelin Airship") was 128 m long, 11.65 m in diameter, and powered by two Daimler engines, each producing 10.4 kW (14.2 hp). A 130 kg weight, movable between the front and rear gondolas, was used to balance ( trim ) the approximately 13-ton structure. 11,300 cubic meters of hydrogen served as the lifting gas , but the payload was only about 300 kg.
On July 2, 1900, at 8:03 p.m., the airship's first ascent took place in Manzell Bay, watched by approximately 12,000 spectators on the lakeshore and in boats. The flight lasted only 18 minutes before the winch for the counterweight broke, forcing LZ 1 to make an emergency landing on the water. After repairs, the technology demonstrated considerable potential during two further ascents in the following weeks, surpassing the previous speed record of 6 m/s (21.6 km/h ), held by the French airship "La France," by 3 m/s (10.8 km/h). However, it was not yet enough to convince potential investors . With funds exhausted, Count von Zeppelin had to dismantle the prototype, sell the remains and all the tools, and dissolve the company.
Construction LZ 129
On March 4, 1936, the new Zeppelin LZ 129 "Hindenburg" (named after former Reich President Paul von Hindenburg ) was finally completed and undertook its first test flight. Previously, there had been speculation that the LZ 129 would be named "Hitler" or "Deutschland," but Hitler insisted that nothing should bear his name that could be at risk of being destroyed in an accident or catastrophe and thus be seen as an ominous sign. Besides its propaganda flights, the "Hindenburg" soon began supporting the "Graf Zeppelin" on transatlantic routes.
