Marvin Chronograaf Valjoux 22 Horloge

Marvin  
Roestvrij staal  
Jaren '40  
Chronograaf 
Schakelrad  
17 Jewels 
Mechanisch handopwind  
Uurwerk kal. Valjoux 22  
​Swiss made  
Ø 35.6 mm

Brothers Marc and Emmanuel Didisheim founded the Marvin Watch Company in Saint-Imier (Switzerland) in 1850. Many years later the second generation took over with 3 sons at the helm. The Marvin brand name was officially registered and came into use in 1912. In 1917 they focused all their attention on the development of fine high-quality movements and wristwatches. For a short period, they even used Rolex movements. In the 1940’s Marvin stretched its wings far and beyond, and teamed up with famous names such as the KLM Royal Dutch Airlines,  Mercedes, Jaguar, Fiat, MG, Rover, Chevrolet and last but not least Ferrari. Marvin was a true entrepreneur, progressive and ambitious, ‘the sky was the limit’. At their centenary in 1950 the Marvin Watch Company had spread out their global distribution to at least 70 countries.

The Marvin at hand is stunning, the stainless steel is glossy except for the sides which are brushed. The teardrop shaped lugs and crown make the appearance so unique. Though the watch is a chronograph, nothing on the dial is squeezed in or overlapping, it reads extremely well and gives a calmer appearance compared to many chronograph dials. The dial is silver with gold mirror numerals, and with matching gold hands. The counters have the lovely circle pattern. With the 45-minute counter you can register different time durations but mainly you can use it to monitor your phone calls. You can see the elongated markings on the dial which indicates a 3, 6, and 9-minute interval. In the 1940s and 1950s, international and long-distance phone calls from public payphones were billed when the 3-minutes expired, often telephone companies would cut off your call abruptly after three minutes unless you quickly inserted more coins…unimaginable nowadays, and yet it does have a certain charm. The Marvin is powered by the utterly reliable, trustworthy beautifully engineered Valjoux 22 which is actually the bases for the Valjoux 71 both have therefore been in production for the same time period, 1914 to 1974. 
Many watches could be described as a ‘reliable companion’ in this case you could describe the Marvin as a reliable companion with extra perks…