Benrus - Starburst Dial - Sculpted Lugs - Original Airline Box - Mid 1950s

Name: Benrus - Starburst Dial - Sculpted Lugs - Original Airline Box - Mid 1950s
Brand: Benrus
SKU: 188978962188
Price: 490.00 USD
Availability: InStock

USD 490.00

Condition: Pre-owned - Good

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Description

View Benrus - Starburst Dial - Sculpted Lugs - Original Airline Box - Mid 1950s with current marketplace pricing, condition, product images and item details. The watch itself belongs to the civilian side of that world. The original Benrus presentation box survives, with a deep purple velvet cover and a cream-colored rim. Seen from the side, the open spaces beneath them give the watch a profile quite unlike a conventional round dress watch. In 1953, Pacific Southwest Airlines printed: "Flies on Benrus Watch Time." Colonial Airlines went further, telling passengers that its flights were timed by Benrus, "the official watch of famous Airlines." In the years when commercial aviation was becoming one of postwar America's clearest expressions of speed and modernity, Benrus made that association part of its identity. The same claim survives inside the lid of this watch's original box, printed in gold against burgundy satin. The watch itself belongs to the civilian side of that world. Benrus had been founded in New York in 1921 by Benjamin, Oscar, and Ralph Lazrus, building an American watch company around Swiss-made movements. By the 1950s, its catalog stretched from professional aviation chronographs to watches like this one, where the emphasis moved from instruments to design. Long sculpted lugs leave the case as broad polished bands, turn outward, then fold down and back toward the strap. Seen from the side, the open spaces beneath them give the watch a profile quite unlike a conventional round dress watch. Between them sits a softly squared case and a warm champagne dial cut with extraordinarily fine radial lines reminiscent of the sun's rays. Applied gold numerals mark 12, 3, 6 and 9, with tapered markers between them. At six, the radial pattern gives way to a recessed subsidiary seconds register finished in tight concentric circles. The contrast between the sharply drawn radial dial and the unusual folded lugs gives the watch much of its mid-century character without relying on ornament. Inside is a 17-jewel, hand-wound Benrus DN21 movement, signed BENRUS WATCH CO. INC., SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS, SWISS and UNADJUSTED. The DN21 is Benrus's designation for the ETA 1280, part of the Swiss movement supply around which the American company built much of its production. The inside of the caseback carries the BENRUS ribbon beneath the words CASED AND TIMED BY THE BENRUS WATCH CO., along with scratched service marks left by watchmakers who cared for it over the decades. The caseback is marked STAINLESS STEEL BACK and 10K R.G.P. BEZEL: a 10K rolled gold plate case front over a stainless steel back. It comes on a black leather strap. The original Benrus presentation box survives, with a deep purple velvet cover and a cream-colored rim. Please see the condition section and the photographs for details on watch condition. Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position. All sales final. Condition: Pre-owned - Good. Category: Jewelry & Watches › Watches, Parts & Accessories › Watches › Wristwatches. Brand: Benrus.