No. 882 / Minerva Pocket Chronograph - 1940s

IWC Pocket Chronograph Column Wheel / 1940s Intro This Minerva pocket chronograph from the 1940s is a stunning survivor. Its white porcelain dial glows beneath elegant blue hands, while inside beats a high-precision column-wheel movement—the mark of serious chronograph craftsmanship. But what sets this piece apart is its story: the caseback is engraved "CBC," marking it as a professional timing instrument used at CBC TELEVISION CO.,LTD, a broadcaster based in Nagoya, the heart of Japan's third-largest metropolitan area. A genuine tool watch that once kept the rhythm of live television—and a tangible piece of Japanese history. Story Founded in 1858 in Villeret, Switzerland, Minerva earned a formidable reputation as one of the rare manufactures designing and building its own high-precision chronograph movements entirely in-house. Its hand-finished, column-wheel calibres were trusted for professional and sports timing, and remain prized by connoisseurs today. In 2006, Minerva was placed under Montblanc, preserving its historic Villeret workshop as a home of haute horlogerie and allowing its rich legacy to live on. Partly because of this, interest in vintage Minerva pieces has been rising among serious collectors. Detail YEAR 1940s SERIAL 503323 CASE 51mm (excl. crown), Base Metal THICKNESS 16.2mm MOVEMENT Manual, Valjoux Calibre 5 INCLUDES Watch only Condition OVERALL A Rank CASE Small Scratches CRYSTAL Small Scratches DIAL Great Condition HANDS Little Patina MOVEMENT Great Condition, checked and oiled ACCURACY 25 Sec. / day (12 Hr. Timegrapher Test)