Swiss 24h dial antimagnetic center seconds lever Circa 1940

Lever precision watch with 24h dial and power reserve by Agassiz Watch Co 
–
A very fine, rare, and unusual Swiss stainless steel antimagnetic center seconds keyless lever precision pocket watch with 24-hour dial and power reserve indication made for the U.S. Army Corps, circa 1940. Nickel-silver movement, 21 jewels, straight-line gold lever escapement, mono-metallic balance adjusted to temperature, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, eccentric snail type micrometer regulator, indirect center seconds. Matte silver dial with painted 24-hour graduation, outer minute track, sector for the power reserve indication below 12, and original blued steel feuille hands. Plain case, inner antimagnetic cover. Dial, case, and movement signed.
–
Diameter: 53 mm
–
Signed: Agassiz Watch Co G.C.T. Swiss
–
G.C.T. = Greenwich Civil Time
–
G.C.T. watches were used for navigational purposes on military airplanes. The U.S. Army Corps typically ordered these timepieces from American watch manufacturers such as Hamilton, Elgin, and Waltham. With increased demand due to World War II., Swiss companies like Agassiz and Longines also supplied similar precision timepieces. Upon delivery, watches were secured in special U.S.-made cases, fixed by four helical springs to insure superior shock protection during combat flight missions, plus increased antimagnetic shielding. This watch is unusual for its silver, rather than black, dial. The movement’s curved wheel train bridge is evocative of prominent American watchmaker Albert Potter’s elegant designs.
–
Agassiz Watch Co. S.A., founded in 1876, the firm specialized in high-quality watches. As new calibers were designed based on regular 19”’ watch movements, smaller in diameter and as slim as technically possible, the firm designed entirely new and even thinner movements: first 17”’- 24/12th, then 20/12th and 17/12th. Later, Agassiz merged with Touchon & Co of Geneva, continuing to create extremely thin movements.