Swiss chrome pilot’s chronograph rattrapante with 24 h dial Circa 1942

Unusual pilot’s chronograph rattrapante ‘Systema Magini’
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An unusual pilot’s split seconds chronograph with 24 hour dial and date ‘Systema Magini‘, World War II, made for the Italian Air force by Eberhard & Co. in la Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, circa 1942. The numbered chrome plated open faced case of this unusual watch is plain and its silvered dial has an outer five minutes ring with Arabic numerals, Arabic 24 hours numerals, split seconds chronograph, an aperture with date indication and Breguet hands. The movement has a lever escapement and a split seconds chronograph.
The case, dial and movement are signed.
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Diameter: 51 mm
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Signed: Eberhard Co, Fab Suisse, Mod. Mag. 
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Sistema Magini
Produced in the early 1940’s, the ‘Sistema Magini’ pocket watch was instrumental in the success of an epic mission by the Italian Air Force during World War II, the first Rome Tokyo sighting flight in 1942. The model was named after the heroic pilot Publio Magini to whom it was issued.
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Eberhard
Eberhard & Co is a renowned Swiss watch brand founded in 1887 by Georges-Lucien Eberhard. The company offers an extensive range of high quality mechanical watches, which include sports, dress and chronograph styles. Eberhard & Co is known for its classic designs, meticulous attention to detail and exceptional craftsmanship, which have earned them numerous prestigious awards. Their watch designs are a testament to their position as an industry leader.
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Chronograph rattrapante
A chronograph rattrapante, or split seconds chronograph, is a mechanical watch complication that features two superimposed seconds hands, allowing the user to time two separate events that start simultaneously. A push button stops the “rattrapante” or “split seconds” hand to record an intermediate time, while the main stopwatch hand continues to run. Pressing the button again causes the stopped hand to instantly “catch up” (rattraper) to the moving hand, which is a key and highly complex feature of this mechanism.