ALTITUDE SPORT Vintage French Pocket Watch ULTRA Cal. 421 1960s Serviced

ALTITUDE SPORT Vintage French Pocket Watch ULTRA Cal. 421 1960s Serviced
A small piece of French watchmaking history, carefully brought back to life.
This beautiful Altitude Sport pocket watch most likely dates from the 1960s and has an interesting history behind it. The Altitude name was registered in France in 1946 and was associated with the watchmaking company Paul Maillardet & Fils of Morteau, which later became Altitude Montres de Précision SA. The Maillardet family was also closely connected with the Ultra watchmaking factory in Besançon, explaining why this watch is fitted with the French-made Ultra calibre 421. The company grew into a significant watchmaking business, employing 193 people in 1967, including home-based workers, before ceasing operations in 1969. The Ultra 421 belongs to a family of traditional mechanical movements developed over several decades and features manual winding, an anti-shock balance system and a frequency of 18,000 vibrations per hour. Today, this interesting pocket watch is a surviving reminder of a once-thriving chapter of French watchmaking history.
The watch itself has been carefully serviced, cleaned and thoroughly tested. The movement is clean and running beautifully, while the case has undergone ultrasonic cleaning to restore its original appearance. The crystal deserves a little mention too. Although it was already in good condition, it has been gently polished to improve its clarity. Replacing an old crystal with a new one would often be the easier option, but sometimes preserving an original part is more satisfying than simply fitting a replacement. There is something rather special about keeping as much of an old watch as possible exactly as it was made, while giving it the care it needs to continue working.
The original cream-coloured dial has survived remarkably well, with its distinctive Arabic numerals, elegant blue hands and large subsidiary seconds display. The nickel-plated and chrome-plated case measures 49.5 mm in diameter and retains its attractive geometric decoration on the back. Inside the case back is the marking Brevet No. 637081, referring to its patented construction. The original dial, hands and carefully preserved exterior give the watch a lovely vintage character without making it look tired or neglected.
Following servicing, the movement was checked on a timegrapher and produced particularly pleasing results: 0 seconds per day, 307° amplitude and 0.7 ms beat error, measured in one position. These are excellent readings for a mechanical watch of this age, although actual daily accuracy may vary depending on use and position.
Watch details
• Brand: Altitude
• Model: Sport
• Origin: France
• Period: Most likely 1960s
• Movement: Ultra calibre 421, manual winding
• Frequency: 18,000 vibrations per hour
• Case diameter: 49.5 mm, excluding crown
• Case: Nickel-plated and chrome-plated metal
• Dial: Original, with blue hands and subsidiary seconds
• Case back: Geometric decoration, Brevet No. 637081
• Condition: Carefully serviced, ultrasonically cleaned and tested
• Crystal: Original, gently polished
• Chain: Included, as pictured
This is not a newly manufactured watch pretending to be old. It is a genuine vintage timepiece that has been allowed to keep its age, its character and its history, while receiving the attention necessary to make it enjoyable once again.
A little piece of the past, still ticking beautifully.
Collection or registered insured postage available – e10 within Ireland