Coming across a vintage timepiece in excellent condition is always exciting. Discovering a trove of them, however, registers as an entirely different experience.
Recently, we purchased a lot of stopwatches produced by famed German-Swiss firms Hanhart and Aristo. Distributed by the now-defunct Aristo Import Co., Inc. in Orangeburg, New York, many are in excellent or near-NOS condition, and several even include their original caseback stickers and plastic pouch covers. Mechanical vestiges of a period that predates digital timekeeping — let alone the satellite-synced precision of the smartphone and smartwatch — these intriguing objects were used by sports clubs, schools, military units, broadcasters, and by countless other professionals. Today, they’re ideal gifts for the horologically curious, or fine collector’s items for those already deeply taken in by watchmaking in all its various guises.
Hanhart
Johann Adolf Hanhart - (Image by Hanhart)
Founded by Johann Adolf Hanhart in Diessenhofen, Switzerland, in 1882, Hanhart moved operations to Schwenningen, Germany in 1902. In 1924, Johann Adolf’s son Wilhelm Julius introduced the company’s first stopwatch — one whose accessible pricing made it an ideal timekeeper for teachers, athletes, and other working professionals. By 1935, the firm debuted its first split-seconds stopwatch for timing intermediate events, while by the 1950s its catalog featured 5- and 10-minute yachting stopwatches. In the 1960s, it began making stopwatches in plastic ABS cases. Today, it continues to market professional-grade mechanical stopwatches alongside modern reproductions of its famous pilot’s watches, which were used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, and by the West German Bundeswehr during the post-War era.
Artisto
Pforzheim, the famous German watchmaking town. - (Image by Gnomos Watches)
Watchmaker Julius Epple founded his eponymous firm Julius Epple K.G. in 1907 and registered the “Aristo” trademark in 1936 in Pforzheim, Germany. The company — which first used source movements before beginning in-house production in 1934 — made wristwatches and wristwatch cases, and supplied Dienstuhren (“service watches”) to the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), or Reich Air Ministry during the Second World War. It set up Aristo Import Co. in New York to service the American market, marketing stopwatches produced by sub-brands Apollo and Aristo-Park. The revived brand was merged with German bracelet maker in 2005 and today makes contemporary B-Ühr-style and other wristwatches.
A Selection of Examples for Sale at Analog:Shift
Aristo Apollo Stopwatch 1/10th-Second ($350)
Aristo Apollo Stopwatch 1/10th-Second - IN THE SHOP
A wonderful 1970s stopwatch in excellent condition with distinctive stylized ‘Arabic’ numerals in black against a white dial. Reminiscent of an automotive dashboard gauge, it’s perfect for car lovers. A single button within the winding crown controls start, stop, and reset.
Hanhart 1/10th-Second Stopwatch ($250)
Hanhart 1/10th-Second Stopwatch - IN THE SHOP
With its intact caseback sticker and hangtag, this incredible Hanhart stopwatch is an ideal collector’s piece. Its white dial can easily be used to track 1/10ths of a second, while a subregister below 12 o’clock can record intervals up to 15 minutes.
Aristo Apollo Stopwatch ($250)
Aristo Apollo Stopwatch - IN THE SHOP
This Aristo Apollo stopwatch is curious for several reasons: there’s the bright-orange ABS plastic case; the superbly cool 60-minute subregister with demarcations for different sports; and the “Great Britain” signature on the dial…the explanation for which remains a question mark!
Hanhart 1/5th Second Stopwatch ($250)
Hanhart 1/5th Second Stopwatch - IN THE SHOP
A straightforward, highly legible design, this Hanhart 1/5th-seconds stopwatch includes a 30-minute recorder powered by a 7-jewel shockproof movement. Its chrome-plated case still bears its original caseback sticker and comes paired to its correct hangtag.
