Rodana Chronograph Military dial - Valjoux 23

Rodana Vintage Chronograph – Valjoux 23 – Steel Fancy Lugs – 1940s

A beautiful and characterful Swiss vintage chronograph from the 1940s, featuring an attractive stainless steel case with distinctive fancy lugs, a highly desirable high-grade Valjoux 23 movement and an original period Bonklip bracelet.

The 35 mm steel case has an elegant, distinctive profile, with sculpted lugs that give the watch a particularly striking appearance. The dial is especially appealing, with its dark, beautifully aged surface and contrasting ivory-coloured Roman numerals.

The military-inspired dial design combines excellent legibility with several technical scales. The outer tachymeter scale, marked “Base 1000”, is complemented by an inner telemeter scale, historically used to estimate the distance of an event based on the time taken for its sound to travel. The finely graduated minute track and two recessed subsidiary registers complete the instrument-like appearance. The original-style hands and contrasting chronograph seconds hand further enhance its authentic 1940s character.

Inside is the renowned Valjoux 23, a high-grade Swiss manual-winding chronograph movement widely appreciated by vintage watch collectors and used in numerous prestigious chronographs of the period.

The watch is fitted with an original 1940s Bonklip steel bracelet, an iconic period accessory that complements the watch beautifully.

Condition and functionality

• Stainless steel case with distinctive fancy lugs.

• Attractive vintage dial with visible age-related patina.

• Original period Bonklip steel bracelet.

• Crystal replaced.

• The watch runs accurately in current use.

• The chronograph functions are operational.

A particularly appealing 1940s chronograph combining a distinctive case design, a respected Swiss chronograph calibre and an original period bracelet. An excellent choice for collectors who appreciate authentic, less commonly encountered vintage timepieces.

Case diameter: 35 mm, excluding crown
Movement: Manual-winding Valjoux 23 chronograph
Period: 1940s
Case material: Stainless steel
Bracelet: Original vintage Bonklip steel bracelet

About the brand

Rodana is a particularly intriguing name in vintage Swiss watchmaking. Historical accounts identify Rodana as the original name associated with the Swiss brand that later became Rodania, reportedly adopting the latter name in 1952 following a legal dispute. If this example belongs to that same lineage, it would represent a fascinating early chapter in the brand's history. Combined with its prestigious Valjoux 23 chronograph movement, distinctive fancy lugs and original period Bonklip bracelet, this watch offers considerable appeal to collectors of unusual pre-war and early post-war Swiss chronographs.