Lot 293

Heuer-Leonidas

Sternzeit Reguliert

A large military flyback chronograph of the German Air Force (Bundesluftwaffe)

This watch is a measuring instrument rather than an aviator’s watch. The chronograph is regulated for sidereal-time and was part of the supplementary equipment "surveying theodolite"; it was used for the determination of time during azimuth evaluations (determined angle sizes). Sidereal-time comes from the fact that the Earth makes a full rotation in its axis every 23 hours, 56 minutes and 3,5 seconds. Sidereal-time is used when determining a location's exact co-ordinates on the Earth's surface. It was for this purpose that this watch was regulated to sidereal-time. As it also keeps normal time, "STERNZEIT REGULIERT" (sidereal-time regulated) was printed on the watch's dial face to prevent it from being mistaken with the standard chronograph.
Source: "Militäruhren" by Konrad Knirim, Bottrop 2002, p. 576.
The Bundeswehr’s Heuer flyback chronographs were produced according to the specifications of the different units of the troop, so that several variations of the model exist.
This watch is one of those models that only very rarely appear on the market - it is also in outstanding condition.