Wittnauer Early 1960s 2555 Sub-Second Automatic
I originally planned to list this Wittnauer for sale, but it completely won me over once I had it in hand, so I’m keeping it (sorry, everyone). It’s the kind of watch that looks almost too simple—until you realize how hard it is to get “simple” this right. The big, clean dial and thin bezel give it a surprisingly modern presence for a vintage dress watch, and the applied markers add just enough texture to keep the whole thing from feeling sterile.
Wittnauer is one of those names that flies under the radar today, which is a shame—because in the mid-century era they were absolutely a “serious” player in the U.S. market, with deep roots as a Swiss-watch importer and a long-running relationship with Longines through the Longines-Wittnauer.
What really sealed it for me is the movement: this A. Schild 1706 is in truly superb condition—honestly the kind of “factory-fresh” look you almost never see once a watch has been in and out of cases for decades - one reason I actually appreciate “thru the crystal” monoblock cases like this. The other twist I love is the layout: an automatic with small seconds just feels a bit more old-school and intentional than the usual center-seconds three-hander, like Wittnauer was aiming for traditional dress-watch manners while still giving you the convenience of an auto.
I’ve had previously written up a detailed technical deep-dive on the AS 1706 / Wittnauer 11A0 , and I encourage anyone who wants to nerd out on the mechanics to check it out. It may look straightforward but it’s actually a very interesting automatic winding architecture that goes to considerable lengths to preserve good hand-winding feel.