Antique 1940s German U-Boat Officer Niello Silver Award Pocket Watch 50mm RARE

Offered for your consideration is a remarkable and exceedingly rare antique military award pocket watch, dating to the pivotal 1940s era. This 50mm timepiece is an authentic German U-boat (submarine) officer’s presentation watch.

Awarded to naval commanders and elite officers for meritorious service and operational success in the grueling Atlantic campaigns, these timepieces were essential instruments for navigation, coordinated attacks, and maintaining ship routines while submerged in an environment completely detached from natural light.

Detailed Condition & Specifications Report

The Award Dial & Hands The dial is a stunning and rare variation, designed specifically for high legibility in the dim, red-lit environment of a submerged submarine.

• Color & Typography: The dial features a warm, aged yellow/cream tone, providing high contrast against the bold, stylized black numerals. The outer edge displays a 24-hour military time track (13-24) in red numerals.

• Military Motifs: The upper center of the dial proudly displays a highly detailed, crisp profile of a German U-boat. Directly below the submarine rests a prominent Iron Cross.

• Inscriptions: Above the subsidiary seconds dial (located at the 6 o’clock position), the dial is inscribed with the patriotic motto “Alles für Deutschland” (Everything for Germany) in traditional Fraktur script.

• Hands: The time is indicated by a set of blued steel, luminescent-style hands (note: original radium/lume material has gracefully aged or been removed for safety).

The Niello Silver Case The 50mm case is a true masterpiece of early 20th-century metallurgy, utilizing the complex and labor-intensive Niello technique.

• Design & Technique: Both the front bezel and the entire case back are finished with a striking, geometric honeycomb or hexagonal pattern. This is achieved by etching the silver and filling the recesses with Niello (a black alloy of sulfur, copper, silver, and lead), which is then baked and polished flat. The result is a smooth, highly durable, high-contrast finish designed to reduce glare and resist the corrosive, salt-heavy maritime environment.

• Personalization: The rear cover features a raised, un-nielloed central cartouche bearing an intricately intertwined, hand-engraved officer’s monogram (appearing to be ‘WT’ or ‘TW’).

• The Cuvette (Dust Cover): The polished inner dust cover proudly displays the watch’s exhibition medals and is engraved with “ANCRE,” “LEVEES VISIBLES DOUBLE PLATEAU,” “15 RUBIS,” and “PRECISION,” detailing its high-grade mechanical specifications.

The Precision Movement

• Mechanics: Powering this naval instrument is a pristine, 15-jewel manual-wind mechanical movement featuring an Ancre (lever) escapement. The movement is beautifully finished with broad, frosted nickel-silver plates and a traditional index regulator.

• Operating Condition: Despite its age and combat provenance, this exceptional officer’s watch remains in perfect working order, winding smoothly and maintaining time accurately.

Terms of Sale This antique military presentation timepiece is a functioning piece of world history and is sold exactly as photographed. Please review all high-resolution images carefully, as they form a definitive part of the description.