Sutter 35mm Screw Back (Threaded Caseback) Stainless Steel Case Ch27-12 Chronograph Watch

Overview image note

This watch is a Swiss-born timepiece from around the 1940s.

• Object observed
• Web source 1

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Overview image note

In the world of vintage watches, besides the widely known major brands, there are hidden-gem brands that produced only limited quantities with the finest components and movements of their day, and that still stir collectors' desire to collect today. The Sutter chronograph we are presenting now can be said to be exactly such an example.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Overview image note

At its heart beats the Lemania Ch27-12, a 12-ligne calibre that specialist references describe as sharing its basic engineering with Omega's calibre 321, the movement OMEGA itself recalls as trusted by astronauts on the Moon.

• Web sources 3

Overview image note

The original dial retains its original luminous material and has mellowed into a warm patina that gives the display unmistakable period character.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Collector's Note image note

This watch is a Swiss-born timepiece from around the 1940s.

• Object observed
• Web source 1

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Collector's Note image note

In the world of vintage watches, besides the widely known major brands, there are hidden-gem brands that produced only limited quantities with the finest components and movements of their day, and that still stir collectors' desire to collect today. The Sutter chronograph we are presenting now can be said to be exactly such an example.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Collector's Note image note

More than simply a vintage watch, this timepiece embodies the fascinating history of exchanges between the Swiss and American watch industries in the early to mid-20th century.

Collector's Note image note

To understand this watch’s identity, one must look into the history of O. Maire Inc., a Swiss watch importer and manufacturer active in the North American market from the 1910s onward. Having opened its first office in New York in 1916 and formally incorporated in 1919, O. Maire Inc. was a key company introducing high-quality Swiss watches to the American market.

Collector's Note image note

Who, then, was Sutter, whose name is inscribed on the dial? According to historical records, the person who registered the brand with the U.S. Patent Office in 1937 was Manrico Sutter of New York. Interestingly, a 1942 record listed him not merely as a watch importer, but as a key director of O. Maire Inc.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Collector's Note image note

In other words, this watch can be understood to have been part of a top-tier chronograph lineup launched under the name of Manrico Sutter, a senior executive at O. Maire Inc., which imported Swiss watches into the United States. This historical background is precisely why the movement inside the watch bears the OXM Swiss–U.S. official import code and the O. Maire signature.

Dial image note

The dial's appeal lies in how its details work together.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

Silver and champagne tones give the dial a subtle two-tone structure, with vertical brushing across the main surface and concentric grooves lending the subdials crisp separation.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

The original dial retains its original luminous material and has mellowed into a warm patina that gives the display unmistakable period character.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

A railroad minute track and a tachymeter scale frame the three registers at 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, combining legibility with real graphic energy.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

Arabic numerals and baton indexes work together to display the time clearly, making the dial easy to read.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

Original lozenge hour and minute hands lead the dial, while the chronograph seconds hand stands out for its pronounced counterweight.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Dial image note

A domed acrylic crystal sits over the domed dial, and its soft curvature suits the watch's period lines well.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Case image note

A stepped case and a narrow, stepped bezel build crisp vertical definition while leaving a generous opening onto the dial.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Case image note

The round stainless steel case combines polished and brushed surfaces, framing the dial with restrained contrast.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Case image note

The reverse has a solid screw back with six notches, known as sei tacche.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Case image note

Pump pushers sit on either side of the original coin-edge crown, offering a good feel in operation.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Movement image note

At its heart beats the Lemania Ch27-12, a 12-ligne calibre that specialist references describe as sharing its basic engineering with Omega's calibre 321, the movement OMEGA itself recalls as trusted by astronauts on the Moon.

• Web sources 3

Movement image note

Its chronograph is governed by a column wheel and engaged through a horizontal clutch, a classic switching and coupling architecture that keeps the mechanism devoted to timing with no additional complication.

• Object observed
• Web source 1

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Movement image note

It is made up of three subdials, with the 30-minute counter positioned at 3 o'clock, the 12-hour counter at 6 o'clock, and the small running seconds at 9 o'clock.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.

Movement image note

Under The Left Watch’s inspection, Korea’s finest watchmakers have expertly serviced this watch, which recorded a rate of 27 seconds per day, an amplitude of 295 degrees and a beat error of 0.2 milliseconds.

Strap image note

Crafted from black Vacchetta leather that retains the texture of cowhide, the strap begins at 18 mm in width and tapers to the 16 mm buckle width.

• Object observed

THE LEFT WATCH physically inspected this object and confirmed the photographed view.