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A famous German ship's chronometer for the US Navy: Louis Kurtz no 134 "Click" to Login or Register 
IHC Member 478
posted
Hallo friends,
I own an interesting chronometer from my home town Münster in Westfalia/Germany.
- Louis Kurtz no 134 (movement no 329 by Paul Stübner Glashütte)
There is no US or military marking on this complete 2-boxed piece (the outer box was interchanged by Kurtz no 129).

Louis Kurtz was Chronometermaker in Münster since 1905 and supplied the Kaiserliche Marine in WWI and won awards by the Deutsche Seewarte. He got his base movements from Paul Stübner Glashütte (up to 1905 with Strasser & Rohde, then on his own). Kurtz's business was taken over by the master watchmaker workshop Wilhelm Nonhoff.

After WWI there was not enough business for navigational instrument makers in Germany, so many engaged companies suffered and had to close like Gustav Becker.
So Kurtz sold a whole batch of ship's chronometers to the US Bureau of Navigation for the US Navy.

The att. document extracts show the test of Kurtz chronometers by the US Naval Observatory in Washington in 1921 and 1925, I am sorry not to have the test results of the years in between.
The tables show the Kurtz #s 111 (of 1916), 133, 135, 136, 140, 142, 143, 144, 145. My number 134 is missing, I suggest it will be seen in the missing years. The complete lists show many other German and Swiss chronometer supplies tested here in those days.

This evidence also shows an answer on Walter Mason Stewarts thread with the 'Question about “possible military use” of older chronometers' in the US Navy.

--
. Gruesse/Regards/Salute Konrad Knirim
PS: Have a look at my books on Military Timepieces:
. http://www.knirim.de



 
Posts: 85 | Location: Duesseldorf Germany | Registered: March 08, 2005
Life Achievement
Military Expert
Picture of Greg Crockett
posted
Thanks for the post, Konrad.

You have a fine old chronometer with quit a history. Such data is priceless.

Best regards,
Greg
 
Posts: 1948 | Location: East Lansing, Michigan USA | Registered: November 24, 2002
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