A very nice piece I picked up recently, a Lange & Söhne, Glashütte "beobachtungsuhr" Cal 48.
Ordered by the German Navy in 1937, their requirements couldn´t be met though, untill autumn 1940, which was the start of production.

As Lange was not able to supply the ordered amount of watches in time, they were forced to outsource the finishing to their watches to these four Watchmakers/Companies;

• Andreas Huber, München-Berlin
• Alpina-Dugena, Berlin;
• Conrad Felsing, Berlin;
• Wempe, Hamburg.

I have seen all of these watches except the one from Felsing. Now I´m the proud owner of one of them!
The company that had assembled and finished these watches were endorsed on the front of the dustcover. Mine clearly marked Conrad Felsing, Berlin.

There has been so much written on these watches, that I will spare you my version and give you a link with a translator, where all can be read: Link

I must say very very nice Werner. If you are making out a will,please remember that my name is spelled "Tom Brunton"

Tom, you are just hillarious, the laughs I´ve had caused by you can´t be counted anymore!
You should go on stage, you´d earn a fortune!

That is a beatiful watch, Werner! The movement is in perfect condition. I can not quite make out the engraving on the inside of the caseback. I can see 'A. Lange & Sohne' and then the movement serial number of '204356' and then 'Berlin' at the end. What does the full inscription say?

I understand the legal requirements in Germany to deface the old regime's symbols, but I always have mixed emotions about it with historical artifacts such as an important watch like this one where the historian part of me would like to preserve such an artifact as it originally was. At least the person who polished off the markings was sensitive enough to leave the serial number on the back.

Jim, I quite agree with you. Here the engravings;
on the dustcover there is a light engravement in a rectangle.
Top line says Werk.(movement) A.Lange & Söhne
2. line, Nr 204346
Then there is a dividing line and underneath it says;
Fertiggestellt ( Completed, finished)
Conrad Felsing
Berlin

On the Caseback there is the swastica and eagle, in the middle is the Watch Nr. 204346, on the bottom is a Marine Nr. M 17??7.

The caseback has been heavily polished to remove the military markings, but under a certain angle most can still be read.
It is a great pity that it underwent this treatment and I don´t even think it was removed by requirement, but simply to use an otherwise perfectly good, militarily marked watch, which no one was proud of in the early post-war years.
Dial

Dustcover

Movement

Caseback


Inside caseback

Werner !!! Das ist ein großer zeitmesser

In der Tat Tom, da hast Du recht
Today I recieved my Certificate of authenticity and a copy of the original dispatch papers from the Deutsches Uhrenmuseum(German Watch Museum) Glashütte. Seemed to me to be a good idea to get the papers before any remarks are made, as to my new dubious watch
My watch was one of 200 orderd by the Deutsche Seewarte Kriegsmarine (German Hydrographic Office) in Gesundbrunnen.
Ordered 11.Feb.!943 and delivered 17.Feb.1944.
It´s nice to have these papers, as it gives the watch a ...lets say a birth certificate


Regards