Benrus - Starburst Dial - Sculpted Lugs - Original Airline Box - Mid 1950s

In 1953, Pacific Southwest Airlines printed: “Flies on Benrus Watch Time.” Colonial Airlines went further, telling passengers that its flights were timed by Benrus, “the official watch of famous Airlines.” In the years when commercial aviation was becoming one of postwar America’s clearest expressions of speed and modernity, Benrus made that association part of its identity. The same claim survives inside the lid of this watches original box, printed in gold against burgundy satin. 

The watch itself belongs to the civilian side of that world. Benrus had been founded in New York in 1921 by Benjamin, Oscar, and Ralph Lazrus, building an American watch company around Swiss-made movements. By the 1950s, its catalog stretched from professional aviation chronographs to watches like this one, where the emphasis moved from instruments to design.

Long sculpted lugs leave the case as broad polished bands, turn outward, then fold down and back toward the strap. Seen from the side, the open spaces beneath them give the watch a profile quite unlike a conventional round dress watch. Between them sits a softly squared case and a warm champagne dial cut with extraordinarily fine radial lines reminiscent of the suns rays. Applied gold numerals mark 12, 3, 6 and 9, with tapered markers between them. At six, the radial pattern gives way to a recessed subsidiary seconds register finished in tight concentric circles.

The dial shows scattered spotting and discoloration from age. The hands have developed a aged gold surface against the champagne dial. The contrast between the sharply drawn radial dial and the unusual folded lugs gives the watch much of its mid-century character without relying on ornament.

Inside is a 17-jewel, hand-wound Benrus DN21 movement, signed BENRUS WATCH CO. INC., SEVENTEEN 17 JEWELS, SWISS and UNADJUSTED. The DN21 is Benrus’s designation for the ETA 1280, part of the Swiss movement supply around which the American company built much of its production. The inside of the caseback carries the BENRUS ribbon beneath the words CASED AND TIMED BY THE BENRUS WATCH CO., along with scratched service marks left by watchmakers who cared for it over the decades.

The caseback shows the watch is 10K rolled-gold-plated. The gold surface remains bright across much of the case, but there are scratches and visible plating wear through at portions of the lug tips and case edges. The black leather strap is worn, particularly near the lugs, with creasing, surface loss and exposed lighter material at the ends. The watch runs, and its service history is unknown.

The original Benrus presentation box survives, with a deep purple velvet cover and a cream-colored rim, while the burgundy interior carries BENRUS above the period line “OFFICIAL WATCH OF FAMOUS AIRLINES.” The exterior shows light marks and age, but the satin lettering remains clear. 

Terms: Please review all photos carefully as they are a part of the listing. This is a vintage timepiece. Accuracy, power reserve, and water resistance are not guaranteed. Vintage watches may require periodic service. Performance can vary with wear, temperature, and position.

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