Cyma Watersport Watch - Cal. R.459 - Cymaflex - Speckled Tropical Dial - Circa 1950

The dial on this Cyma Watersport has developed a patina over seven decades that cannot be manufactured. A dense constellation of dark speckles drifts across the cream surface, heavier toward the lower right, while the upper half holds soft clouds of ivory and warm amber that shift with the light. Gold applied arrow indices mark the odd hours, Arabic numerals anchor the quarters, and gold dauphine hands sweep the whole of it on a center seconds axis. The round gold-toned case carries the distinctive split crab-claw lugs that Cyma used in the early 1950s, each lug forking into two curved tines, a silhouette so specific to its era that it dates the watch without any other reference. The stainless steel caseback bears the honest scratches of a watch that spent its life on someone's wrist.

In 1950, the post-war economic expansion was accelerating across the western world. American prosperity was deepening, the consumer society was taking shape, and the Swiss watch industry was doing what it had always done in periods of demand: producing timepieces of genuine quality and selling them everywhere. The Cyma Watersport was part of that moment, a waterproof Swiss sports watch built for the man who wanted a rugged, reliable instrument that could keep pace with an active life.

Cyma was the retail distribution brand of Tavannes Watch Co., the Swiss Jura manufacturer that had grown by 1938 to become the fourth largest watchmaker in the world, with two thousand skilled craftsmen producing four thousand watches a day. Tavannes' movement manufacturing subsidiary supplied calibers to Jaeger-LeCoultre, Dunhill, Hermès, and Cartier, and it was a Tavannes movement that powered the first production series of the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. The watchmaking behind the Cyma name was never a secondary concern.

The Cal. R.459 inside this watch is Cyma's own in-house manual wind movement, 17 jewels, with the gold center wheel visible in the movement photographs. It also carries Cyma's proprietary Cymaflex shock protection system, their own engineering answer to the Incabloc and KIF systems used by other Swiss houses, built around a thin steel arm mounted above the balance cock that flexes to absorb impact rather than transferring force to the balance staff pivots. Watchmakers who have worked on these movements consistently note their quality and reliability. The movement is signed CYMA WATCH CO / R.459 / SEVENTEEN JEWELS / SWISS on the plate.

The watch is running well and fitted on a cognac leather strap with ostrich grain texture.

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.

I am happy to service any unserviced watch listed on the site — please inquire about service charges when purchasing.

All sales final.