Karl Barth Watch ID Mystery

783 Views 9 Replies 7 Participants Last post by Border-Reiver, Apr 15, 2022

ethrec

Discussion Starter · Apr 12, 2022

Hello old watch ~~nerds~~ comrades,

I have a bit of a different request for you today. Instead of having a watch in front of me that I need help identifying, I'm hoping someone can help me identify the wristwatch of a famous* theologian: Karl Barth.

*Insofar as theologians can still be "famous"...

Barth was a Swiss Protestant theologian (1886-1968) known for, among other things:

Socialist organizing in the 1910s, known as the "Red Pastor" of Safenwil
Authoring the Barmen Declaration of religious resistance to the ****s, and subsequently being expelled from Germany
Almost (not really) finishing the most massive systematic theology, his Kirchliche Dogmatik (Church Dogmatics), which nevertheless runs over 9m pages in 13 published volumes.

However, what's really important here is that I can't figure out what sort of wristwatch he wore. In photos, it's clear he still regularly used a pocket watch when he was out and about (such a child of the (18)'90s). But he also clearly wears a wristwatch at times as well, and I want to know what it was (or as close as possible).

I'll attach what photos I've found, though some of them are pretty useless. I'll also give you my initial theories:

In one of the photos (the Getty, I think), it looks like the watch has a “small seconds” circle at the bottom, with maybe Arabic indices and cathedral hands?
Most of that (except the cathedral hands) would be very similar to the military watches Switzerland produced for the Allies in the early 1940s.
Since Barth joined the Swiss militia in the early '40s and not the regular military, I would anticipate it being similar in style to those watches, but a bit more “civilian” and perhaps made earlier (1930s?).
I think 1930s was sort of the beginning of the “Calatrava” style, which seems like this watch might fit in that category.
However, since the best pictures are from the late 1950s, I really can’t eliminate anything between 1930 and 1960.

Any and all help appreciated. Get on it, gumshoes!

Outerwear Hairstyle White Vertebrate Black

Jaw Sleeve Black-and-white Gesture Style

Black-and-white Office equipment Monochrome photography Monochrome Eyewear

Glasses Photograph Vision care Coat Gesture

Photograph White People in nature Plant Fashion

See less See more

Save

1 - 1 of 10 Posts

Border-Reiver

· #10 · Apr 15, 2022 (Edited)

Dan S said:
Is there a sub-dial at the top as well as the bottom of the dial?

If there is a sub-dial at the top and one on the bottom for the time elapsed, such a 'complication' could make sense for him.

Karl Barth, this wise theologian and radical democratic socialist (called 'comrade of God' by scoffers and his friends alike), who gave his good advice to everyone and explained to us what's right or wrong, lived with two women at the same time under one roof. There was his wife Nelly (with whom he had 5 children) and the mistress Charlotte (called 'Lollo').

Maybe he stopped the time spent with Nelly and Lollo to give each of them their fraternal share.

Oh … and they were all buried in the same grave. That's what I call consistent.

@OP: Sorry, this doesn't help you to find the model and make of his watch, which I am afraid won't be possible without better images. I was just immediately reminded that we were dealing with this moralizer in school (highly controversial - teacher (she) against the class).

Save

Reactions: 1

1 - 1 of 10 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Karl Barth Watch ID Mystery

ethrec

Attachments

Border-Reiver

Top Contributors this Month