Frenca was a subsidiary brand of Swiss watch company, Buser Frères & Cie S.A, founded in 1892 in Niederdorf, Switzerland. Buser was a true manufacture d'horlogerie, meaning they designed, engineered, and built their own raw movements (ébauches) and complete timepieces entirely in-house.

The quartz crisis brought production to a halt in 1978, and the name lay dormant for 45 years. German brand DEKLA then acquired and relaunched Buser Frères, honouring their roots with vintage and military-inspired watches.

What’s On Offer

Here we have a fantastically rugged example of a c.1940s Frenca German military-issued watch.

The caseback is engraved, “Wasserdicht (Waterproof) Stahlboden (Steel Back)”, “1960” (a serial number, not date) and “D.U.” (Dienstuhr, meaning service watch). The “D.U.” stamp is a broad specification, but is often associated with the Verwaltung (Administrative & Civil Services), comprising government administrators, logistics staff, and military railway (Reichsbahn) personnel. 

The original radium dial has developed a faded black finish with a grainy speckling of patina. Large Arabic numerals circle the dial, surrounded by an elaborate railroad-style chapter ring. A seconds sub-dial sits at 6 o’clock, also with a chapter ring. The Arabic numerals retain their original lume, which has aged to a faded sand colour. The dial is completed by contrasting gold syringe hands. Unfortunately, the hands and crown are not original this example, but they suit the watch nevertheless.

The 34mm chrome-plated case shows signs of military service, bearing the rust and wear you’d expect from a watch that was worn on the wrist of an active WWII serviceman.

Inside is the original 15-jewel Buser Caliber 25/115 manual-wind movement, which remains in excellent condition. The number engraved inside the caseback matches the one between the lugs at 6 o'clock. That’s a detail you can't take for granted on a watch that passed through German military servicing, where efficiency tended to win out over consistency.

Overall, this is a great example of an authentic, historical timepiece that evidently saw action throughout WWII.