{"product_id":"1940s-swiss-chronographe-mechanical-excelsior-park-4-steel-case-35-5mm","title":"1940s Swiss Chronographe mechanical Excelsior Park 4.  Steel case 35.5mm","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eSome vintage chronograph movements are remembered because of the watches they powered. Excelsior Park 4 is remembered because of the watches it made possible.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eDeveloped by Excelsior Park of Saint-Imier, the EP4 was a hand-wound, two-register column-wheel chronograph and one of the most distinctive Swiss chronograph movements of its generation. Its architecture was developed from the earlier EP42 family, with the EP4 becoming one of the company's signature wristwatch calibres.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eWhat makes the EP4 particularly fascinating is its extraordinary list of customers. Its movements appeared not only in watches signed Excelsior Park, but also in chronographs from Gallet, Zenith, Girard-Perregaux, Certina and others. Zenith, in particular, turned to Excelsior Park in 1938 for its first wrist chronographs and continued using Excelsior Park calibres for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe movement also had a serious professional side. Excelsior Park developed chronographs and timing instruments for sport, industry, aviation and military applications. Around 1945, the company created an unusual chronograph with an orientation hand and 24-hour indication, designed for precise synchronization and later recommended for military parachutists. Gallet marketed the watch as the Navigator, while Zenith called it the Sextant.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eThe EP4 also became the foundation for the EP40, which added an hour counter and evolved the architecture into one of Excelsior Park's most celebrated chronograph families. These movements continued to appear in professional and military-oriented watches well into the 1960s.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003eExcelsior Park was not simply another ébauche manufacturer. It was a specialist in precision timing, producing movements that found their way into some of the most interesting chronographs of the mid-20th century. Today, the EP4 remains one of those quietly important movements that collectors increasingly appreciate not for fame, but for engineering, history and character,\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"CHRONOGRAPHE","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46047361007676,"sku":null,"price":1785.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0673\/5701\/6124\/files\/1_821dd4db-ea13-4987-9db2-942b2ac72401.jpg?v=1787401312","url":"https:\/\/gmtwatchshop.com\/products\/1940s-swiss-chronographe-mechanical-excelsior-park-4-steel-case-35-5mm","provider":"GMTwatchshop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}