Mimo WWII Dienstuhr: A Closer Look

crown comfort · 2015-07-29T00:19:02Z

Explore the Mimo WWII Dienstuhr, a robust military watch with a historical link to Girard-Perregaux. Discover its AS 1130 movement, stainless steel case, and unissued status.

Friends,

last week in the wristscan I showed you the Mimo WWII Dienstuhr, a recent catch.

Let's have a closer look at it here.

First of all, this is my first Mimo and probably not the last. We had some discussions int he Wristscan forum on the connection between Mimo and GP, but to summarise it again, Mimo was a brand owned by the German Otto Graef who lived and worked in La Chaux-de-Fonds and Mimo was mainly sold in Europe. Graef bought GP after WW1 when the production was ceased and one could say he rescued the brand and brought it back to full glory.

For a while, Mimo and GPs were sold in parallel often with similar if not same movements/cases.

The Mimo WWII Dienstuhr Heer is based on the so-called Wehrmachtswerk AS 1130 and is considerd very robust. What makes the Mimo stand out from similar WWII watches is for one the case in Stainless Steel and the improvements on the AS 1130 movement. There is an added "bridge" for shock-protection and it's also anitmagnetic.

My watch seems hardly used, certainly not like it has been to WWII. In fact, the case back does not have the army engraving which typically is "DxxxxH" with xxxx is a 4 digit number. This likely means that this is a stock watch that was never delivered to the army.

I strongly believe the dial is original, I inspected it closely and the lume, the printing of the numerals and text seem to perfect for a redial. It is obvious that the hands had been applied some new lume at some point in the past, so something to improve on in the future.

Otherwise, the movement ticks very well, accurately and reliably.

So here are some photos...

Key Points from the Discussion

The Mimo WWII Dienstuhr is a desirable vintage military watch, particularly noted for its clean condition and historical significance.
The Mimo brand, owned by Otto Graef, was instrumental in rescuing and revitalizing Girard-Perregaux after WWI, with both brands often sharing similar movements and cases.
The Mimo WWII Dienstuhr stands out among similar military watches due to its stainless steel case and enhancements to the AS 1130 movement, including shock protection and antimagnetic properties.
The absence of typical army engravings on the case back suggests the watch might be an unissued stock piece, never delivered for military service.
There is collector interest in whether military watches like the Mimo Dienstuhr had their lume reworked by military departments, similar to British MOD practices.

The Discussion

amanico

Jul 29, 2015

Superb catch. Yes, you can re work the lume of the hands, but for the rest...

Just superb. I wondered if, like for British watches, the equivalent of the MOD has reworked the lume of the dials, or they just let it as the received it? Bravo! Best, Nicolas

crown comfort

Jul 29, 2015

I don't have any information

if the lume on the dial was reworked by the German army. As for the hands, will get it done one day, but not a priority right now. CC

blomman Mr Blue

Jul 29, 2015

Again, congratulation! :)

A great catch - very nice and clean! :) On my hunt list for sure.... Best Blomman

crown comfort

Jul 29, 2015

I have the impression

you're starting a standalone big Mimo collection ;) BTW: the white dial version of this model would be quite something as well. CC

blomman Mr Blue

Jul 29, 2015

Yes, the white is also on the list! ;)

Separate collection..... Don't give me any bad ideas! ;) Best Blomman

keks

Jul 29, 2015

gorgeous piece. thanks for post! [nt]

Key Points from the Discussion

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