Military history of the chronograph watch Type 21

Type 21 Watch Military History

Military watches have a history: they reflect intensive efforts

in the quest for precision and authenticity.

The watch actually had to compensate for onboard instrument failure by acting as a navigational instrument for the pilot.

While conserving their precision, these chronographs already withstood extreme constraints in terms of acceleration, vibration, temperature variations and resistance to magnetic effects.

By official command from the French General Staff, the House of Dodane developed the Type 21 in the 1950’s. The “fly-back” function was the principal requirement in the stringent specifications then set out for the chronograph by the Ministry of Defence.

The demands of various silent partners, particularly the Navy and Air Force, obliged our master watchmakers to advance still further in precision and reliability, as well as in complexity.

First condition: owning the fly-back function i-e the possibility to

set to zero and then to restart immediately the chronometer

function.

The high officials o in the Air Force have imposed this condition as it was vital for pilots when

they would fly over a beacon or when they had to land relying on the time given by the

control tower.

Such a demand may sound odd if one thinks about the evolution and

sophistication of the present electronic outfits. Nonetheless, at that time, the

reliability of the clock and watch making industry was a matter of life or death,

the watch had become a flying instrument capable of replacing a failing onboard

device.

Among other requirements from the French National

Defences specifications: an autonomy of over 35 hours,

a maximum time difference of 8 seconds per any 24

hours. The difference was reduced to 0.2 seconds per

minute and 0.5 seconds per half hour for chronometers.

Besides the chronometer was supposed to operate at

least 300 starts, stops and zero-setting in a row.

Already used by the Air Force and other corps, the Type 21 was supplied to NATO forces

involved in sensitive missions. In the 1990s, Dodane Type 21 chronographs continued to

wield their talent in Army light aviation.

Here are some details about the TYPE 21 original:

Type 21 chronographs were designed on the basis of draconian specifications from the Ministry of Defence. So the design of the watch is always based on the same type of case, movement, dial, bezel.

Around 5000 Type 20 or 21 were manufactured by manufacture Dodane SA from 1954 to 1994 and this under various brands (dodane, airin, airain dod, chronofixe etc…)and even without brand.

You will be able to find more information concerning this watch on our website (www.dodane1857.com <www.dodane1857.com> ) or on www.qahill.com/tz/type20/type20.html <www.qahill.com/tz/type20/type20.html> .

the Type 21 were equipped with a Valjoux 72, or 723 caliber or if not with a calibre Valjoux VZ22 (222), 17 rubies, 18000 alternation/hour, column-wheel and Spiral of Breguet. The spear parts ebauches of calibre VZ

22 were supply by Valjoux (Switzerland) and were entirely assembled and regulated in the “Montres DODANE” factory (Besancon, France).

Unfortunately, the few registered files which we have don’t permit us to identify the first owners of the Type 21. Indeed, it seems that the chronographs were provided by set to the Air Force. Thus we don’t have information on the final aim of these products because it was impossible to publish a specific register.

On the other hand, we can identify information with the references which you provided.

1. the inscription "TG" is actually a "FG" for “ Fin de Garantie” (End of Guarantee). Thus, your watch would have been produced during the year 1978 and leave the factory the 02/05/1978.

2. On the bottom of the box, the reference 016747 corresponds for the first

3 figures to the reference of the watch and for the 3 following, the number of the watch.

So 016 is the reference of the watch and 747 is the serial number.

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