Lemania Single Crown-Super Compressor Case

Lemania is most well-known for their chronograph movements used by other brands, but they did make their own watches and they did make other movements than chronograph movements.

One of these models was the single crown Super Compressor case, time only watches Lemania did during the 1950s and 1960s.

Up front, the Lemania 941 looks more like a small dress watch from today’s standards.

The case is 35mm in diameter and 7 mm thick not including the domed armed plexi (11.5mm including). Lug to lug 44mm and 18mm between the drilled lugs.

Clean elegant sunburst dial, steel respective copper hands and applied indexes.

Only thing giving a tell of something different is the slightly larger crown and the fact that these are on Tropic rubber straps.

The side view reveals the strong, drilled lugs

Looking closer you see the cross hatched pattern, commonly used on divers watches with super compressor cases. This view also show that these watches have a screw down case back.

On the case back, the full story is written!

WATERPROOF – SUPER COMPRESSOR – ANTIMAGNETIC – INCABLOC – STAINLESS STEEL – SWISS MADE and the diving helmet.

Well, almost the full story – what is not written here but if you check the brevet numbers (patent numbers), the patents belongs to the case manufacture, E. Piquerez S.A. better known as EPSA.

On the 1th of February 1954, the EPSA filed for patent of a fluid tight case for watches. On the 5th f March 1956, just over two years later the patent were approved.

Simplified, the Super Compressor case is designed to “tighten its self”. Once the case back is in place, the outside pressure on the case push the case back tighter against the case, making the o-ring seal tighter.

Lemania made several models with exactly the same case, here shown is the inside of the screw down case back of the 920-63.

Movement used in these sub-second watches were the manual Calibre 3000.

Yes, Lemania made several models with exactly the same case. Here is another example with central seconds (Calibre 3060) 920-62 (left), 920-63 (right).

There are even more versions, will come back to this topic more!