The Heuer Bundeswehr Flyback Chronograph was made for the Germany Army between the ’60s and the ’70s and it is one of the most famous issued chronographs out there. There were several variants of the ‘Bund’ with the rarest example you see here- the ‘Sternzeit Reguliert’. The aforementioned term translates to sidereal time and it is a way of telling the time based on the Earth’s rotation in relationship to distant stars. As a result, a sidereal day lasts 23 hours and 56 minutes as supposed the solar day which as we know is 24 hours.
You might be wondering why the German Army needs this absurd way of time-telling and the answer is that they mostly didn’t. This is why the standard Bunds were normally regulated and why the Sternzeit is so rare. This variant was used exclusively by the Artillery forces where they used sidereal time along with theodolite positions to determine the horizontal and vertical planes in order to accurately launch rockets. It was important to know where you are so you can gauge exactly how far to lob shells.
It is estimated that a handful of these pieces exist today (50-150 is anyones guess), making it one of the rarest military issued timepieces. This example is completely original with the markings on the dial clear and the unique reference number SG SZ engraved between the lugs. The caseback retains its military engravings and NATO numbers.
On the wrist, it has a huge presence at 43mm and it further comes with a ‘Bund’ strap that has its NATO numbers on the back.
