AB Svenska Urdepoten “ASU” Chronograph

By Charlie Dunne

Little is written on the retailer Svenska Urdepoten. The Malmö-based retailer was allegedly founded in the early 1920s by Arvid Jansson in his mid-twenties. By 1930, ASU would have several locations in Sweden. The company would remain in business throughout wartime and eventually go out of business in the 1990s. Within the article, we will take a moment to examine a 1940s chronograph that came from the Swedish watch brand.

Image credit: urss.watch

Image credit: urss.watch

Image credit: urss.watch

“Societe des Garde-Temps S.A. in La Chaux-de-Fonds announces that its subsidiary Avia & Silvana S.A. in Neuchâtel acquired all the shares in the Swedish company AB Svenska Urdepoten in Malmö. AB Swenska Urdepoten is one of the most important watch wholesalers and distributors in Sweden. The company represents several Swiss watch brands in this country, most notably the Avia and Helvetia brands belonging to the S.G.T. belong and exclusively the Manufacture des Montres Rolex S.A. Their range also includes components for customer service as well as alarm clocks and small and large clocks. AB Svenska Urdepoten runs a chain of 25 watch shops in all major cities in Sweden and has a dedicated mail order department. As a wholesaler, it sells its products to a large number of specialist shops.

The acquisition of AB Svenska Urdepoten by Avia & Silvana S.A. is in line with S.G.T. to expand the network of its own sales companies. S.G.T. currently has sales offices in the US with the Waltham and Elgin brands, in Hong Kong and Singapore with the Sandoz and Titus brands, in Vienna with the Avia and Helvetia brands, in Turin with the Titus brand and in Caracas with the Silvana Sandoz and Invicta brands.”

The Dial

The acronym ASU has a very fanciful script that immediately catches one’s attention. The cursive font is quite thin, yet is a focal point of the dial.

The dial features a sector design that epitomizes the era of mid-century chronographs. Like in the Dan Henry 1939, it features a bi-register layout, but in the more traditional format of being at 3 and 9 o’clock. The dial has seen a great deal over the decades. Great development of patina has altered the dial, and many of the painted numerals have faded slightly. Luckily it is faint enough to appreciate the fact several numeral styles and sizes can be seen throughout the complicated dial. Arabic-painted numerals are featured at the 9 o’clock subdial which measures 60 seconds. At 3 o’clock, one can see painted-Breguet numerals which indicate the 45-minute measurement take place upon activating the chronograph. Throughout the outer scale, the numerals vary.

The Movement

The Case

The stainless steel case measures at 32mm in diameter (38mm lug-to-lug). The flat-surfaced bezel adds to the vintage charm. Although the case back does have a slight curve, it wears quite close to the wrist due to the tapered lugs.

Acknowledgments: Timepiece provided by Eric Wind of Wind Vintage