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koimaster
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Found again -Pötger-Pietri, The Earthquake watch
I purchased the above watch from a member here to prevent lemmings from the old watchgeeks forum from purchasing it. I think it has been worn a handful of times since 2011 -2012
Indestructible Elegance
Having survived one of Italy’s strongest earthquakes, Pötger-Pietri was just getting warmed up. The company bounced back after the disaster to build a reputation for tenacious survival and impeccable style.
The earth shook beneath their feet. Cars turned to worthless hunks of metal, buildings crumbled and city blocks were reduced to rubble, all in a matter of minutes. We can only imagine the devastation that ripped through Southern Italy’s Campano-Lucano Apennines on November 23, 1980. The region suffered an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale and Joseph Pötger and Alessandro Pietri, who had been developing a stainless steel watch prototype just the night before, gaped in astonishment at the scene before them. All was in ruins. Not a thing survived of their watchmaking workshop.
Or so they thought.
After days of sifting through the rubble, Pötger and Pietri found something. Under eight stories’ worth of crushed concrete and buckled steel, something glittered. Glittered and…ticked. In fact, their new prototype was still keeping perfect time! The Swiss engineer and Italian designer must have seemed terribly out of place with their euphoric reaction amid so much destruction.
They no longer had a workshop, but they knew they had one hell of a watch.
Pötger-Pietri’s very first watch was named 6.9, after the magnitude of the quake that had put it through its trial of fire, and the piece was designed to take the same sort of punishment as its forebear. Nearly 30 years after that fateful earthquake, Pötger-Pietri is now owned by the Invicta Group, but continues to produce Swiss-made timepieces of indestructible tenacity and inimitable style.
The newest version of the 6.9 may not have undergone an earthquake, but has certainly experienced its equivalent in testing, having been pounded, shaken, twisted and strapped to various devices, coming back for more after every round. Its 42mm case is crafted in surgical-grade stainless steel. Powering the sturdy timepiece is a Valjoux 7750 automatic movement with date, small seconds, and chronograph complications.
Tritnite® luminescence coats the oversize hour markers on the expansive dial. Diamond-textured plates running down the middle of the stainless steel bracelet lend the timepiece a rugged look that evokes its survivor status.
The Alessandro series, though it has not outlasted any major earthquakes recently, is an impressive line powered by a 2A24 caliber Swiss ETA automatic movement with day and date complications. The AS-5 and AS-8 house their movements in elegant tonneaushaped cases with diameters of 40mm and 33mm, respectively. The AS-11 features a stepped round case, Breguet hands and a genuine leather strap. The hardy refinement of the Alessandro series, named for the brand’s Italian designer, mark them as true Pötger-Pietri creations.
http://www.virtualonlineeditions.com/pu ... 2283541%22}
Apparently they are still around.
http://invictamenswatch.name/rare-nos-p ... watch.html
Brand: Invicta MPN: PP014 Gender: Men's Features: 12-Hour Dial Display: Analog Movement: Swiss Made Valjoux 7750 Automatic Watch Shape: Round Water Resistance Rating: 100 m (10 ATM) Case Finish: Polished Case Color: Silver Case Material: Stainless Steel Face Color: Black Band Material: Stainless Steel Band Color: Silver Case Size: 43mm Lug Width: 24mm Model: PP014 Style: Luxury Age Group: Adult Country/Region of Manufacture: Switzerland Year of Manufacture: 2000-2009 Number of Jewels: 25 Jewels Band Type: Bracelet/Link Band
And from Rusty way back when
http://jholbrook.proboards.com/thread/1 ... ry-companyPotger-Pietri: Invicta Mystery Company?
Sun 27, 2007 at 10:02am
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Post by Rusty on Jun 27, 2007 at 10:02am
Besides Invicta, the Invicta Watch Group owns several other brands. One that is a bit mysterious since it is tough to find product is Potger-Pietri.
Here is some copy from promotional materials found for one of its products, the EARTHQUAKE WATCH."To say the history of Potger-Pietri began with a shaky start would be an understatement. After all, the prototpe for our very first watch never actually made it to testing. It did go through hell.On November 23, 1980, the Irpinia earthquake shocked the Campano-Lucano Apennines in Southern Italy. It decimated the area in a matter of minutes (6.9 on the Richter scale will do that). Cars were crushed and buildings collapsed, including one where Joseph Potger and Allessandro Pietri were constructing a new stainless steel watch the night before.
Days later, while sifting through the rubble, the Swiss engineer and Italian designer found the prototype pnned beneath eight stories of crumbled concrete and twisted steel. It was in near-flawless condition and still keeping perfect time. For two men standing the middle of complete devastation, they were euphoric.
They no longer had a workshop. But they did have one extremeely tough watch on their hands.
And so Potger-Pietri was born, and our very first production watch, christened the 6.9, was designed to withstand the same kind of punishment as the the watch it was named for. Nearly twenty-five
years later, we're still making watches like the 6.9 and the new Seismic Series that will not only stand the test of time, but anything this planet can dish out."
Wow, other than a few on that shopping channel and a few on eBay, they are scarce but if it withstands a 6.9 quake, I want one!
Last Edit: Jun 27, 2007 at 10:03am by Rusty
From Yogi Berra:
"Do you mean now?" -- When asked for the time.
And despite all the lalo denials, WL once again proved the lies.
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