A Witness to Swiss Football History This extraordinary vintage wristwatch is directly connected through its caseback engraving to one of the most historically charged matches in Swiss football history: Switzerland versus Germany, played in Bern on 20 April 1941. The caseback bears the period inscription: S.F.A.V. SCHWEIZ–DEUTSCHLAND 19 41 20 APRIL BERN 4729 On that exact date, Switzerland defeated Germany 2–1 in Bern. The encounter took place during the Second World War and, significantly, on Adolf Hitler’s birthday. Contemporary accounts describe the match as carrying importance far beyond football, at a time when Switzerland was surrounded by Axis-controlled or occupied territories. The Match – Bern, 20 April 1941 The German side travelled to Bern for the international fixture on 20 April 1941. Germany took the lead before Switzerland turned the match around and ultimately secured a 2–1 victory. The B-17 Museum’s historical account also records that General Henri Guisan greeted the players before kick-off. The political context made the Swiss victory particularly symbolic. Contemporary reporting subsequently became sensitive enough that the Swiss authorities censored an issue of Le Sport Suisse following its coverage of the match. The Watch The watch itself presents all the characteristics of a charming early-1940s Swiss wristwatch: a restrained silver-toned dial, Arabic numerals, blued hands and a traditional small-seconds display at 6 o’clock. Its aged dial, case and hands show substantial and coherent signs of wear, giving the watch a particularly evocative appearance rather than disguising its more than eight decades of history. The stainless-steel caseback is unquestionably the defining feature. Its dedicated “Schweiz-Deutschland – 20 April – Bern” engraving connects the watch to the date and location of the famous 1941 international match. The additional number 4729 is also individually engraved on the caseback. Without surviving documentation establishing what this number represented, we prefer not to attribute a specific meaning to it. Historical Significance Switzerland and Germany met four times during the Second World War under Swiss national coach Karl Rappan. Switzerland lost 4–2 in Stuttgart on 9 March 1941, before winning the return encounter 2–1 in Bern on 20 April. Switzerland subsequently won another match against Germany 2–1 in Vienna in February 1942, while Germany won 5–3 in Bern in October 1942. The Swiss team fielded in Bern on 20 April 1941 included Erwin Ballabio, Severino Minelli, August Lehmann, Albert Guinchard, Franco Andreoli, Harry Winkler, Olivier Eggimann, Lauro Amado, Numa Monnard, Luigi Fornara and Georges Aeby. A Rare Historical Object More than simply a vintage wristwatch, this example survives as a historical object associated with a precisely identifiable sporting event. The combination of the dated caseback, the Schweiz–Deutschland inscription and Bern makes its historical context unusually tangible. It represents a fascinating crossover between Swiss horology, European football and Second World War history. Important provenance note: while the engraving firmly associates the watch with the Switzerland–Germany match of 20 April 1941, no documentation currently available to us establishes the identity of its original recipient. We therefore make no claim that this particular watch was presented to or worn by a member of the Swiss national team