Movement record · Switzerland
Cortébert Calibre 616
Needs researchA large, robust bridge-type hand-wound pocket calibre whose design was transferred to Soviet production after the Second World War, where it became the basis of an extremely long production run.
Technical specifications
- Diameter
- Approx. 36 mm
- Height
- Approx. 4.5 mm
- Jewels
- 15 to 18 depending on version
- Frequency
- 18,000 vph (2.5 Hz)
- Power reserve
- Approx. 36 to 40 hours
- Winding
- Hand wind
- Setting
- Pull-out crown
- Escapement
- Swiss lever
- Balance
- Monometallic balance with Nivarox-type hairspring on later production
- Complications
- Subsidiary seconds
Identification features
- Large plate diameter with a distinctive bridge outline shared with the later Soviet movements
- Cortébert or retailer signature on Swiss examples
Known variants
- Swiss Cortébert production
- Soviet-built derivatives
Servicing notes
Straightforward for a competent watchmaker; parts can sometimes be drawn from the far more numerous Soviet derivatives, though interchangeability should be checked rather than assumed.
General guidance only. Antique movements should be serviced by a qualified watchmaker.
Historical significance
A rare case of a Swiss calibre design outliving its original maker by decades through licensed and state production elsewhere.
Photographs
Photographs are illustrative examples of the type, not necessarily the exact object described. Verify details against the source file page.
Sources & references
- Collector and trade documentation of the Cortébert–Soviet design transfer; the exact commercial terms of the transfer are not clearly documented in accessible sources.
Where sources disagree, the disagreement is stated rather than resolved silently.