Movement record · Switzerland

Cortébert Calibre 616

Needs research

A 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.

Diagram

Schematic: plate and bridge layout. An outline schematic drawn to show the arrangement of the parts discussed here. It is not a dimensioned working drawing and does not depict a particular maker's calibre.

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.