1960s Minvera Dashboard Stopwatch Set

Why This Watch Matters

An instrumental piece of car racing heritage, dashboard timers like this from Minerva are packed with utility and history.

The Full Story

Minerva was founded as the H&C Robert Company by two brothers in Villeret in 1858. The company assembled pocket watches using components manufactured in the surrounding Jura Mountains for 50 years before beginning to make its own chronograph and stopwatch movements in 1908, and ultimately renaming the company to Minerva in 1923. Over the following decades, Minerva settled into a niche in providing special use chronographs for both the wrist, hand, and, like the set here, dashboard or clipboard. 

While we are listing these as dashboard timers, Minerva actually targeted a larger audience with sets like these back in the period. Whereas those from Heuer were fitted in more substantial and permanent feeling metal housings to screw into dashboards, the Minerva fitting is much more malleable. In this "Autolite" rubber holder, the two 30 second stopwatches could be fitted into a dashboard holder, the top of a specially-made clipboard for use trackside, and even completely popped out of the holder to be used by hand singularly.

Printed in red above the gorgeous Minerva script logo reads "1 T. = 1 SEC." signifying that each turn of the larger hand represents 1 second. Therefore, the outer chapter ring graduated to 100, is used to time to 1/100th of a second. The sub-register above the handstack registers total turns of the larger hand for a total capacity of 30 seconds.

The set we have here is in remarkable condition, both timers function as they should and hold up to a not-so-scientific test against an iPhone stopwatch very, very well. Plus, the rubber holder is nice and soft still with a bit of surface cracking that is expected for 60-year-old composite.

The Fine Print

Maker: Minerva
Model: Dashboard Timer Set
Reference: N/A
Year: 1960s
Case No: N/A
Material: Nickel chromium
Dimensions: 50mm diameter; 19mm thickness
Crystal: Plexiglass
Lume: None
Caliber: TK
Box/Papers: None

What We Love And What You Should Know

Things We Love:

- 1/100th of a second timing capability
- Script Minvera logo
- Rubber "Autolite" holder

Things To Know:

- Scratches on stopwatch cases
- Some cracking on rubber holder

These Minerva dashboard stopwatches are in excellent, honest vintage condition. The rubber holder plate shows some cracking and wear. The two stopwatch cases have some scratches. The pushers operate crisply.

The dials are in excellent condition and very clean with a light patina. The tone of the dials match very well with a light patina to the white surface and strong black printing. The hands have developed a light patina overall.

The crystals have a few scratches. The dials, cases, and movements are all signed by Minerva. The rubber holder is signed "Autolite" on the front.