{"product_id":"vintage-aster-wig-wag-swiss-self-winding-automatic-art-deco-tank-caliber-19-4-roller-winding-movement-mens-watch-from-1930s","title":"Vintage Aster Wig-Wag, Swiss Self-Winding Automatic, Art Deco Tank, Caliber 19-4, Roller-Winding Movement, Men's Watch from 1930's","description":"\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThis is one of the more remarkable footnotes in the history of the automatic watch. The Aster Wig-Wag was patented in 1931 by Louis Müller \u0026amp; Cie - the Fabrique d'Horlogerie La Champagne in Bienne - at the very dawn of the self-winding wristwatch, when no standard yet existed and makers were pursuing radically different solutions to the same problem. Rather than a rotor, the Wig-Wag winds by \"roller winding\": the entire movement slides back and forth inside the case frame, and that motion alone winds the mainspring. The hinged bezel that conceals the crown and the sliding inner carriage are unmistakable, and they remain a favourite among collectors of early Swiss horology.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe context makes it more interesting still. Louis Müller was no minor figure - he served for three decades as president of the Society of Watch Manufacturers of Bienne, and in 1931, the same year this watch was patented, he sat as a founding board member of ASUAG, the conglomerate that would eventually become part of today's Swatch Group. Aster was one of his house brands. Roller winding was ultimately a technological dead end, soon overtaken by the perpetual rotor, and that is precisely why so few of these survive. What was once an experiment is now a genuinely uncommon piece of watchmaking history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThe rectangular Art Deco case suits the period exactly, and the silvered dial has aged into honest patina, with faint foxing that reads as genuine and untouched. Applied faceted baton markers, a \"WIG-WAG\" signature beneath twelve, the \"Aster\" star logo at the centre, a subsidiary seconds register at six, and blued steel hands complete a dial that is restrained and quietly confident.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eIf you're interested in the history of the Wig-Wag automatic movement read our article:\u003cbr\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003ch4 class=\"majortitle\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/dumarko.com\/blogs\/news\/the-aster-wig-wag-the-strangest-automatic-movement\"\u003eThe Aster Wig-Wag: The Strangest Automatic Movement\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCASE:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eRectangular Art Deco case \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eHinged bezel concealing the winding\/setting crown\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eSliding inner carriage - the \"roller winding\" self-winding construction\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eCase dimensions: 25mm x 40.7mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eThickness: 8.4mm\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDIAL:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eSilvered dial with honest age patina\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003e\"WIG-WAG\" signature and \"Aster\" star logo\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eApplied faceted baton markers, no numerals\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eSubsidiary seconds at six\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"font-claude-response-body break-words whitespace-normal\"\u003eBlued steel hands\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eMOVEMENT:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSwiss self-winding \"roller winding\" movement, Aster Caliber 19-4\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e15 jewels, lever escapement, 18,000 A\/h\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e8.75''' base caliber driving the mainspring ratchet directly via the oscillating carriage\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePatented 1931 (D.R.P. 529785), Louis Müller \u0026amp; Cie \/ La Champagne, Bienne\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"DuMarko","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49225989357820,"sku":null,"price":5900.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0601\/2266\/1116\/files\/5H9A3653_6ca5ed89-8936-4f20-ae7c-514af6fbbb34.jpg?v=1783094144","url":"https:\/\/dumarko.com\/de\/products\/vintage-aster-wig-wag-swiss-self-winding-automatic-art-deco-tank-caliber-19-4-roller-winding-movement-mens-watch-from-1930s","provider":"DuMarko","version":"1.0","type":"link"}