Valjoux Cal. 57 is a pocket watch column wheel chronograph movement. Introduced around 1946, it was produced at least through the 1940s, possibly exclusively for Heuer. It featured a six-column wheel to control the chronograph function. The chronograph used a central seconds hand with split seconds a 30 minute counter. It was a two-pusher design.
There were three versions of Cal. 57 produced:
- Valjoux 57 2F – Start/stop/reset using single crown pusher
- Valjoux 57 3F – Separate start/stop button at 1:00
- Valjoux 57 RA – Rattrapante version
This is a “lépine” pocketwatch movement, with the small seconds placed on the same axis as the winding crown. In a pocketwatch, this would place the small seconds at 6:00 with the winding crown at 12:00. The image above would show its placement in a wristwatch, with the winding crown at 3:00 and the small seconds at 9:00.