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You are here: Home / Movements / Venus 232

Venus 232

Last Update: September 15, 2022

Brand:Vénus
Family:
Venus 230 Family
Height:
Jewels:17, 21
Reserve:35, 54 hours
Frequency:18,000 A/h
Winding:Hand winding
Diameter:28.0 mm (12.5 ligne)
  Complications:Alarm, Date
Hands:Alarm Indicator at 9:00, Central Alarm Hand, Central Hour Hand, Central Minute Hand, Central Seconds Hand, Date Window at 3:00
Distinguishing Technical Characteristics
Hand-Winding
Clockwise Balance Cock
Screwed Balance
Indexed Regulator
Balance at 1:30
Barrel at 7:30
Production:  – 
1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s

Cal. 232 (called “Alertic” by Vénus) is an alarm watch movement with date produced by Vénus in the 1950s. The popularity of the Vulcan Cricket spurred the development of other alarm watches including the Jaeger-LeCoultre Memovox, Junghans Minivox, and A. Schild AS 1475 movement, and Vénus capitalized on this with Cal. 230. A similar movement, Cal. 230 or Cal. 231, was also produced, which lacks the date complication.

Unlike other alarm movements, Cal. 232 has a single barrel for both timekeeping and alarm functions. The alarm function is controlled using a second crown at 4:00: It is pulled out to enable the alarm, and set in neutral position to disable it. When the second crown is in neutral position, rotating the hands in reverse using the main crown drags the alarm hand backward to set it. Another unusual feature is a alarm setting indicator on the dial side of the movement, which typically displayed red/green or black/white through an aperture in the dial.

This movement measures 12.5 ligne in diameter (28 mm). It was offered with 17 or 21 jewels and operated at 18,000 A/h. The power reserve was 35-54 hours, though it was much shorter when the alarm was used. It features a central sweep seconds hand along with a central alarm time indicator hand and date window at 3:00. A short-interval parking timer version was also produced, which used a concentric disc under the dial and indicator at 9:00.

Images are taken from official publications and are used here for commentary and educational purposes. Copyright is held by the original owner as noted.

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