Introducing the M3440 Professional Uni-Compax Chronograph from Swedish Brand, Siduna
Words By Allen Farmelo
Sometimes I see a tribute watch and lament, "Yet another copy." But there is sometimes a story behind a watch that makes a tribute—or homage, reissue, recreation, or whatever we decide to call it—special. The limited edition 42-millimeter, Valjoux 7750-equipped M3440 Professional Uni-compax Chronograph from Sweden's Siduna may look nearly identical to other mid-century pilot chronographs, but its story is uniquely Swedish and rather compelling.
By the late 1930s, Sweden had a perfunctory military, was direly bereft of fuel, and found itself surrounded on all sides by Nazi-conquered countries. To ward off a Nazi attack, Sweden strategically provided iron to the Nazi's, a fact that reveals the problematic complexity (impossibility, really) of remaining "neutral" during wartime. Not wanting to get caught unprepared again, Sweden unconventionally diverted the majority of its Cold War nuclear weapons budget into its airborne capabilities. Remarkably, by 1968 Sweden touted the world's fourth most powerful Air Force. The Siduna M3440 is a recreation of the 1973 chronograph (nicknamed "Viggen" after a Swedish fighter jet) issued to that rapidly expanding Air Force, or Svenska Flygvapnet.
Lemania "Viggen" chronograph. Image via Bukowski's.
Siduna is offering the M3440 as both a standard 7750 chronograph (1,860 Euros) or as a modified 7750-based flyback (add 480 Euros). The case is made from stainless steel, and the brushed surfaces (with some discrete mid-case polishing along the beveled lugs) and familiar form-factor announce the M3440's mid-century pilot watch pedigree.
Other than the Siduna name below 12-o'clock, there's nothing we haven't seen before while navigating this popular genre. A 42-millimeter diameter case with a beefy 16.1-millimeter thickness is topped with a standard 60-minute rotating bezel around a double domed sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating on the inside. An individually numbered solid screw-down case back helps provide 100-meters of water resistance. The dial is matte black with recessed sub dials, and the five-minute indices, numerals, hands, and bezel markings are all coated with C3 Super-LumiNova. Polished pump pushers and brushed crown are where all 7750 pushers and crowns go.
Three padded leather straps are available in black, dark brown (havana), or tan (rouille), each with off-white stitching. The pin buckle is signed and rendered in matching stainless steel. Somewhat confusingly, one must add the price of the strap ($40) to the cost of the watch, or, I suppose, forgo buying it (perhaps not the worst option for those of us with boxes of straps laying around). Strap width is 20-millimeters at the spring bars with a gentle taper across the padded section.
Pre-order is now open for the Siduna M3440 with your choice of serial number, unless you want numbers 001 to 010, 019, 080, 088, or 099, which are being auctioned off. Siduna
Author Allen Farmelo
At age 7 Allen fell in love with a Timex boy's dive watch his parents gave him, and he's taken comfort in wearing a watch ever since. Allen is especially curious about digital technology having inspired a revival of analog technology, long-lasting handmade goods, and classic fashion. He lives in a one-room schoolhouse in The Hudson Valley with his partner and two orange cats.
ChronographSidunavaljoux 7750
Steinhart Apollon Chronograph
Back in September we wrote about the Steinhart Apollon when …
Dievas, makers of the Vortex and Focal tactical watches, just …