Wempe Rally Chronograph 1970s

A sporty chronograph from Germany’s retail tradition meets the Swiss chronographs of the 1970s

The story of this watch

# Wempe

# Rally Chronograph

# Beautifully preserved black dial and case in very good overall condition, with unrestored original dial, original hands and pushers

# Tachymeter

# German jeweler 

#  44.5 mm (41 mm without crown)

# Mineral glass 

# Valjoux 7733

# Manual winding 

# 1970

# Switzerland

The Wempe works perfectly and has just been serviced: (8°; +s/d).  

The watch shows very few signs of wear. There are no deep scratches, dents, or similar damage, and the crystal is scratch-free.

The story of the brand

This Wempe chronograph brings together two fascinating chapters in European watchmaking history: the long tradition of the German watch retailer Wempe, founded in 1878, and one of the era’s characteristic Swiss manual-winding chronograph movements - the Valjoux 7733.

Unlike today’s Wempe Glashütte i/SA watches, historical Wempe chronographs from this period are not modern Glashütte manufacture watches. Their particular appeal lies instead in the contemporary combination of the Wempe signature and proven Swiss chronograph technology.

The Valjoux 7733

The Valjoux 7733 is one of the major mechanical chronograph movements of the late 1960s and 1970s. It is a robustly built manual-winding movement with two pushers and a cam-switching mechanism that controls the chronograph’s start, stop, and reset functions. The movement measures 31 mm in diameter, is about 6 mm high, and runs at a leisurely 18,000 beats per hour.

It features the classic bicompax layout: running small seconds at 9 o’clock and a chronograph minute counter at 3 o’clock.

The caliber is less about technical extravagance than robustness, practicality, and ease of servicing. Compared with more elaborate column-wheel chronographs, the cam-switching mechanism allowed for more efficient production and made high-quality mechanical chronographs accessible to a wider range of buyers.

Historical character

This design is precisely what makes a Wempe Valjoux 7733 an authentic representative of its era today. Comparable 7733 chronographs from other German brands are documented, particularly from the early 1970s.

From today’s collector’s perspective, its appeal lies in the combination of classical 1970s chronograph design, manual mechanical winding, Wempe’s long-standing signature, and a well-known Swiss vintage caliber.

The Wempe chronograph with Valjoux 7733 represents a fascinating phase in European watchmaking history: German retail tradition meets classic Swiss chronograph technology. A characterful mechanical timepiece from the golden age of manual-winding chronographs - mechanically uncomplicated, historically interesting, and now considerably rarer than many contemporary chronographs from well-known mass-market brands.