Vintage Candino Saddam Hussein Portrait Dial Swiss Manual 17J 32mm Watch Box

About this watch

A vintage Candino hand-wound watch with a printed portrait of Saddam Hussein on an aged ivory-to-champagne dial. The dial has raised gold-tone markers, Arabic numerals at 12 and 6, matching baton hands and central seconds, and is signed Candino, 17 Jewels, Incabloc.

The compact 32mm gold-plated cushion case has softly squared corners, a rounded crystal and a screw-down stainless steel back marked Swiss Made, Waterproof. It comes on a brown leather strap with an embossed leaf pattern, 18mm wide, with gold-tone tang buckle, and with the Candino presentation box shown.

Brand heritage

Candino traces its origins to 1947, when Adolf Flury-Hug established his watch workshop in Herbetswil, in the Swiss canton of Solothurn. The Candino name was adopted as the firm grew into an exporter of reliable, well-made Swiss watches, and the brand continues today as part of the Festina Group. Portrait and emblem dials were produced on Swiss watches in large numbers during the 1970s and 1980s for the Middle East, typically as presentation pieces, and Iraqi portrait dials from this period are now collected as historical and political memorabilia.

Why this one is special

• Period portrait dial, a collectible piece of Middle East political history
• Swiss manual-wind movement, 17 jewels with Incabloc shock protection
• Charming 1970s gold-plated cushion case
• Comes with a Candino presentation box

Specifications

• Brand: Candino
• Era: circa 1970s
• Case: gold plated, cushion, 32 mm, approx. 9 mm thick, screw-down stainless steel caseback
• Movement: Swiss mechanical, manual wind, 17 jewels, Incabloc
• Functions: hours, minutes, central seconds
• Dial: aged cream/champagne with printed portrait
• Strap: brown embossed leather, 18 mm, gold-tone tang buckle

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition, with visible dial spotting and discolouration, crystal scratches, and wear to the gold plating, particularly around the case edges and lugs. For this watch, the exact production year and the date and origin of the portrait application have not been established, and no official presentation history is claimed. The presentation box shows wear and marks to its exterior and lining, and is not documented as original to this watch. As with any vintage watch, it is sold as a collectible, is not guaranteed water resistant, and its timekeeping may differ from a modern watch. Please review all photos carefully, as they form part of the description.

What's included

Candino presentation box (not documented as original to this watch).

Shipping & Returns

Ships from Cairo, Egypt. Please see the shipping and returns details in this listing.