hi ed, you're quite right on all points. the laco watches are 55mm in dia. basically for pilots of the lufftwaffe. many of them did not survive[pilots or watches] and the ones around are quite rare. until i got this one i had only seen 1 other in real life and it also had a bad balance staff. this one has been recased meaning the ser # on the movt & case do not match. both movt and case are genuine however. i have 1 other with matching ser #'s in better cond. they were made to the same specs by laco, wempe, a. lange & sohne, and iwc. iwc had a slightly different case at the lugs. they were part of the case proper. the others have the lugs soldered into the round case edges. they are brass cases w/chrome or something of that sort plated on them. there are also different dial configurations, but the ones with the stubby hr hand have always been the ones i have been after. depending on cond i have seen them on various european web sites at up to $8000, but most are inthe $2000-4000 range. thought i would share the photo since mick asked me a few weeks ago what it was. i wear it quite frequently just for the reaction of people. most think i am kind of goofy, but i don't care! one of the priveleges of getting older!