How the 20th Century Revolutionised Watch Design

W atches were specially designed for professional and leisure activities, those made for the former purpose often influencing designs for the latter. With modern materials and the ubiquity of the electronic timepiece module now taken for granted, it is easy to forget the challenges the makers of precision mechanical timepieces faced for much of the 20th century.

The widespread introduction of the ‘wristlet’ during the early part of the century removed the portable timepiece from the relative safety of the pocket, instead placing it in a more exposed position on the owner’s arm. Within the industry the transformation from pocket to wrist was greeted by many with a sense of horror, others, however, recognised the extraordinary opportunities offered by the new wristwatch genre and it was their confidence that led to a revolution in watch design.

Alex's book The Watch: A Twentieth-Century Style History is available for purchase here.

1903

Patek Philippe, Chronometro Gondolo Pink Gold Open-Faced Chronograph Watch
Estimate £10,000–15,000

The Rio de Janeiro retailer Gondolo & Labouriau were supplied with their first Patek Philippe in 1872. In 1902 the owners approached Patek to discuss the possibility of commissioning exclusive watches for their shop and on 10 March the same year, the name ‘Chronometro Gondolo’ was registered in Switzerland. Dating to 1903, this is a particularly early example of the collaboration between these two important firms.

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Patek Philippe, Ref 55 White Gold and Yellow Gold Wristwatch
Estimate £10,000–15,000

During the 1920s, rectangular and tonneau-shaped wristwatches naturally lent themselves to designs of the Art Deco Period and the decade witnessed an increasing variety in the materials and decorative techniques employed by case and dial makers. A great range of metals were used, often in combination within a single watch case. The use of yellow and white gold, as seen in the watch illustrated here, was an increasingly fashionable trend during this period.

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Longines, Retailed by A. Cairelli, Roma: Lindbergh Hour Angle Oversized Stainless Steel Pilot's Wristwatch
Estimate £50,000–80,000

Longines were quick to associate themselves with the pioneers of flight. The watchmaker’s chronographs and chronometers were supplied to many early air expeditions as aids to navigation. Designed in conjunction with Charles Lindbergh (the first person to fly non-stop and solo across the Atlantic), this massive wristwatch was designed for visual clarity and ease of use while in the air.

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Eska, Pink Gold Wristwatch with Cloisonné Enamel Dial
Estimate £8,000–12,000

The cloisonné enamel dial’s heyday was undoubtedly the 1950s and although never produced in large numbers, this dial genre was available with a range of subject matters, the most popular of which depicted sailing ships, stylised floral motifs, animals and maps. After preparation of the dial surface, wire was fixed to the dial to create the desired pattern, and the furrows these created were filled with powdered enamels before being fired in a specialist kiln. Several applications and firings would be made.

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Blancpain, Fifty-Fathoms Stainless Steel Wristwatch
Estimate £20,000–30,000

Generally acknowledged as the first modern diving wristwatch, the ‘Fifty Fathoms’ was originally introduced by Blancpain in 1953. The model was developed following a request by two French naval officers for a watch that could be used by a new elite unit of combat divers. The ‘Fifty Fathoms’ had a black dial with thickly painted luminescent hour markers and white luminescent hands to ensure maximum visibility at depth under the sea.

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Patek Philippe, 'Travel Time', Ref 2597 Yellow Gold Wristwatch
Estimate £60,000–80,000

In keeping with the period’s move towards clean design, Patek Philippe’s Travel Time (Ref.2597 patented at the end of the 1950s), offered an alternative solution to the world time or two-time zone wristwatch. With a classic and clear dial layout, the complexities of the world time calibrations were entirely removed. To the left case side of the watch, two recessed pushers allowed the hour hand to be advanced or retarded quickly and easily, jumping in hour increments.

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Rolex, Milgauss, Ref 1019 Stainless Steel Anti-Magnetic Wristwatch
Estimate £15,000–25,000

Introduced in the early 1960s, the Ref.1019 represented a complete revision of Rolex’s Milgauss model. The 1019 had a simplified more utilitarian design that was a dramatic departure from the Submariner-inspired appearance of its 1950s predecessor; the new watch had a fixed, plain, chamfered bezel and the dial had an outer track calibrated to fifths of a second, implying heightened precision. The design was focused on extreme clarity, a look ideally suited to the scientific community to whom the watch was most closely associated and marketed.

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Piaget, Esclave, Ref 9850 D 38 Yellow Gold Cuff Watch
Estimate £30,000–50,000

At the Basel Watch Fair of 1970, Piaget displayed a kaleidoscope of coloured dials made from coral and hardstones, including lapis lazuli, jade, opal, turquoise and tiger’s eye. Among the most captivating watches created by Piaget during this decade were a series of cuff-form watches that were made under the direction of Jean-Claude Gueit, who had trained at the Geneva School of Decorative Arts. These large-sized watches followed both the curvature and taper of the wrist to form a comfortable, bangle-form bracelet.

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Zenith, El Primero, Ref G583 Yellow Gold Chronograph Wristwatch
Estimate £8,000–12,000

Launched in 1969, Zenith’s El Primero is one of the most famous chronographs of the 20^th century. An automatic model with date indication, this watch used a full-sized rotor and yet, with a height of just 6.5mm, managed to be 1.2mm slimmer than the micro-rotor automatic chronograph movements of Zenith’s direct competitors. The movement was also a fast-beat calibre with a rate of 36,000 beats per hour. The fast beat meant that the central chronograph seconds hand could register increments of one-tenth of a second.

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Rolex, 'Double Red' Sea-Dweller, Ref 1665 Stainless Steel Wristwatch
Estimate £30,000–40,000

Following various deep-sea watch tests, Rolex developed a series-produced model suitable for saturation diving. Launched in 1967, the watch was called the Sea-Dweller Submariner. When resurfacing after deep-sea diving, a watch case may fill with helium, creating a pressure imbalance that can force the crystal from the case, thereby ruining the watch; the gas escape valve allowed the helium to leave the watch case safely.

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Vacheron Constantin, 222, Ref 44018 Stainless Steel Wristwatch
Estimate £20,000–30,000

A hybrid sports/dress-style bracelet watch, Vacheron Constantin launched their iconic Ref.222 in 1977 to celebrate the company’s 222nd anniversary year. Designed by Jörg Hysek, the watch had a sleek integrated bracelet and the tonneau-shaped case was made from a single block of steel. Although substantially proportioned, the model retained a sleek profile, in part achieved by the use of LeCoultre’s movement calibre 920 (the same base calibre as that used in the Audemars Piguet ‘Royal Oak’ and Patek Philippe ‘Nautilus’).

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Audemars Piguet, Ref 25643 Yellow Gold Tourbillon Wristwatch
Estimate £10,000–15,000

The world’s thinnest tourbillon upon its launch in 1986, the movement of Audemars Piguet’s Ref.25643 was recessed into the carved-out case back of the watch itself – the case back thereby becoming the movement’s main plate and allowing the removal of much of the traditional bridge work. The finalised watch had a radical look, the dial featuring gold sunrays rippling across the surface, these appearing to emanate from the tourbillon carriage, which was visible to an aperture at the top left of the dial.

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Jaeger Lecoultre, Reverso Répétition Minutes, Ref 270.2.73 Limited Edition Pink Gold Reversible Minute Repeating Wristwatch
Estimate £20,000–30,000

For the watchmakers that had survived the ravages of the Quartz Crisis, an increasing emphasis was placed on brand heritage. Many firms would dip into their archives to draw inspiration from designs of the past. For Jaeger-LeCoultre, 1991 saw the 60th anniversary of their signature model, the Reverso, and the watchmaker produced a special limited-edition watch to celebrate the occasion.

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Panerai, Pre-Vendome Slytech Luminor Submersible, Ref 5218-205/A Stainless Steel Cushion Form Wristwatch
Estimate £15,000–25,000

At the time of Panerai’s relaunch in 1993, the Italian watch market was highly influential, and the time was ripe for reinvigorating an Italian watch brand. Panerai’s new models were enthusiastically greeted by the collectors’ market and in 1997 the Vendôme Group purchased the Panerai brand. This ‘Sly-Tech’ model was released in 1996 before the takeover and features the typically massive case of the Luminor which had vast proportions by the standards of the period.

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Patek Philippe, Ref 3974 Yellow Gold Perpetual Calendar Minute Repeating Wristwatch
Estimate £380,000–600,000

1989 marked the 150th year anniversary of Patek Philippe. 10 years earlier, in 1979, at the end of a decade of turbulence both for the world economy and the watchmaking community, Patek Philippe laid plans for the company’s future. These plans would lead to the creation of the ‘Calibre 89’ - a watch even more complex than the famous ‘Henry Graves Supercomplication’ - and the release of commemorative models to further celebrate Patek Philippe’s 150th anniversary.

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Past Auction

Important Watches

12 November 2019 | 10:30 AM CET | Geneva

How the 20th Century Revolutionised Watch Design

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