Blancpain

The market crash of 1929 still marks the darkest period in modern world economic history. The ‘Buy American Act’ was an attempt by the United States government to stimulate the economy and benefit local industry. Swiss watch companies were particularly hit by this Act as it required U.S. military equipment to be procured in the United States. A stroke of Depression era resourcefulness and ingenuity gave Allen Tornek the idea to essentially rebrand Swiss made Blancpain watches as American. Basing the name off of Villeret where Blancpain was based, the Blancpain watches Allen Tornek sourced from ‘Rayville’ were christened Tornek Rayville and graced the wrists of U.S. Naval officers. Roughly 1,000 of the models bearing the Tornek-Rayville name were made, and since almost every watch was issued by the military and heavily used, few of them survived.

The present example still has the original crystal and bears the marks of its history, the dial is in wonderful condition and astonishingly well-preserved. The luminous material on the dial has aged evenly throughout to a beautiful orange hue, and the hour and minute hands have aged to a slightly darker hue. This Tornek-Rayville comes from the family of the original owner who owned and wore the watch for many decades before being offered for the first time at auction.