Vintage movements - Peseux (1950s)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina) 
Peseux was a raw movement (ébauches) manufacturer founded in 1923 by Charles Berner in the namesake village Peseux (Canton of Neuchâtel). In 1933, when its annual output reached over 215,000 pieces and its workforce consisted of 76 people, the company became a part of the Ebauches SA group.

This transparent plastics display dating back to the 1950s was meant for Peseux agents who travelled to meet their customers, namely the purchasing managers of watchmaking concerns, and show them the latest products.

The selection seen here features both shaped and round movements, allowing for the production of timepieces ranging from the small rectangular models for ladies to the ultra-thin watches for men. The movements’ diameters are listed in lignes (the triple apostrophe symbol), a centuries-old unit of measurement equivalent to 2.26 mm.

  

The best known round movement by Peseux was the 12 ½-ligne Caliber 260. It equipped the Chronometers made by Ulysse Nardin, which took part in several Neuchâtel Observatory accuracy contests, winning a third (1955) and a second (1958) place.           

ITALIANO

Peseux era un fabbricante di movimenti grezzi (ébauches) fondato nel 1923 da Charles Berner nella località omonima del Canton Neuchâtel. Nel 1933, quando entrò nel gruppo Ebauches SA, aveva una produzione annuale superiore a 215.000 pezzi e dava lavoro a 76 dipendenti.
Questo espositore di plastica trasparente era destinato agli agenti Peseux che viaggiavano per incontrare i clienti, in particolare i responsabili acquisti delle Case orologiere, e mostrare loro le ultime novità. Nella gamma presentata qui appaiono movimenti di forma e rotondi grazie ai quali si potevano produrre orologi che andavano dai modelli rettangolari per signora agli ultrapiatti per uomo. Il diametro dei movimenti è espresso in linee (il simbolo del triplo apostrofo), antica unità di misura equivalente a 2,26 mm. 
Il movimento rotondo più noto era il Calibro 260 (vedi immagine qui sopra) da 13 ½ linee, che equipaggiava i cronometri Ulysse Nardin. Quest’ultima partecipò più volte ai concorsi di precisione dell’Osservatorio di Neuchâtel, conquistando un terzo (1955) e un secondo (1958) posto.

Watch Ads & Europa Star

Above, the opening pages of Marco Strazzi's 20-page report about the history of watch advertising in the 20th Century, published by Europa Star. The Geneva-based magazine is one of the world's leading watch publications.

Click here to watch the digital version of the report.

 

 

New releases - Carl Suchy & Söhne Belvedere

Developed by designer Milos Ristin and master watchmaker Marc Jenni, the latest model by the Viennese manufacturer features a 41 mm stainless steel case, a date display window that changes position every day and an asymmetrical guilloché dial that transforms the look of the watch every 24 hours. The CSS201 automatic movement, built upon a Dubois Dépraz, delivers 42 hours of power reserve. Its rotor features the micro-engraved façade of Belvedere Palace. Price: EUR 6,400.

 

Watches at auction

The 28 May sale at Christie's Hong Kong saw several world auction records broken. A Patek Philippe Ref. 2523J from 1955 reached US$ 8'546'282. It is a 18K gold two-crown world time wristwatch with 24-hour indication and cloisonné enamel dial depicting the North American map

 

A Patek Philippe 18K pink gold Ref. 1595 from 1952 more than doubled its high estimate, as it realised the price of US$ 1,212,293. Its cloisonné enamel dial depicts a Tahiti forest 

The catalog of the upcoming auction at Christie's New York  (6 June) includes two fresh-to-market rare timepieces.

Patek Philippe Nautilus Ref. 3700/1, stainless steel, retailed by Gübelin, circa 1977. Estimate : US$ 100,000-200,000

 

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Ref. 25554ST, stainless steel, the thinnest Royal Oak perpetual calendar, 1984. Estimate: US$ 150’000-200’000

 

 

New releases - Artime ART01

The inaugural model of the newly found brand features a case alternating between transparent sapphire and titanium. Its round shape with monobloc lugs houses a white gold movement with a three-dimensional code, equipped with a one-minute tourbillon regulator and controlled by a function selector. It is 42 mm in diameter, 11.4 mm high and mounted on a black grained calfskin strap with a titanium folding clasp.

 

Vintage Ads - Repco (1957)

ENGLISH

"Cuffette - Not just an improvement – A thoroughly new watch ". Meant for retailers, this ad guaranteed that the watch set in a cufflink was sure to make an impact on their customers as well as their turnover. The cufflinks were available in a number of different shapes and fitted with “high quality movements”. Repco was a trademark registered by Balmer & Gagnebin from Tramelan in 1944.  
Do you like vintage watch ads? Please visit the page about Watch Ads, my two-volume pictorial history of communication and design in 20th Century watchmaking. You can also watch the video clip about the publication and download a 20-page preview of Volume 1.
The vintage ads presented in this Blog are not featured in the Watch Ads books.

ITALIANO

“Cuffette – Non è solo un’evoluzione – È un orologio di concezione inedita”. Indirizzato ai rivenditori, questo annuncio garantiva che l’orologio inserito in un gemello da polso avrebbe avuto un impatto sicuro sui clienti e dunque sul fatturato del negozio. I gemelli erano disponibili in numerose varianti ed equipaggiati con “movimenti di qualità eccellente”. Repco era un marchio registrato da Balmer & Gagnebin di Tramelan nel 1944.
Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina dedicata a Watch Ads, la mia storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Puoi anche guardare il video sull'opera e scaricare l'anteprima di 20 pagine del Volume 1.
Gli annunci pubblicitari d'epoca presentati in questo Blog non sono inseriti nei volumi Watch Ads.

Vintage press - La Suisse Horlogère (1977)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

La Suisse Horlogère was the official organ of the Swiss Watch Chamber of Commerce. This issue dating back to the Summer of 1977 was mostly devoted to the annual Basle Fair and the trends visitors could observe.

"Never have watches been so beautiful”, claims the title of the main article. Despite the worries about the plunging prices of quartz timepieces, the general mood was rather optimistic. The magazine pointed out that mechanical watches were “better and better still” thanks to caliber standardization, simpler design and higher quality: the newly introduced self-winding movement by Longines was mentioned. At the same time advanced models suggested that Switzerland was at the forefront in electronics as well. The local industry focused on analogue rather than digital watches, estimating that the LCD system was increasingly reserved for multifunctional timepieces.

The following pages feature a few products of the ETA Flatline collection, which included both automatic and quartz calibers. They met the growing demand for ultra-flat watches and super-accurate quartz watches with analogical display.

An interesting five-page report deals with the history of raw-movement production (ébauches) in Switzerland from the beginnings in the 18^th Century to the 1970s. 

ITALIANO
La Suisse Horlogère era l’organo ufficiale della Camera di Commercio svizzera dell’orologeria. Questo numero dell’estate 1977 è dedicato principalmente all’annuale Fiera di Basilea e ai trend emersi nel corso della manifestazione. “Gli orologi non sono mai stati così belli”, annuncia il titolo dell’articolo principale. Malgrado le preoccupazioni per i prezzi in picchiata degli orologi al quarzo, l’ambiente manifestava un certo ottimismo. La rivista sottolineava che gli orologi meccanici erano “in continuo miglioramento” grazie alla standardizzazione dei movimenti, alla semplificazione dei progetti e alla qualità più elevata: tra gli esempi si cita il nuovo movimento automatico Longines. Allo stesso tempo la produzione di modelli tecnologicamente avanzati indicava che la Svizzera era all’avanguardia anche nell’elettronica. L’industria locale si andava specializzando negli orologi analogici, stimando che l’affissione digitale si identificasse sempre più con i modelli multifunzione.
Le pagine seguenti mostravano alcune novità della collezione ETA Flatline, comprendente movimenti automatici e al quarzo che rispondevano da una parte alla domanda crescente di orologi extrapiatti, dall’altra a quella di modelli analogici e ultraprecisi al quarzo.
Un interessante servizio di cinque pagine tratta la storia della produzione dei movimenti grezzi (ébauches) in Svizzera dalle origini nel 18esimo secolo agli Anni 70.

New releases - Vulcain Skindiver Salmon Dial

  

Launched in January 2023, this vintage-looking timepiece inspired by the 1960 brand's classic now comes in a new variant with a salmon dial tone. Water resistant to 200m, the 38mm stainless steel case features a unidirectional fluted bezel with a black ceramic inlay, and houses the ETA 2824 self-winding caliber with a 38-hour power reserve. The 50 pieces of this limited edition are priced at CHF 1,490 each.

 

 

Watches at auction - Christie's, 13 and 26 May

As is often the case, Patek Philippe and Rolex are the undisputed kings of the upcoming live auctions at Christie’s.

The highlights of the Geneva event (13 May) include a rare ‘Oman’ section featuring 7 vintage and modern Rolexes, property of various owners, each made at the request of His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al Said (1940-2020), the Sultan of Oman. One of the most interesting aspects of such timepieces is that the dials were specially designed only for the Omani watches in order to spotlight the Khanjar emblem or the signature of the Sultan himself.

 

Rolex Ref. 1665 Sea Dweller, circa 1971. Estimate: CHF 200,000-300,000

 

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6263, circa 1974. Estimate: CHF 600,000-1,200,000

 

The Hong Kong sale (26 May) features several outstanding Patek Philippe watches, as well as commissioned pieces by F.P.Journe and sought-after, discontinued Rolex Daytona references.

 

Patek Philippe Ref. 3448, 1977. Estimate: HKD 1,200,000-2,400,000 (EUR 140,000-280,000)

 

Patek Philippe Ref. 2523J, 1955. Estimate : HKD 55,000,000-120,000,000 (EUR 6,350,000-13,850,000). This ‘Dual Crown World Time’ with a map of North America depicted on its cloisonné enamel dial is the most valuable timepiece ever to be offered in Christie’s Hong Kong auction room

 

 

Mini-documentary - An oustanding innovator

The latest mini-documentary from the 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi YouTube channel. Henri Rodanet - The career and inventions of the French watchmaker at the service of three great brands.

 

 

Mini-documentario - Un grande innovatore

L'ultimo mini-documentario dal Canale YouTube 10e10.ch by Marco Strazzi. Henri Rodanet: la carriera e i brevetti dell'orologiaio francese al servizio di tre Case storiche.

 

 

New releases - Piaget Polo Perpetual Calendar Obsidian

The brand has paired its perpetual calendar with a silver obsidian dial featuring inclusions that formed when drops of mineral-rich sulfide liquid became trapped in the rock as it solidified. The white gold 42 mm case features deep blue sapphires set in dark claws. The self-winding Caliber 1255P has a 42-hour power reserve.

 

 

WATCH ADS - 2nd EDITION / SECONDA EDIZIONE

The second edition of Watch Ads 1900-1959, first volume of Marco Strazzi 's work about advertisement in 20th Century watchmaking, is now available at bookshops. Click here to learn more, download the PDF preview file and order online.

The second volume (Watch Ads 1960-2000) will be released next September.  

 

È disponibile in libreria la seconda edizione di Watch Ads 1900-1959, primo volume dell'opera di Marco Strazzi dedicata alla pubblicità orologiera nel Ventesimo Secolo. Clicca qui per saperne di più, scaricare l'anteprima in formato PDF e acquistare il volume online.

Il secondo volume (Watch Ads 1960-2000) sarà pubblicato nel prossimo mese di settembre. 

 

 

Art & Time - Simon Cederquist

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è in fondo alla pagina)

Astronauts, elephants, deers, lights, shadows, typewriters, telescopes … And table clocks, longcase clocks, watchmaking tools. Time and timepieces are recurring themes in the works of the Swedish photographer Simon Cederquist. Two examples of his surrealistic style are shown here.

“The watchmaker” (above) features an unusual craftsman in a cramped workshop. In “The Eighth Day” (below), longcase clocks are lined up along the right wall of a narrow canyon, as an elephant, an astronaut and a deer walk towards the setting sun.

Salvador Dali is one the biggest inspirations for Cederquist, who won a contest titled “What would Dali do?” back in 2009. He combines studio work and darkroom skills with Photoshop editing.

All of his photographs are carefully thought through, even planning the details like how many centimeters away from the ground the camera needs to be, and accordingly, how to achieve the perfect shadows. When he travels to different countries, he researches the position of the sun at a specific time of the day, and this in order to achieve the same shadows when he later photographs people and objects in the studio.
The final artworks are mosaics made out of images printed with an inkjet printer, then glued with bookbinder glue on an artist’s linen cloth, painted by the artist with acrylic paint, and coated with UV-protective high gloss varnish.

ITALIANO

Astronauti, elefanti, cervi, luci, ombre, machine da scrivere, cannocchiali … E orologi da tavolo, da parete, strumenti per orologiai. Il tempo e i segnatempo sono temi ricorrenti nell’opera del fotografo svedese Simon Cederquist. Ecco due esempi del suo stile surrealista. “L’orologiaio” presenta un artigiano insolito in un laboratorio angusto. In “L’ottavo giorno” una serie di orologi da parete sono allineati sul lato destro di uno stretto canyon dove un elefante, un astronauta e un cervo camminano verso il tramonto.
Salvador Dalì è una delle fonti d’ispirazione principali di Cederquist, che nel 2009 ha vinto una competizione intitolata “Cosa farebbe Dalì?”. La sua arte coniuga il lavoro in studio e nella camera oscura con il ritocco mediante Photoshop. Le sue immagini sono il frutto di uno studio meticoloso che arriva alla definizione di dettagli come la distanza in centimetri della macchina fotografica dal suolo, finalizzata a ottenere ombre perfette. Quando è in viaggio all’estero, Cederquist studia la posizione del sole in ogni momento della giornata per riprodurre le ombre quando fotografa oggetti e persone in studio.
Il risultato finale è un mosaico d’immagini ottenute con stampanti a getto d’inchiostro, incollate su tela da artista con colla per rilegatori, dipinte con colori acrilici e infine rivestite con vernice extra lucida per la protezione dai raggi UV.

New releases - Charles Zuber Perfos

 

The newly founded brand owes its name to the Swiss jeweler Charles Zuber. Perfos is the first timepiece of the Founder’s Edition. Eric Giroud designed a 39 x 39 mm three-tiered case without straight lines, featuring a flat bezel and a multiplication of facets. Decorated according to the fundamentals of watchmaking tradition and rhodium-plated, the self-winding movement follows the curves and lines of the interior perimeter and lends itself to the future addition of complications.

 

 

New releases – U-Boat Classico Vintage

 

 

Designed by Italo Fontana, the 40 mm stainless steel case is water resistant to 100 m. Its back features a U-shaped sapphire crystal that offers a partial view of the self-winding movement. The crown cover is secured to the case through a safety hook. The dark gray metal dial features a sunray finishing, double bayonet markers at 12/4/8, and a large curved window al 6 o’clock for the day-date function, framed by a fine line. 

 

Vintage Ads - Heuer (1939)

ENGLISH (il testo italiano è sotto l'immagine)

"Chronographs and Timers". A few years after the release of the first two button chronographs by Breitling (1933) and Universal Genève (1934), single button chronographs were still popular among customers. 

Do you like vintage watch ads? Visit the page about Watch Ads, my two-volume pictorial history of communication and design in 20th Century watchmaking. Do you wish to know more? Watch the video clip about the publication and download the preview of Volume 1.
The vintage ads presented in this website are not featured in the Watch Ads books.

ITALIANO 

“Cronografi e contatori”. Alcuni anni dopo il lancio dei primi cronografi a due pulsanti da parte di Breitling (1933) e Universal Genève (1934), i monopulsante godevano ancora di ampia popolarità.

Ti piacciono le pubblicità d'epoca? Visita la pagina su Watch Ads, la mia storia illustrata in due volumi della comunicazione e del design nell'orologeria del Novecento. Vuoi saperne di più? Guarda il video sull'opera e scarica l'anteprima del Volume 1.

Gli annunci pubblicitari d'epoca presentati in questo sito non sono tra quelli scelti per i volumi Watch Ads.

 

New releases – Maurice Lacroix Master Grand Date Black

 

This new version of the model launched in 2021 features a 45 mm stainless steel case dressed in black DLC. The vertically brushed, black DLC dial plate discloses several movement components in motion. The two off-centre dials displays the hours and minutes, and seconds respectively. The self-winding, in-house Caliber ML331 includes a mechanism with two date discs delivering a large-format date indication.

 

 

Watches at auction

'Top of the Time' is the name of the upcoming Christie’s Hong Kong online sale (10-23 March). The catalog presents several contemporary complicated timepieces, including two Patek Philippes rarely seen at auction.

 

The 12-complication Ref. 6002G Sky Moon Tourbillon with blue champlevé and cloisonne enamel dial has an estimate of 28-45 mln HKD (3,300,000-5,400,000 EUR).

 

The platinum-cased  Grande Complication Ref. 5208P-001 is a chronograph, minute repeater and perpetual calendar with moon phase. Estimate: 5.5-9.9 mln HKD (660,000-1,200,000 EUR).

 

Modern classics - Cartier Diabolo

The brand new mini-documentary from the 10e10.ch YouTube Channel: the time-only, mechanical version of the model launched in 1992.