As we speak, we’ll check out a classic Movado Disco Volante. This can be a beautiful watch with an unimaginable case. It additionally marks the primary article I’ve written about Movado. Hopefully, that’s a great factor as a result of there are extra on the best way about this oft-forgotten model.
Since shifting to London, my curiosity in watches from the Nineteen Thirties via the Fifties has risen dramatically. Tanks, pointer dates, and costume watches are kinds which have just lately entered my assortment. As we speak’s Movado Disco Volante falls into the latter class however just isn’t a run-of-the-mill formal piece. As we’ll see, the small particulars are unimaginable. It’s one other reminder that there are superb classic watches from extra than simply the standard manufacturers.
Disco Volante — what’s in a reputation?
The historic and fashionable watch worlds are plagued by nicknames. Some illicit eye-rolling whereas others really feel applicable. “Disco Volante,” that means “flying saucer” in Italian, appears appropriate for at this time’s watch. The moniker comes from the case form and the stepped bezel. A short search on-line reveals many items underneath the outline. Some are with out lugs, whereas others are extra conventional. A stepped bezel, nonetheless, serves as a typical attribute.
Picture: Wind Classic
The Patek Philippe 2552 Calatrava
I feel it’s vital to spend some phrases on the watch that undoubtedly impressed at this time’s Movado Disco Volante. Patek Philippe launched its first automated caliber, the 12-600, in 1954. The model selected a shocking 36mm gold Disco Volante case to deal with it, dubbing it the Calatrava ref. 2552. It had a particular “PP” signed crown sunken into the case. Some could say this crown breaks up the proper UFO case type, however I feel it’s good-looking. In step with many different Calatravas, robust lugs carry sturdiness to the general design. Our good friend Eric Wind offered a stunning instance value recalling as we transfer on to the principle matter.
Some phrases about Movado
I hadn’t given Movado a lot thought earlier than assembly my good friend Lawrence, aka @mostlymovado, right here in London some eight months in the past. It was final August, and he introduced a high quality assortment of classic Movado watches that turned my head. Their high quality stunned me; they boasted in-house actions and circumstances from high-end makers. I’ve been on the hunt ever since. Apparently, there’s a basic lack of protection on classic Movado regardless of a deep and attention-grabbing again catalog. Maybe the fashionable Movado model’s lack of overt curiosity in its historical past is the rationale. One other problem is that, regardless of this as soon as being one of many bigger watch manufacturers, discovering an honest classic Movado is extremely troublesome. A small group of avid collectors appears to gobble them up, and the leftovers are sometimes undesirable. Refinished or rotten dials are the most well-liked afflictions. So when a possibility arose to amass a splendid instance, I jumped at it.
The Movado Disco Volante
It was a standard night when Lawrence despatched a WhatsApp with a photograph of a stunning gold Movado. The watch regarded unworn and was geared up with a gorgeous case design. It seems that whereas he was messaging me, he was chatting with the vendor as effectively. The subsequent piece of reports was sudden. The vendor had two equivalent watches in related situation. I made a decision to look extra carefully, and it was then that Lawrence talked about the “Disco Volante” case and a manual-wind motion. Extra questions and solutions ensued, and I agreed to purchase the marginally extra patinated mannequin for £1,000. So, what did I purchase?
This Movado is a stunning 35mm × 38mm costume watch fabricated from 9K gold. We noticed 9K gold on the Common Genève Microtor that I reviewed earlier this 12 months. This was and nonetheless is a well-liked grade of gold for the UK market. Therefore, the Disco Volante has a UK-made case. The case maker, DS&S (David Shackman & Sons), was a extremely respected agency in Chesham, simply exterior of London. Inspection of the interior aspect of the case again exhibits us the maker and offers us important clues as to the age of the watch. This helpful web site permits us to decode our observations. A leopard’s-head hallmark factors to a London assay. The “C” tells us that the case is from 1958.
A surprising case
When a watch will get its nickname for its case design, it had higher be good. Fortunately, the Movado Disco Volante doesn’t disappoint. I’d wager that this DS&S case rivals among the finest Swiss circumstances I’ve seen. From straight on, this Movado combines thick, purposeful lugs with a chic, stepped case. The stepped portion is a detachable bezel, however the “shut line” is so tight that it seems as a part of the principle case. It’s solely upon nearer inspection {that a} slight notch is seen to assist take away it if essential. I extremely doubt that this bezel has ever been separated from the case.
Oddly, one of the best view of the Movado Disco Volante is taken by trying down the watch from the lugs. This reveals the extremely slender and lithe case edges. Specifically, the sting on the 9 o’clock aspect is an absolute marvel and could be an entire waste if overpolished. It’s as skinny as a razor and jogs my memory of the Grasp Extremely Skinny that Jaeger-LeCoultre made for the film The King’s Man in 2021. Topping off the UFO-like type is a domed acrylic crystal that makes a clean, virtually seamless transition and brings the watch to simply 8.5mm thick in complete. With a case like this, it’s unhappy that England’s watch-case-making trade is all however gone.
Extra particulars
Sadly, the Movado Disco Volante doesn’t have a gold, emblazoned crown just like the Patek 2552. Nevertheless, the unsigned winder is countersunk, and its foremost half is flush with the case edge. Right here once more, the precision is admirable. The reverse aspect of the watch echoes the entrance’s design with a stepped snap-on case again. It nonetheless has its authentic linear-brushed floor, exhibiting that this watch was barely worn. The trapezoidal crown tube is uncovered and properly fashioned. Lastly, word the hallmarks on the backs of two of the lugs.
The dial is the proper accomplice
It’s a great factor that Movado confirmed severe restraint when designing the dial for the Disco Volante. A case this good requires a complementary accomplice, not a scene stealer. A silver dial comes along with utilized gold stick indexes and a stunning utilized “Movado” brand. Substantial dauphine arms pay direct tribute to the Calatrava. It’s a great however hardly ever adopted instance of not attempting to repair one thing that isn’t damaged. Then, a easy crosshair design is used for the sub-seconds show in live performance with a slim gold hand. Total, the design has excellent proportionality, making the watch look bigger than its 35mm measurement.
Hand wound as an alternative of automated
The Movado Disco Volante makes use of the model’s in-house caliber 205. This can be a 17-jewel, 22.8mm-diameter, ultra-thin, manually wound motion with an 18,000vph frequency. This strays from Patek’s utilization of an automated caliber, however that reminds us how unique a self-winding watch was at the moment. That works out for my preferences, although, as I choose winding a watch. So far as the motion, it’s actually outdated world with its a number of bridges. Mine winds properly, however it’s going to quickly be off for what is probably going its first-ever service!
Magic on the wrist
My current foray into 70–90-year-old watches has left me flummoxed concerning the matter of measurement. The extra watches I strive, the extra satisfied I’m that figures resembling diameter or lug-to-lug are simply numbers. This watch seems a lot bigger than its dimensions and wears so fantastically. The sparse dial, the substantial however quick lugs, and the 18mm lug spacing come collectively completely. Something considerably bigger would lose its class. A watch like this Movado Disco Volante probably got here with a black or brown reptile strap some 65 years in the past. I’ve paired it with a taupe strap from Wind Classic, and it’s a much less stodgy look.
Parting ideas
Greater than six a long time later, this Movado Disco Volante continues to be a stunner. The design strongly resembles a much more costly watch, however I don’t see it as a direct copycat. The case and dial workmanship are spectacular, and so is using an in-house motion. A 9K gold case could not sound like a lot, however I just like the much less rosy sheen and enhanced sturdiness. All in all, this can be a splendid look ahead to lower than the price of most fashionable stainless items. After all, discovering one is an actual problem, however now and again, they arrive in pairs.
