Movado Cal.475 Triple Date Calendar 9ct 1949

Movado

Movado was founded in 1881 under the name LAI Ditescheim & Freres SA in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The founder of Movado watches was Achille Ditisheim, a gifted watchmaker who worked with his 6 employees manufacturing all of the watches by hand. Movado watches received acclaim around the world at different trade fairs over the coming years.

Description

Here we have a wonderful unrestored Movado gent’s watch from 1949 with a triple date calendar. This is a classic and an excellent 1940s example of some of the outstanding work Movado created. This watch shows some wonderful signs of ageing, which is one of the reasons we have to decided to leave this watch alone to keep this watch completely original and retain some of its charm.

The Dial

This dial is beautifully symmetrical, well balanced and proportioned. The dial itself, in silver-white, contrasts wonderfully with the yellow gold case, original gilt ‘lance’ hands and original arabic hour indices. The dial is signed with ‘Movado’ at the very top below 12 and ‘Switzerland’ at the very bottom. Even though this watch is completely original and unrestored, it is in wonderful aged condition. Typically, a dial of this age will suffer from fading, staining, pitting, spotting and scratches, but this dial looks simply wonderful.

The dial may look a little complicated, but actually conveys a lot of information quite simply and beautifully. The dial carries a triple date design, which is one to which most of the top watch houses adhere. The window you see at 3 indicates the month of the year, the subsidiary seconds dial is at 6 and the  window at 9 indicates the day of the week. This watch also has an outer rail track which indicates the date of the month.

This is the original dial which remains unrestored and untouched. Considering its age and also that it remains unrestored, it is in remarkably good condition. The overall effect is quite wonderful, with a very nice and even patina.

Please note – studio lights can be quite unkind to an unrestored dial and this dial looks far better in daylight.

The Movement

The watch carries its original Movado Calibre 475, 15 Jewel hand-wound movement which is in tip-top condition following a thorough overhaul and service by our vintage specialist watchmaker. This means the movement has been completely disassembled, cleaned, inspected and rebuilt using only original parts where required, before careful calibration and testing. Upon return to stock, the watch is now running to within +5 seconds per day, which is outstanding for any vintage watch of this age! When fully wound, this movement also has a 36-hour power reserve. It has been very well maintained and cared for and is in sparkling condition.

The movement is signed ‘Movado’ and ‘15 Jewels’ with the Calibre No. 475.

These movements are strong, accurate and very reliable, making it completely practical and appropriate for regular everyday use. Our watchmaker has indicated this particular movement is in top condition and with regular servicing, every 3 years we fully expect this watch to run very happily for many more decades to come! We are therefore very pleased to offer a 12-month warranty on this watch movement* and servicing in the future, as required.

*Please note – our 12 months’ warranty is only applicable if the full list price is paid.

The Case

The totally original, 9ct yellow gold case measures 34mm in diameter, excluding the crown. The case is of a heavy three-piece design with a press-fit case-back and carries attractive facetted lugs. The overall impression is of a classic late 1940s design. It is solid, elegant and of obvious very high quality.

This watch case has been carefully inspected for fatigue marks and there are none. It is very rigid and the case-back and bezel are a nice tight fit. Importantly, it is of full thickness and has never been inscribed.

Inside the press-fit case-back, we find all the markings are correct and as expected with  ‘Made In England’ plus the A.L.D. Dennison manufacturers stamp. Birmingham UK 9ct hallmarks date the watch case to 1949. The case-back also carries the Movado serial number 253779.

As ever, our standard advice applies: Vintage watches should be kept clean and dry at all times.

The Strap and Buckle

The watch is fitted with a new, high quality black leather strap with a plated buckle. We feel this matches the case nicely and lifts the watch. However, if a different colour or style of strap is preferred, please let us know and we will do our best to oblige free of charge. We carry Tan, Conker, Dark Brown and Black in stock and in plain padded leather, or crocodile skin or lizard skin. For a wider selection, please take a look at the wonderful choice of 18mm straps offered by our suppliers, Watch Obsession. We will be pleased to order and fit the strap of your choice, within 24 – 48 hours.

The Box and Papers

Although there are no original papers with this watch, the numbers and markings on the watch are all correct, dating the watch to 1949.

Detailed particulars will be included with our purchase receipt for your interest and security. A separate insurance valuation for the replacement value of this watch will be provided at the time of sale along with our unique ‘Lifetime Authenticity Guarantee’ which states: “If this watch proves to be anything less than 100% genuine, authentic and original, a full refund will be given at any time”.

A high quality hardwood presentation box is included in the sale, as shown.

In Conclusion

A unique example of a fascinating timepiece which will undoubtedly make an excellent financial investment, as well as be something wonderful to wear, treasure and enjoy! It could make a practical watch for regular or occasional use, as you wish and if it continues to be well cared for and regularly serviced, it will provide dependable service for many decades to come.

This watch carries a great deal more style, individuality and panache than a new watch and to buy the same quality today would be difficult, at 4 or 5 times the price.

However you may wish to view this watch, as each year goes by and the world market grows ever larger, the limited supply and high demand for the finest vintage gold watches means prices will inevitably climb ever higher!

A word on our prices – We always try our hardest to acquire the very highest quality watches we can find, before then restoring them to the highest possible standards. We then offer these at the fairest prices we can, taking into account our pre and post-sales care and service. This approach means we will never be the cheapest, but nor will we be the most expensive. Indeed there are some well-known stores in West London which are highly successful charging between two to three times the price you see here. We therefore consider our prices to be good value and very fair, given the quality of watches we have to offer.

We are happy to accept payment via PayPal as this is the quickest method of payment. However, if you would like to pay by UK cheque or by bank transfer, we will be pleased to assist you with this and pass on a 3% saving to you.

Please check the import duties and any taxes your government may apply, these are different for each country and unfortunately out of our control.

We understand there may be some ‘loopholes’ that may help you avoid these charges, however attempting to use these could impact our ongoing ability to serve our growing international customer base.

For those that happen to visit the UK on occasion we are of course more than happy to store your watch until we can meet you in our offices in Kensington, London, and your watch directly to you there.

If you have any questions please call: 0207 727 7095 or if calling from overseas: +44 207 727 7095.

Please note, we also welcome part exchanges.

Please take a look at our other vintage gold watches.

Thank you.