Why This Watch Matters An incredibly crisp and criminally underrated chronograph – full stop. This is vintage Movado. The Full Story The vintage Movado market has surged in recent years, elevating the brand to darling underdog status among collectors. High-quality examples continue to pop up and achieve great value in public sales. The brand was founded in 1881, and ever since, it's been known as one of Switzerland's most diverse watch brands, from a product perspective. Among its historic catalog are stunning dress watches, professional tool watches, design-driven releases, and entry-level models. The in-house Movado M caliber family was released in 1938 as the world's first modular chronograph movement. What exactly does modular mean and why does it matter? In the early years of wrist chronographs, there was one major issue– servicing. Watchmakers found it difficult to keep up with the new technology and the intricate components. Movado's solution, in their first in-house chronograph movements, was to build a chronograph module on top of one of their time-only calibers. By removing three easily accessible screws from the M95 or M90, the entire chronograph module can be removed as one piece. From there, servicing is relatively easy. This, at the time, was revolutionary. One thing to note about the caliber M95 is that the bottom pusher starts and stops the chronograph and the top pusher resets. This is the opposite of conventional chronographs. Today, the M95 movement is heralded as an under-the-radar gem. Movado was playing in a different league from the 1930s up through the 60s and the M95 was their go-to chronograph movement all along the way. It held up in design and reliability for over 30 years of service in the Movado catalog– only to be replaced by Zenith's El Primero when the two brands joined forces in 1969. Wrapped around the M95 in the watch we have here today is a stainless case manufactured by François Borgel. The man François Borgel was born in 1856 and came to be one of the most important innovators and inventors the Swiss watchmaking world would ever know – the "impermeable" case. While we might take it for granted today given the ubiquity of the water-resistant case construction, such as Rolex's Oyster case, Borgel's 1891 creation was in fact the first watch patented with a screw-down caseback. In the following decades, the "FB" and key insignia found its way inside the casebacks of some of the best brands in Switzerland. The company supplied cases to Patek Philippe (for references such as the 1463 "Tasti Tondi" Chronograph and 565), Vacheron Constantin, and, as is evident by the watch we have here, Movado. This is one of the most attractive variants of the M95 you will find; it is in insanely crisp condition to top it off. The particular dial and case combination is specific to the very late 1950s and very early 1960s – it features a creamy tone with a pop of color in the icy blue tachymeter scale as well as "kris" or "snake" sub-dial hands. The case is unpolished and the dial condition is nearly perfect with the perfect shade of patina to the luminous material in the hands and near the applied hour markers. For more information about the Movado M95 Sub-Sea chronograph and all of its variants and legend, see Rich Fordon's overview of the model over on Rescapement. The watch is paired with our Reid goatskin watch strap in taupe for a classic Hodinkee look – you just can't beat taupe. The Fine Print Maker: MovadoModel: M95 Sub-Sea ChronographReference: 19038Year: Circa 1961Case No: 270Material: Stainless steelDimensions: 35mm diameter; 12.5 thicknessCrystal: PlexiglassLume: Yes, tritiumCaliber: Movado, manually-wound, caliber 95MBracelet/Strap: Hodinkee The Reid Goatskin Watch Strap In TaupeLug Width: 18mmBox/Papers: No What We Love And What You Should Know Things We Love: - François Borgel case- "Kris" sub-dial hands- Blue tachymeter scale- Very crisp condition overall Things To Know: - Light scratches on case This Movado chronograph is in overall excellent and honest condition. The case has some light scratches and is unpolished in our view. The dial is in excellent condition with an even patina throughout presenting an off-white eggshell color. The applied hour markers have developed a very light patina. The lume on the dial has aged gracefully to an attractive creamy patina. The plots at two and three o'clock are not present. The lume in the hands is full and matches that of the dial well. The handset has developed patina overall. The blued steel chronograph hand in the center is vibrant. The dial, crown, case, and movement are signed by Movado. This watch was photographed on a 175mm/6.9inch wrist.
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