Messages: 12480 Location: Little River, CA
Registered: November 2003
Vintage MOVADO "Polygraph" WORLD TIMER Extremely Rare
Wed, 02 March 2011 19:14
Here's an extremely rare and highly collectible early 1950's vintage Movado "Polygraph" World Timer with rotating coin-edge bezel marked with major cities from the world's 24 time zones. This is the kind of timepiece that one only sees in museums or reference books, which is the only place I had ever seen this model until acquiring this piece. In fact, this model is featured in a full page display in Fritz von Osterhausen's fine reference book, "The Movado History," on page 135. The model is called the "World Time Polygraph," and the book displays the original patent drawings dated November 30, 1951. According to von Osterhausen, the world time mechanism is based on a design by Genevan watchmaker Louis Cottier, and was first employed by Patek Philippe in 1937 in its "Heure Universelle" model. Here's the details on this exceptional timepiece: MOVADO ("World Time Polygraph") - Signed 35mm stainless steel snapback case with gold finished lugs and coin-edge bidirectionally rotating "world time" bezel, signed 15 jewel movement (calibre 129), excellent aged original multicolor dial with raised gold markers, black and beige 24 hour chapter ring, gold dagger hands with subsidiary seconds at 6:00 and red crescent shaped 24 hour hand, leather strap. The world time function is utilized by rotating the coin-edge bezel to match one's location with the red crescent shaped 24 hour hand, and then reading the time in any of the world's 23 other time zones off the world time bezel. A simple and ingenious method of determining the time anywhere in the world. The stainless steel snapdown caseback is in excellent condition, and is signed Movado with model and serial numbers on the inner caseback (#58149/11608xx). The gold finished coin-edge bezel and lugs show typical wear for a watch of this vintage. The signed calibre 129 movement is running fine and keeping excellent time, and the 24 hour world time function works as designed. The calibre 129 was produced by Movado from 1950 to 1965, which places the likely production date of this piece in the 1950's. The fact that it is the 15 jewel version, rather than the 17 jewel, makes this likely an early 1950's production. The dial is original in excellent condition with minor aging and patina, and is very attractive and colorful. This is an extraordinarily rare and collectible world timer, the only one I have ever seen on the market. EARLY 1950's VINTAGE MOVADO WORLD TIME "POLYGRAPH" WITH EXCELLENT ORIGINAL MULTICOLOR DIAL! Sell for $2395 plus shipping ($25 US Delivery or $35 International via Global Express).
- Cliff Helander