Stainless steel sports watches have lately taken a backseat to more artistic expressions and elegant displays of timekeeping in the hearts and minds of many enthusiasts - and frankly, we’re 1000% behind the recent resurgence of appreciation for these long-ignored timepiece designs!
Before the rise of the steel sports watch in the 1950s, fashioned out of precious metals had everyone’s undivided attention. These design-forward pieces were often executed with peculiar case shapes and concentrated on moving the needle in accuracy and function without sacrificing beauty and refinement — aesthetically and mechanically.
One of the many overlooked brands whose back catalog runs rich with this ethos is Chaumet.
Incepted in 1780, Chaumet has legitimate pedigree as a high-jeweler worthy of royalty, though it wasn’t until 1907, when Joseph Chaumet established a brick and mortar maision at 12 Vendôme - the very heart of Parisian style and luxury - that Chaumet began to receive wider appreciation. The brand is still headquartered there today.
Though Chaumet's focus is more concentrated in jewelry, they have produced some stunning timepieces throughout their history. This example, a Reference 12A Power Reserve model dates to the 1990s and features a 36mm 18k yellow gold case with a curved bezel, sapphire crystal and a solid gold crown. Its non-luminous white dial features a printed navy blue Roman 12 o’clock hour marker, a peripheral ‘railroad’ minute track, a power reserve indicator at 6 o’clock and comes fitted with a blued steel obelisk handset.
Fitted with a 21 jewel self-winding movement provided by ETA (Cal. 2892-2), the mechanism features ia signed yellow gold winding rotor finished with Côtes de Genève. This piece comes fitted to its signed black alligator leather strap with a signed 18 gold pin buckle to match
In outstanding, near-mint condition throughout, this Chaumet is a simply fantastic design on the periphery of better-known Parisian houses and offers a compelling value proposition with elegant looks and legitimate history!
