Movado Sub Sea Chronograph with Black Dial and Silver Gilt

Case: stainless steel, polished and brushed, screw back, two round chronograph buttons in the band

Dial: black dial with silvered gilt, applied baton numerals, outer luminous dot accents, luminous hands,  central chronograph hand, outer tachometer scale, three silvered subsidiary dials for constant seconds, 60 minute and 12 hour registers

Movement: Caliber  95 M, rhodium-plated, 17 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, index regulator.

Circa 1950s

Diameter: 35mm Thickness: 13mm

More about Movado:

Movado was founded in 1881 as a movement manufacturer, and became well known for fully producing their movements from initial design to assembly. By the 1940’s, most brands sourced movements and made modifications, but Movado continued to produce theirs from start to finish.

In the 1930’s, Movado began producing the manual chronograph calibers 90M and 95M, which were used through the 1960’s until the introduction of automatic chronograph movements.  Movado introduced the Sub Sea model as their water-resistant chronograph wristwatch, and it was powered by the caliber 95M movement. The 95M is particularly interesting and unusual because it starts and stops the chronograph function with the bottom pusher, and the top pusher resets.

The present example features a black dial with silver gilt text, a rare combination that sets this particular watch apart from examples with the more commonly seen silvered dial.