Art Deco, as a descriptor, has become a little overused in the luxe-focused world of watch marketing. Too often, in the absence of a better term, the style is used as a catch-all word for any blend of geometric forms and vintage air. While the verbiage has no doubt worn away its welcome for many, it still maintains a larger-than-life presence in the worlds of art, design, and architecture; in fact, it’s difficult to walk the streets of New York City without seeing its influence on the surrounding skyscrapers. In watch design, the term – as buzzy as it may be – lends itself to the bold usage of atypical dial layouts with chunky numerals and faded hues. When used correctly, it can bring a dash of artistic and aesthetic merit to the wrist, but when used incorrectly, its significance melts away. Here, we’ve collected a number of recent watch releases that approach the usage of Art Deco styling with a great deal of respect and end up creating some very attractive timepieces.

Tissot

The Tissot Heritage Petite Seconde made its debut at Baselworld 2018 and was the hit of the show for the accessibly priced Swatch Group brand. The brushed finish on the dial, the combination of the large, printed Arabic numerals (just look at 9 o’clock!) and vintage Tissot logo, and the sharp, faceted lugs that contoured nicely on the wrist, all directly appealed to the enthusiast mindset. The price at $995, falling right in line with the value that Tissot is known for, only served to sweeten the deal. The design references the brand’s historic production of watches that featured special antimagnetic properties during the 1930s and ’40s. Tissot was one of the first brands to bring wristwatches featuring anti-magnetism to market, and the watches were generally known for their clean dial configuration, steel cases, thin hands, quality movement, and price accessibility. Inside the watch is a manually winding ETA 6498-1.

Panerai

As avid Paneristi are aware, today’s powerhouse Panerai watch brand had its humble beginnings in a retail watch store in Florence, founded by the Panerai family in 1860. As inspiration for the latest version of its Radiomir 1940 3 Days Acciaio – 47mm, the company reached back to that historical early era, in which the family-owned Orologerie Suizzera (precursor to the modern Officine Panerai) sold not only wristwatches and pocket watches but also table clocks and pendulum clocks. It is a particular example of this last item that provided the template for the Art Deco dials of the two watches released last fall. The dial of a pendulum clock displayed on the first floor of Panerai’s Florentine shop on the Piazza San Giovanni is re-created in two distinct dial versions, both in 47-mm cases made of polished stainless steel – ivory (Ref. PAM00791) and black (PAM00790). Both retro-look dials are notable for their large, Art Deco hour numerals; peripheral railway minute track and additional interior ring; and lacquered, spear-shaped hour and minute hands, a style used for the first time on a Panerai wristwatch. Price for both models: $9,200.

Jaeger-LeCoultre

The Reverso is Jaeger-LeCoultre’s most recognized and historically significant watch. Its Art Deco case style is mirrored in one of the greatest achievements of that period’s architecture as well: William Van Alen’s Chrysler Building in Manhattan. The timepiece and skyscraper share the same geometric forms and modernist ideals that the Art Deco movement is known for. For example, take a look at the horizontal protruding lines of the Reverso’s case and compare them with the ornate and multi-part dome and spire of the Chrysler Building. Recently, Jaeger-LeCoultre released a new Reverso Tribute Small Seconds that is a direct reference to the first Reverso watches that appeared in 1931 on the wrists of polo players. The model comes in stainless steel and features an attractive burgundy-red dial that comes with a matching leather strap from Casa Fagliano. Price: $7,900.

Bulova

At Baselworld 2019, Bulova made the surprise move of launching an entirely new collection filled to the brim with limited-edition models that echo the brand’s New York City heritage. The new Joseph Bulova Collection contains 16 different timepieces in a variety of case styles like tank, tonneau, and round that are borrowed from some of the brand’s most memorable introductions from the 1920s to the 1940s such as the Commodore, Banker and Breton. Now owned by Japan’s Citizen Group, it would be easy to expect the presence of one of the conglomerate’s automatic Miyota calibers inside these cases; instead, Bulova has opted to go the Swiss route by using a Sellita SW200 movement that is visible through an exhibition caseback. Each of the 16 watches is limited to 350 total pieces with prices ranging from $995 to $1,495.

Cartier

Cartier Prive Tonneau – Platinum

While many of Cartier’s iconic watch designs like the Tank and the Santos are informed by Art Deco design and worthy of a mention on this list, it has recently revived another early 20th-century shaped model that went on to become hugely influential, its 1906 Tonneau, with the recently launched Privé line. The Cartier Privé collection kicked off with two two- handed versions in rose gold and platinum in addition to a skeletonized dual-time model. Hearkening back to the original 1906 watch – which was cased in platinum rather than more common gold and featured wrist-hugging curves and vis armurier (or “gunsmith”-style) tube screws to fasten the lugs – the Privé case is double bracketed, with an oblong, curved shape engineered to follow the contours of the wrist. The bezel of the two-hand Tonneau model is formed from a single block of either rose gold or platinum and boasts, according to Cartier, “no overhangs or breaks in the plane” of its surface. The winding crown is topped off with a cabochon in classic Cartier style. The dial – champagne-colored on the rose-gold watch, silvered on the platinum – features polished, rhodium-plated applied Roman numerals and a vintage-style railtrack minutes scale. Both versions of the Tonneau have alligator leather straps, gray with the platinum, brown with the gold, and are outfitted with Cartier’s new Caliber 1917, a manual-winder with a 38-hour power reserve. The platinum watch is limited to 100 pieces and is priced at $26,200. The rose-gold model is priced at $22,400.

Vacheron Constantin

Vacheron Constantin released a mid-size version of its fan-favorite Historiques 1921 American collection in 2017. First added to the contemporary lineup in 2008, the Historiques 1921 American has become one of the brand’s most popular designs across social media and online forums. The original watch that the Historiques 1921 American is based on was released in 1921 and produced in limited quantities for American motorists, with its dial rotated 45 degrees for easier viewing while driving. Only 12 pieces of the vintage watch were produced from 1921 to 1931. The version of the watch (Ref. 1100S/000R-B430) in 36.5 mm, like the 40-mm version before it, is a faithful homage to the original that keeps much of the vintage elements intact while further developing the modern luxury elements associated with Vacheron Constantin today. With its straight, wire-inspired lugs and an upper corner crown adding to the case, the watch hosts a distinguished border on its rose-gold, cushion-shaped case. Its grained metal dial is angled to the right for a left-handed wearer, using an outer black railroad minutes track, printed “Breguet” Arabic numerals and subtle corporate script with an applied gold VC logo toward the 12 o’clock position. At the 3 o’clock mark is the running seconds subdial, conspicuously non-angled like the rest of the face, while two black pomme-style hands sweep over the whole dial. Inside is the Geneva Seal-certified, manufacture Caliber 4400 AS manually wound movement with a 65-hour power reserve. Price: $28,600.

Audi’s “progress through technology” motto also applies to the importance of the tourbillon for watch design, because this eye-catching complication greatly enhances a timepiece’s visual appeal. A new trend contributes its fair share, too: many recent models are styled with such a strong emphasis on high tech that their tourbillons fit harmoniously into their overall designs. Here are 10 of these tourbillon watches.

1. Richard Mille 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille RM 50-02 ACJ

Richard Mille collaborated with Airbus Corporate Jets, which builds luxurious aircraft, to design a technical miracle with an extremely modern-styled tourbillon at 6 o’clock. The split-seconds chronograph for measuring lap times, the torque indicator at the 2 to show how much tension remains in the barrel, and the display at the 4 to show which position has been selected for the crown are likewise readily visible. Titanium-aluminum alloy, manufacture Caliber RM 50-02, automatic, 30 pieces, $1,050,000.

2. Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

Hublot MP-05 LaFerrari Sapphire

In this transparent and very extreme wristwatch from Hublot, a vertically positioned tourbillon perfectly augments 11 vertical barrels, which team up to provide 50 – yes, 50! – days of power reserve. A battery-powered screwdriver is delivered along with the watch to wind the mainsprings. Sapphire, 29.5 mm by 45.8 mm, manufacture Caliber LaFerrari, hand-wound, 20 pieces, $575,000.

3. Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

Audemars Piguet Royal Oak Concept Supersonnerie

A tourbillon provides additional visual appeal in the open styling of this newest technological tour de force from Audemars Piguet. This timepiece also offers a delightful audible treat in the form of the clearest and loudest minute repeater in the entire watchmaking industry. Titanium, 44 mm, manufacture Caliber 2937, hand-wound, 520,000 Swiss francs.

4. Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbillon

Ulysse Nardin Grand Deck Marine Tourbilon

The tourbillon is the sole classically designed component here. The highly unconventional time display consists of a jumping hour with two separate disks and a minutes hand pulled across a linear scale by slender cables. The rollers that move these threads resemble the winches that tighten the lines that secure the mast on a sailing yacht. White gold, 44 mm, Caliber UN 630 by Christophe Claret, hand-wound, 18 pieces, $280,000.

5. Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth and Moon

Cartier Rotonde de Cartier Earth & Moon

Eclipse the tourbillon to indicate the moon’s phase? This may sound crazy, but it’s precisely what Cartier does. When the push-piece at 4 o’clock is pressed, a circular disk of stone cut from a meteorite slides in front of the tourbillon so the portion of the “whirlwind” that remains visible corresponds to the moon’s momentary phase. Rose gold, 47 mm, manufacture Caliber 9440 MC, hand-wound, 15 pieces, $239,000.

6. Montblanc 4810 Exotourbillon Slim

Montblanc 4810 ExoTourbillon Slim

“Ordinary” tourbillons are also still available. A handsomely closed dial and a tourbillon in a dedicated aperture are Montblanc’s interpretation of classical horological beauty at a comparatively affordable price. Rose gold, 42 mm, manufacture Caliber MB 29.21, automatic, $33,500.

7. Christophe Claret X-Trem-1

Christophe Claret X-TREM-1

The characteristically wavy grain of damascene steel makes the Christophe Claret X-Trem-1 look even more extreme. This watch set new technical standards in 2012: its tourbillon is positioned on a diagonal, which makes it difficult to connect the tourbillon to the movement. The “whirlwind” combines with floating balls, magnetically pulled through tubes, to show the hours and minutes. Damascene steel and rose gold, 40.8 mm by 56.8 mm, manufacture Caliber FLY11, hand-wound, eight pieces, $308,000.

8. Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

Breguet La Marine Équation Marchante 5887

The tourbillon was patented by the French-Swiss watchmaker Abraham-Louis Breguet on June 26, 1801. For the 5887, the prestigious brand has not only added a perpetual calendar, but also measures time according to the current position of the sun (the central hand with sun motif), by which the length of a day can vary by -16 to +14 minutes compared to average or civil time. The difference is called the equation of time. The cam responsible for this is shaped like a figure eight, and visible on the dial through a window that also displays the tourbillon carriage. It runs on a sapphire disk so as not to block the view of the tourbillon. Platinum, 43.9 mm, manufacture Caliber 581DPE, automatic, $230,400.

9. Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tourbillon Ultranero

Bulgari unveiled the slimmest tourbillon movement ever in 2014. The caliber is just 1.95 mm tall and ticks inside a 5-mm-slim wristwatch, which acquires a sporty touch in 2016 thanks to blackened titanium. The straight lines in this watch’s design highlight the complication, which attracts everyone’s admiring gaze. DLC-coated titanium, 40 mm, manufacture Caliber Finissimo Tourbillon, hand-wound, $99,000.

10. TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer 02 Tourbillon

TAG Heuer Carrera Calibre Heuer-02T

A tourbillon watch with a chronograph, automatic winding and chronometer certificate is sensational, even if TAG Heuer tries to quell the hype by calling attention to its industrialized fabrication. An open and symmetrical construction further enhances this watch’s visual appeal. Titanium, partly coated with titanium carbide, 45 mm, manufacture Caliber Heuer 02T, automatic, $15,950.

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In this article from the WatchTime Archives, you’ll discover 10 milestone moments from the first 100 years of the wristwatch’s history. It is an excerpt of the feature “A Wristwatch Timeline,” which you can download from the WatchTime Shop.

1. Breitling Chronograph

Breitling: Chronograph, 1915

1915: Breitling launches one of the first wrist-worn chronographs. It features something new: a push-piece at 2 o’clock, separate from the winding crown, rather than integrated into it as on the pocketwatch chronographs of the time.

2. Cartier Tank

Cartier: Tank, 1919

1919: Cartier introduces the Tank watch. The company says that the shape of the case sides was inspired by the treads on military tanks, which were first used in WWI.

3. LeCoultre & Cie. and Jaeger Reverso

Le Coultre & Cie and Jaeger: Reverso, 1931

1931: The Swiss company LeCoultre & Cie. and the French firm Jaeger collaborate to bring out the Reverso, whose case can be slid sideways and flipped over to protect its crystal. (The two companies will merge in 1937.)

4. John Harwood designs the winding mechanism

British watchmaker John Harwood, 1926

1926: Fortis introduces the first wristwatch with an automatic winding rotor. The winding mechanism was designed by the British watchmaker John Harwood, who modeled it on the one that Abraham-Louis Perrelet devised for pocketwatches in the 18th century.

5. IWC’s First Pilot’s Watch

IWC Schaffhausen: First Pilot’s Watch, 1936

1936: IWC Schaffhausen makes its first pilots’ watch, which it calls the Special Watch for Pilots. It has a rotating bezel for measuring elapsed times.

6. A. Lange & Söhne’s factory is destroyed

A. Lange & Söhne’s company building was destroyed in 1945

1945: Russian planes bomb the A. Lange & Söhne factory in Glashütte, Germany, nearly destroying it just hours before the armistice is signed.

7. First automatic chronographs

Zenith El Primero movement, 1969

1969: The world’s first automatic chronographs are introduced. One, Caliber 6139, the first to hit the market, is from Seiko; another, the now-famous El Primero, is from Zenith; and a third, Caliber 11, is the work of a consortium of companies: Heuer-Leonidas, Breitling, Dubois Dépraz, Büren, and Hamilton.

8. Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet buy Blancpain

Jean-Claude Biver, 1983

1983 Jean-Claude Biver and Jacques Piguet, head of the Frédéric Piguet movement manufacturer, buy the defunct Blancpain brand and relaunch it as an all-mechanical-watch brand with movements supplied by Frédéric Piguet.

9. SMH, now known as Swatch Group, is formed

Nicolas Hayek, SMH CEO, 1983

1983: The two financially troubled Swiss watch conglomerates ASUAG and SSIH are merged to form SMH (Societé Suisse de Microélectronique et d’Horlogerie), now known as the Swatch Group. Nicolas Hayek engineers the merger and becomes CEO.

10. Rolex’s new Cosmograph Daytona

Rolex Cosmograph Daytona, 2000

2000 Rolex launches a new version of the Cosmograph Daytona containing the new, in-house Caliber 4130. The introduction means that all Rolex-brand mechanical watches now have in-house movements.

These milestones are part of our 12-page timeline devoted to chronicling the first 100 years of the wristwatch’s history. Download it now for just $2.99 from the WatchTime Shop!

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A snake on the wrist is better than two in the bush – especially if it’s made of precious materials, tells the time and comes from the house of Bulgari. The flexible Serpenti watch coils around the wearer’s wrist just like a real snake. The rounded triangular shape at one end is both the watch case and the head of the reptile.

Bulgari: The Serpenti Spiga Ceramic combines black ceramic, rose gold and diamonds. Quartz movement. $12,400.

Bulgari introduced the first Serpenti watches in the 1940s. Dangerous creatures have long fascinated watch designers. Cartier has a tradition of featuring predators – the panther has occupied a fixed place in the repertoire of this famous Parisian watch and jewelry house since 1914.

A wildcat made of precious metal can threaten the bank account of anyone who intends to buy one – and a panther would not be such a thrilling watchmate if its elegance were not paired with the ferocity of the predator’s face. The Révélation, a panther watch from Cartier, artfully reveals its charms thanks to a spectacular hourglass feature. Moving the dial causes tiny gold beads to fall from top to bottom to slowly form the panther’s face, and gradually have it vanish again.

Cartier: The Révélation contains tiny gold beads that come together to form a panther’s face. Rose gold with diamonds. Hand-wound Caliber 430 MC. $112,000.

Another wild feline inspired the imagination of the designers at Jaquet Droz. A delicate miniature portrait of a lion’s face is painted on the enamel dial of the Petite Heure Minute Lion in exquisite detail, within the tiniest space. Jaquet Droz celebrates the talents of fine crafts-men who make each one of the 28 pieces a unique specimen.

Jaquet Droz: The Petite Heure Minute Lion in rose gold features a painted lion gazing out from the dial. Automatic movement 2653.P. $32,200.

The wolf on the dial of the ArtyA Wolf Tourbillon 1/1 has an even more aggressive look. Belgian artist Bram Ramon is behind the complex decoration of this one-off piece, with a dial that features floral ornamentation and an impressive wolf’s head, combined with engraving work and miniature sculpture. The Wolf watch design – with its medieval touches and biker style – is a potent mixture of rock and roll, mythology and fine craftsmanship, a typical combination for ArtyA, enhanced here with the addition of a flying tourbillon. The wild wolf makes this Swiss timepiece into an expressive piece of jewelry for tough guys.

ArtyA: The Wolf Tourbillon 1/1 is one-of- a-kind with a steel case, gold inlays and an exclusive ArtyA hand- wind movement with flying tourbillon. $180,000.

An animal that evokes fear and fascination was transformed into a timepiece by the creative Geneva watch brand MB&F, in collaboration with the clockmaker L’Epée 1839. The spider clock Arachnophobia is designed as a table or wall clock – too large to be worn on the wrist. But the godmother of the eight-legged metal clock creature, whose body contains the timepiece, is many times larger. The Arachnophobia was inspired by the 9-meter-tall spider sculpture “Maman,” created by French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, which exudes a feeling that’s both protective and threatening. The Arachnophobia embodies the fine line that exists between the macabre and elegance.

MB&F and L’Epée 1839: The Arachnophobia in black aluminum. The eight-day movement is wound with a key. CHF 14,500.

The original Tank, created by Louis Cartier in 1917 and released in 1919, is one of the most recognizable designs in the history of watchmaking. It also offered a foundation for numerous variations of the Tank design that Cartier has developed in the past century, including the Normale. After a lengthy hiatus of its production, the Normale is now offered as a symbolic reference to the brand’s past and present alike.

Among the most recognizable features of the Tank is its geometric silhouette, contrasting the soft contours of the wrist with its rectangular shape. The dimensions of the new Normale have been increased in comparison to predecessors, now occupying a modernized footprint of 35.2mm x 27.8mm. Cartier is offering two iterations of the watch, one clad in yellow gold and the other in platinum. For the signature cabochon, the yellow gold version is adorned with a blue sapphire while the winding crown of the platinum model is complete with a ruby. 

Maintaining the design iconography of the original, the dial includes a characteristic inner railroad track with Roman numeral indices on its exterior. Hidden within the VII numeral is the year 1917, an explicit reference to the debut year of the Tank. The yellow gold iteration sports blued hands, while the hands ticking on the platinum model share its cool-toned hue. The backdrop for both models is silvery-white in color, maintaining the sophisticated versatility that the Tank Normale is renowned for.  

Ticking inside is the manual winding mechanical caliber 070. It is an 82-part movement that offers a power reserve of approximately 38 hours. 

The yellow gold version is available on either a brown alligator strap or a yellow gold bracelet, while the platinum model is available on a black alligator strap or platinum bracelet. Production of the Cartier Privé Tank Normale in yellow gold and platinum is limited to 200 pieces of each metal on a strap and 100 pieces of each on a bracelet. 

Pricing for the yellow gold model on a strap is marked at $31,000, pricing for the platinum option on a strap is $34,900, the yellow gold version with a bracelet is priced at $46,600, and the platinum model on a bracelet retails for $53,500. 

Also joining the Privé collection, Cartier is producing 50 more Tank Normale versions in yellow gold and 50 in platinum that both have signature skeletonized movements. These skeletonized versions have slightly adjusted dimensions of 35.2mm x 27.8mm. Powered by the caliber 9628 MC, the 24-hour movement features color-matched accenting on its bridges. The 24-hour hand takes 24 hours to complete a full rotation, while the minute hand rotates once every hour. Sun-shaped bridges mark the top half of the dial, representing daylight hours, while a crescent moon accent marks the bottom half, representing nighttime.

Pricing for the skeletonized Cartier Privé Tank Normale is marked at $71,000 for the yellow gold model and $80,000 for the platinum iteration. 

To learn more, visit Cartier here.