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ART DECO WATCHES

Art Deco is short for Arts Décoratifs. The name first emerged during the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes in Paris. Art Deco offered an updated form of the opulence seen in 18th-century France. 

Influence from Cubism led to the use of rectilinear geometry, layered shapes, and intricate line art. Rare and expensive materials were used, and as the world began to open up to travel, the art of the Middle and Far East was Westernised and showcased. As the 1920s moved into the 1930s, the style softened, introducing more aerodynamic forms in what was known as Streamline Moderne. 

Interestingly, the term Art Deco was used with hindsight more than it was at the time. It appeared in print for the first time in 1966 when the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris held a retrospective exhibition entitled ‘Les Années 25: Art Déco, Bauhaus, Stijl, Esprit Nouveau,’

The launch of the Cartier Tank coincided with a wave of rectangular watches that followed the lines prescribed by Art Deco. Ironically, these Art Deco-inspired watches are often called ‘Tanks’ in the watch collecting vernacular, even though the first Tank was square. Art Deco watch design can be seen in the Rolex Rolco which embodies the spirit of the age, with the geometric being carried onto the dial. 

The quintessentially rectangular Art Deco vintage watch has to be the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso. First patented in 1931 and created in stainless steel, a typically Art Deco material, the design has been tweaked throughout the years but always comes back to its Art Deco-inspired origins. The swivelling case was seen as a technological novelty, and the three lines above and below the dial provide symmetry and geometric interest. 

Stacking shapes was a way of bringing geometry from a two-dimensional art into a three-dimensional form. This can be seen in both case shapes, as demonstrated by this Rolex Precision and by using stepped lugs like those found on this Longines Cal.23M. The repeated, tapering steps are reminiscent of the curves at the top of the Chrysler Building in New York, that temple to Art Deco design.

Although lines and angles were most commonly associated with vintage Art Deco watches, the later years saw more sinuous forms emerging. In Europe, this was exemplified by the work of Rene Lalique with various glass products, from vases to car hood ornaments.

In the US, the work of Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky took this aerodynamic design to encompass the entire car, with his sweeping designs being used for trucks, trains, and buildings. This curvaceous trend found its way onto wrists, Cartier naturally leading the way with their Cintrée and Tonneau models. 

Produced in 1906, the Tonneau pre-dates Art Deco making it the second-oldest Cartier watch design after the Santos. While it shares the flowing lines commonly found in Art Nouveau, the Tonneau was perfectly placed for a revival 25 years later. 

The curves found in Art Deco watch cases are of two main types: The curve can follow the length of the case, allowing the watch to wrap around the wearer’s wrist. Watches like the Cartier Cintrée achieve this by using a small movement that fits into the curve’s top. 

Gruen adopted a different approach with their Curvex model, designing a curved movement to follow the case, allowing the components to be larger and more robust. Watches like this Patek Phillipe with ‘Tiffany’ signed dial solve the problem using a curved top case and a flatter case back, allowing a better fit for the movement. 

More commonly used and easier to achieve is the tonneau case shape. Here, the case sides provide the curve, ‘tonneau’ being French for barrel. This Rolex Oyster has a tonneau case shape and includes several other Art Deco design cues like the step down to the short tapering lugs and the minimalist, geometric ‘sector’ dial.  

Curvaceous cases were paired with shapely dial numerals, with numbers seeming to ‘explode’ to fill the case area. These sinuous designs were produced by brands as diverse as Patek Philippe and Tissot, Longines and Hamilton, demonstrating a popular and pervasive trend.