Movado Perpetuale

[Hewybaby]

Movado Perpetuale http://forums.timezone.com/theme/New_Design/images/posticon.gif Apr 06, 2006 - 08:49 PM http://forums.timezone.com/blank.gifhttp://webpages.charter.net/hewybaby/Movado%20perpetual.jpg I recently moved beyond dreaming that one day I would own a perpetual calendar watch to idly browsing for a perpetual calendar watch. I expected the cost to be about $10,000 or more.

Suprisingly, I found 5 versions of this watch -- day/month in English, Italian, French and German -- all available on the web for less than half of that amount.

I have been able to discover this watch was issued for the 100th anniversary of Movado (1981)in a "limited edition" of an unknown quantity.

Some have told me the watch appears to be based on a Valjoux 7750 movement (?), although they didn't elaborate as to why.

Perhaps the group can help me with these questions:

Does anyone know anything else about this watch and its history?

Such as who made the movement?

and

Does anyone else hesitate to purchase a "grande complication" like a perpetual calendar and have Movado on the dial? Not that I have anything against Movado and its excellent history, but the I perceive the brand is not generally associated with "haute horology". It's such a bargain -- if it runs!

One last question: Does this mean that I have crossed over from WIS to watch snob? (LOL)

I like the look of the watch, but don't (yet) know dimensions.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge and opinions.

[CottyGee]

I can't tell ya anything about the watch, other than I think it's beautiful! Anyone looking at it can tell it's something special.

[Hartmut Richter]

I can only second that: nice watch!

The watch is very unlikely to have a Valjoux 7750 movement. This is a chronograph movement and, if it is inside that watch, all chronograph functions will have been dropped. Furthermore, the Valjoux does not have a perpetual calender and would need to have been extended via a module to incorporate this complication and, if you go that far, you can do it almost as easily to any other existing movement or, if you use the Valjoux 7750, you might as well keep the chronograph features. I suspect that someone got it mixed up with the other perpetual calender, developed around the same time, which is based on the Valjoux 7750 but also retains the chronographic features: the IWC "Da Vinci".

Also, although the watch is a complication (and on the basis of technological complexity, I would rate the perpetual calender as one of the major complications, alongside repeater watches, tourbillon, chronograph and alarm, as opposed to minor complications, such as moonphase, power reserve, day-date, equation of time), it would be stretching it to call it a "grande complication". Such watches incorporate at least two complication features (and some would say, it would require three). It does have a moonphase to go with the perpetual calender, but this is often thrown in for good measure in perpetuals anyway.

Movado is a good company. In its day, it was a "manufacture", i.e. made in-house movements. In 1981, when the company turned 100, it had been liaised with Zenith (cooperation from 1969-1984) and the movement might be an old stock Zenith movement (e.g. 2572 series) or an old stock Movado movement (e.g. Cal. 408) with a module, if it isn't a generic ETA movement. No, I wouldn't hesistate to get that watch if the price was right - and I would rather have it made by Movado than quite a few other no-name brands I could mention!

Enjoy the watch!

Hartmut Richter

[Ray MacDonald]

I certainly agree with Hartmut and Cotty Gee that it's a beautiful watch. Nothing wrong with Movado either. They have 125 years of history and are famous for the Museum Watch and the art deco Purse Watch.
Movado did make a handwind date moonphase calibre (473-SC) so it's possible the 100th Anniversary watch could be based on that with an automatic function added. More likely it's a Zenith calibre though. Not too shabby in either case.
If you DO buy a 25 year old NOS model BE SURE it's been properly and freshly serviced and lubricated before you take delivery. It will need it even if it's never been worn. You should never take chances with a watch of this quality.

[Hewybaby]

Thanks for all the replies -- The 7750 comment did indeed come in reference to the IWC Da Vinci, now that I recall.

Thanks for the reminder as to the definition of grande complication (3 or more), Helmut -- I forgot that and misused the term in trying to properly describe the relative difficulty of a perpetual calendar moonphase.

[The White Rabbit]

Hello Sam,

I have bought the same model as shown with an English dial. Considering the 18kt case and the complication featured, this is a great buy!

This limited edition is scarcely documented on the Internet but I have found out that Movado made another limited edition using the same movement with a different case design and a dial with applied Arabic numerals.

The 1881 perpetual calendar uses a modular complication mounted between the movement and the dial. The subcounters layout suggest this module was built by Dubois-Dépraz SA, the workshops from which came one of the world's first automatic chronographs in 1969.

Dubois-Dépraz is the N°1 Swiss workshop in building modular complications on an industrial scale. I believe they have a partnership with the Swatch Group and the Breitling-owned Kelek workshops.

Omega used the same module for its limited Louis Brandt edition, mounting it on a hand-wound movement on the first releases, and later on a 3.7 mm thick automatic caliber called ETA 2890 (2892 without date). The ETA 2892 is a heavy 1976 redesign of the Eterna caliber 3000 and it is Swatch Group's ace in the mid-range.

The 2890-9 is 5.3 mm thick, including the Dubois-Dépraz module, and allows to make slim perpetual calendars. It probably lacks the nobility of a Jaeger-LeCoultre or a Patek, but I agree with you that it is a perfect entry to the world of perpetual calendars and it sure does looks the part.

[Eeeb]

Hello Sam,

I have bought the same model as shown with an English dial. Considering the 18kt case and the complication featured, this is a great buy!

This limited edition is scarcely documented on the Internet but I have found out that Movado made another limited edition using the same movement with a different case design and a dial with applied Arabic numerals.

The 1881 perpetual calendar uses a modular complication mounted between the movement and the dial. The subcounters layout suggest this module was built by Dubois-Dépraz SA, the workshops from which came one of the world's first automatic chronographs in 1969.

Dubois-Dépraz is the N°1 Swiss workshop in building modular complications on an industrial scale. I believe they have a partnership with the Swatch Group and the Breitling-owned Kelek workshops.

Omega used the same module for its limited Louis Brandt edition, mounting it on a hand-wound movement on the first releases, and later on a 3.7 mm thick automatic caliber called ETA 2890 (2892 without date). The ETA 2892 is a heavy 1976 redesign of the Eterna caliber 3000 and it is Swatch Group's ace in the mid-range.

The 2890-9 is 5.3 mm thick, including the Dubois-Dépraz module, and allows to make slim perpetual calendars. It probably lacks the nobility of a Jaeger-LeCoultre or a Patek, but I agree with you that it is a perfect entry to the world of perpetual calendars and it sure does looks the part.

Interesting post from the past!

Dubois-Depraz is an interesting company. I did once see a Dubois wristwatch which the vendor claimed came from the company... but, other than that, all of the work they have done has been as subassemblies contracted with other companies, to the best of my knowledge.

(They also do 'micoassembly' and made early mice for Logitec...)

I love these perpetuals... right now all my perpetuals are quartz but, even in quartz, the complicaton is rare.

[Hewybaby]

Hello Sam,

I have bought the same model as shown with an English dial. Considering the 18kt case and the complication featured, this is a great buy!

This limited edition is scarcely documented on the Internet but I have found out that Movado made another limited edition using the same movement with a different case design and a dial with applied Arabic numerals.

The 1881 perpetual calendar uses a modular complication mounted between the movement and the dial. The subcounters layout suggest this module was built by Dubois-Dépraz SA, the workshops from which came one of the world's first automatic chronographs in 1969.

Dubois-Dépraz is the N°1 Swiss workshop in building modular complications on an industrial scale. I believe they have a partnership with the Swatch Group and the Breitling-owned Kelek workshops.

Omega used the same module for its limited Louis Brandt edition, mounting it on a hand-wound movement on the first releases, and later on a 3.7 mm thick automatic caliber called ETA 2890 (2892 without date). The ETA 2892 is a heavy 1976 redesign of the Eterna caliber 3000 and it is Swatch Group's ace in the mid-range.

The 2890-9 is 5.3 mm thick, including the Dubois-Dépraz module, and allows to make slim perpetual calendars. It probably lacks the nobility of a Jaeger-LeCoultre or a Patek, but I agree with you that it is a perfect entry to the world of perpetual calendars and it sure does looks the part.

I did not purchase this watch, but I have since purchased two perpetual calendars, an Omega and a JLC.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k268/hewybaby/s1990s%20JLC%20Odysseus%20Perpetuale/DSCN3107.jpg

The Omega is the second perpetual wristwatch they produced. It is from 1991 and the Louis Brandt II Collection, which you described accurately.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k268/hewybaby/s1991%20Omega%20Louis%20Brandt%20Perpetual/DSC_1953.jpg

However, the first Omega perpetual wristwatch from the 1984 Louis Brandt Collection was not hand wound as you stated, but was placed on the inhouse calibre 712 automatic movement. (Although it is inhouse because Omega purchased Rayville-Blancpain, who originally produced the movement for Omega, perhaps 15 years prior, this is a very fine and thin chronometer movement also used for very thin Constellation from the mid-1960s until the early 1980s.)




The JLC is the Odysseus Perpetuale from the early 1990s and uses a JLC calibre 889 base with a IWC perpetual plate (as from the Da Vinci).

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k268/hewybaby/s1990s%20JLC%20Odysseus%20Perpetuale/DSCN3119.jpg

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k268/hewybaby/s1990s%20JLC%20Odysseus%20Perpetuale/DSC_2520.jpg

[vmaxkevin]

Those cuff links are fantastic. Could you please tell me where you got them from? Thanks!