Movado Curviplan

While Movado is now best known as a producer of fashion watches like the Museum Watch, Movado's roots go much deeper than that. The company’s history reaches all the way back to 1881, when watchmaker Achilles Ditesheim opened a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. His brothers Léopold and Isidore joined him in 1886. Production from that point on proved how true the name brand was—it means "always in motion" in Esperanto. The early 1900's not only proved significant for Movado, but for horological history as a whole. Between 1902 and 1912, Movado's ingenuity was on full display, registering a sheer amount of patents culminating in Swiss Patent N60 360, otherwise known as the Polyplan. Polyplan translates to multiple planes, which Movado took full advantage of while inventing the movement. While its central plate houses the movement's gear train and barrel, its 20 degree-angled upper and lower sections feature the movement's setting wheel, stem, crown and balance wheel - all of which harmoniously work in unison within a mind-bending (the latter being quite literal) construction.  Incredible. This set up Movado's next trick - the Curviplan. In aesthetics, the Curviplan is somewhat adjacent to the Polyplan. It features a slender silhouette that curves and also features extended bridges. While the calibre remains akin to a traditional movement construction, the Curviplan features the Calibre 510 - a suitable companion to the Polyplan. This piece features a 22mm x 43mm 14K yellow gold case that is an absolute dream on the wrist. The silver dial is adorned with Breguet numerals, giving the watch a refined air that would make it look great when paired with a bespoke suit. It also flaunts a subsidiary seconds register, and occupies a lovely middle ground between field watch and dress watch. Very very cool. If you love midcentury watchmaking, it's hard to think of a classier Movado that packs history, design, and patina into a single package.