SPECIFICATIONS
Rare Clarté jumping hour watch with black enameled steel case, Swiss manual winding movement, from the early 1930s.
Enamelled steel case measuring 47mm x 37mm
Dial with digital time display
Original plastic crystal
Original crown
Manual winding movement inside
ANALYSIS
Clarté has been manufacturing watches since the early 1920s. H. Suttner (Henri Marie’s successor) developed his company in La Chaux-de-Fonds and expanded its market first to France and then to Slovenia (centered in Ljubljana), launching sub-brands suited to both customer bases. All these “micro-brands” like Axo, Blason, Cap, Centrofin, Iko, Myr, Tradition, Valenta, and others were founded between 1909 and 1928. The company quickly specialized in watches and costume jewelry, including its famous pocket, purse, and travel watches, whose cases were patented around 1931/1932 (there’s a mention of this on the inside of the lid). Clarté produced these watches—with both digital and analog dials—for major brands like Hermès.
This pocket and travel watch with digital time is a splendid example of the refined taste of the early 1930s. Its steel case (very rare for the time) is composed of two parts: the upper part opens like a hood via a hinge to protect the large winding crown. The entire surface is treated with a fine black enamel, miraculously intact down to the smallest detail. The rarity of this type of object lies above all in the state of preservation of the external coating: in this particular case, we are dealing with a museum-quality piece.
The dial opens like a porthole at the center of the case: it is composed of a metal disc with open hour and minute hands. On the arched plastic crystal beneath, a red marker helps you accurately read the minute.
This Art Deco masterpiece is powered by a hand-wound Swiss-made caliber.
