Amazing Movado “Futuramic” with “radial” dial, 14K yellow gold case by Favre & Perret, Movado 115 automatic movement with bumper winding, from the 1950s.
SPECIFICATIONS
14K yellow gold case measuring 34mm
Original crystal
Original crown
Movado 115 automatic movement inside
ANALYSIS
“Futuramic”. Movado uses this term to designate one of its most famous automatic calibers, filing the international patent and trademark for it on December 29, 1950, under the numbers 136376 and 152067. The technical architecture of the caliber 115 Futuramic represents one of the finest pinnacles of post-World War II Swiss watchmaking engineering. Measuring 11.5 lignes (26.5 mm), this movement achieved an uncommon feat for its time: an overall height of just 4.3 mm, a figure that the La Chaux-de-Fonds manufacture could legitimately tout as the smallest ever achieved by an automatic caliber available on the market. This slimness was made possible by a coherent set of design choices: an extremely narrow metal oscillating weight, which shared a single ruby bearing with the central wheel, and a unidirectional winding system supported by an ingenious additional flexibility device. The latter consisted of a thin S-shaped extension molded onto the oscillating weight itself, similar to a spring, allowing it to rotate around the center of the movement while simultaneously absorbing shock. The principle was protected by a patent filed on March 15, 1952, which presented two alternative variants of this elastic extension.
Unlike many contemporary designs, the caliber 115 did not feature a central seconds hand, a choice that supported its commitment to greater thinness. Movado had already introduced a first bumper-winding caliber in 1945, the caliber 220 of the “Tempomatic” series, but this latter – while maintaining a modular concept – was over 1 mm thicker (measuring 5.7 mm) and featured a standard central seconds hand, embodying a construction philosophy still far from the quest for compactness that the caliber 115 would masterfully embody just five years later.
In this incredible Futuramic model, the movement technology connects with an aesthetic of rare beauty through the extraordinary dial and exquisite case craftsmanship.
The dial features a two-tone finish with a radial pattern that could also be improperly called a pseudo-papillon or double-papillon. In reality, it is a surface treatment that, through the different directions of the satin finish, generates a stunning propeller-like motion effect. This visual effect is amplified by the light reflected by the gold hour markers: they are baton-shaped except for the quarter hours, where they take on an arrowhead shape, further interplaying with the diagonal lines created on the dial’s surface by the brushing. The hands also participate in this interplay of lines and angles with their dauphine shape.
The case was designed and produced in the high-end Favre & Perret workshops (hammerhead hallmark no. 115), which supplied precious metal cases to houses such as Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Movado was one of its most important clients and dared to commission bold forms with complex and intricate plastic designs. This 14kt yellow gold case, which still retains the typical oxidation of gold, is a concentration of elegance: through the square and sharp structure of the lugs, it echoes the aesthetic themes of the dial, creating a unique formal identity.
Beneath the snap-on case back is the automatic hammer-wound movement No. 115. This elite caliber measures 26.8mm in diameter and 4.3mm thick; it has 19 jewels, vibrates at 18,000 A/h, and has a 41-hour power reserve.
