I’ve been on a bit of a buying spree in the last couple of weeks, but I like to think that this particular spree is a good one because I’ve been pretty much exclusively adding vintage pieces to the ‘ol collezioni.  Here’s one that has very rapidly become a favorite of mine, my new-to-me Movado HS360 watch.







Manufactured in the late 1960's, it was considered to be well ahead of its time. It’s powered by a Zenith high-beat (36,000 beats per hour) automatic movement, features a futuristic case design, and was considered to be a very large watch in its day (case measures 37.3mm across). At the time this watch was made, Movado was owned by Zenith, hence the movement’s unusual provenance. That aside, the movement is of extremely high quality and still runs great, though it hasn’t had any recent (within the last five years) servicing. (I do have it scheduled for mid-July, so let not your heart be troubled…)





The watch originally came with a black alligator or crocodile strap, but the original 'strappage' was long gone when I acquired this piece in early June.  The seller did provide an inexpensive leather strap, which I used while looking for and acquiring its current hardware, a NOS Speidel expansion bracelet with a very similar texture and coloring as the beautifully textured case and high-shine bezel.  The bracelet did require a little re-tooling, but in the end, the two ostensibly disparate components look amazing together.







Cost of Watch:   $299. USD
Cost of Bracelet: $ 39. USD
Owning a Vintage
Movado High-Beat
for Under $350: PRICELESS





Many thanks for dropping by…

GODDAMN! The more I look at this, the more I fall in love. Never let go of this one Mort!

PS- what kind of watch case is that? It looks intriguing.

AJC wrote:PS- what kind of watch case is that? It looks intriguing.

Thanks, Anthony...that case is actually a six-slot winder. It has two cylindrical rotating arms that hold three watches each. Each arm spins at different times, simulating the rolling motion of a person's wrist. Of course, like most watch winders, it doesn't really work, so I use it as a small display case for my favorite vintage pieces...