Hello Crystal,
Thank you for sending in this vintage Movado watch to Mearto.com for an appraisal. I shall try to help you with that today.
TITLE:
Ladies silvered stainless steel, manually wound, mechanical wristwatch with flexible mid- 20th century Kreisler steel bracelet, made for the retailer Beyer Jewelers, Zurich, Switzerland, made by Movado, Switzerland circa late 1960s.
DESCRIPTION:
CASE – Round silver, two leaf, ladies wristwatch case with silver lapidated lugs, snap on case back cover with no marking on the outside. The inside of the cover likely contains the reference number of the watch and the metal of the casing. The watch is integrated with a textured flexible stainless steel Kreisler bracelet (see History) with deployment clasp and safety chain. Stamped on the bracelet and the clasp for 'Kreisler'. . .
DIAL – Round silvered dial with applied silvered steel baton hour indices, silvered steel dauphine hands, Movado logo in the upper dial which is also marked, “Movado, Beyer, Switzerland” in the lower dial. It is uncommon to find the name of the retailer and the manufacturer on the dial. . .
Movement: Not shown but I will guess that it is perhaps the Movado calibre 246, made from 1965-1971, a manually wound example that was made with an optional subsidiary seconds dial (not here), 19.4 mm in diameter, 17 jewels, vibrating at 21600 beats/hour with a power reserve of 52 hours on a single wind. The movement would be signed “Movado Factories, Swiss 246, unadjusted”. . .
CONDITION:
Case – Oxidation to the silver case with small but numerous areas of silver oxide on the façade of the case.
Dial – Some scuffs and oxidation are seen on the dial as well.
Movement – Assuming the watch is functional.
Overall – Good condition.
KREISLER HISTORICAL:
Sometime after his emigration from Hungary in 1911, Jacques Kreisler (1890 – 1974) joined the firm of Marcus Stern Manufacturing Co. at 41 Maiden Lane in New York City. Stern (1856 – 1919) was a diamond setter and engraver. By 1915, Kreisler and Stern’s sons Edward and Tobias had taken over the business, and the company name had changed to Jacques Kreisler & Co.
In the 1934 edition of the Jewelry Trade Mark Book, the owner of the company’s trademark is listed as Kreisler, Stern Co., successors to Jacques Kreisler & Co. By 1939, they announced the addition of a full line of men’s jewelry to their production of watch bands and women’s jewelry. The next year, they moved production to a new 35,000-square-foot factory for nearly 400 workers in North Bergen, New Jersey. The company’s showroom remained at the former New York office on West 52nd Street. In 1942, the executive and sales offices moved to Rockefeller Center.After the war, the company returned to their core business of jewelry manufacture, added cigarette lighters and pens to their inventory, and continued to produce aircraft parts. By 1950, they discontinued their women’s fashion jewelry line. Their success in the aerospace industry continues today, but the jewelry division closed in 1979, after moving to Florida four years
earlier. . .
When comparing this mid-20th century ladies wristwatch with others by both Movado and other similar brands, my conclusion is that the fair market value of this watch in today’s market would range from $200-$250. Of course, retail prices would be somewhat higher.
I hope that this has been informative for you. Again, thank you for using Mearto.com.
My best,
David