MOVADO CHRONOGRAPH REFERENCE 19008 __________ Men's chronograph wristwatch in steel, "08" type case engraved between the 61** lugs, black dial, silver writing, "MOVADO" and "FAB. SUISSE", painted Arabic numerals at 6 o'clock and 12 o'clock, tachometric and telemetric scales, small seconds at 9 o'clock, 60-minute chronograph totalizer at 3 o'clock, silvered sword hands. Metal movement retaining cap, case back signed signed Movado, FB for "François Borgel", reference 19008 and numbered 961**. Hand-wound mechanical movement signed Movado calibre 90, with chronograph module, three blued screws. Brown leather strap, metal buckle. Movement functional at time of appraisal, chronograph starts and resets correctly, no guarantee as to durability, condition of parts not guaranteed. Scratches on case and glass. Diameter 35 mm Circa 1940 Full details: https://www.aucties.com/une-exceptionnelle-montre-movado-presentee-aux-encheres Photo credit : VALENTIN LAM Let's start with a word from its owner, who is very attached to the watch: The Movado watch belonged to my father, who passed away in 2021. As far as I can remember, my father was a lover of the city of Paris, where he lived for 25 years. He passed on to my brothers and me the Parisian slang, the old Paris boutique, the gardens (where he worked for 30 years as a gardener), the different districts of the 18, 20, 11 and 3rd arrondissements, the flea markets, whether in Montreuil, Saint-Ouen, or Vanves... Among the objects he loved to hunt for, and that we would find at home, were watches, books, antique knives and hats. It was in the 1980s/1990s that I would see him wearing one watch one day and another the next. Among his many finds, some fifteen watches, were a Zenith, an Omega, a Lip, an Orient and this Movado. The rare chronograph on display today owes its fame to one of Movado's suppliers: Taubert amp; Fils. The Taubert family, based in Le Locle, specialized in the design of watch cases, and the company's life took a turn when it bought out another company in 1924: La Manufacture des boites Borgel. The latter had been founded by François Borgel, who made a name for himself during the First World War with his waterproof, protected watches. He will also be remembered for supplying watch cases to a number of brands, and for registering a number of interesting patents to improve water-resistant watches. What made him famous was his screwed case in 1891 (an economical, waterproof case with Borgel screws), initially used by Longines, IWC and Rolex. It was this idea that was taken up by the company now known as Taubert et Fils, Manufacture de boîtes Borgel after the takeover, and led to the development, in the months that followed, of a screw-down case back. It was not until the late 1920s that a crown with cork gasket appeared, and not until the early 1930s that a decagonal screw-down case back was introduced, recognizable by its 10-sided design, which allowed the use of a tool to firmly tighten the case back and guarantee a good seal. A small bowl is added between the caseback and the movement, with a simple mission: to hold the movement in place. This recipe would ensure the success of Taubert amp; Fils (renamed Taubert Frères SA in the late 1930s) in the years that followed, and many of the great names in watchmaking would call on its services for water-resistant watch cases, including Mido, West End, Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. Of particular note is the exceptional Patek Philippe water-resistant chronograph, Ref. 1463, named after the Taubert case used. Movado was one of the companies to work with the company from the mid-1930s onwards, with its Acvatic watch. Still relying on Taubert Frères SA for its cases, Movado's first chronographs appeared in the late 1930s, when the brand decided to turn to Les Fils de Louis-Elysée Piguet to create a chronograph module that could use an existing Movado base. This was done with the caliber 90, then 90M, and its 60-minute chronograph totalizer, which has the distinctive feature of operating in reverse to a conventional chronograph: it is started and stopped using the bottom push-button, and reset to zero using the top button.