As if a UFO had landed on our desk, the present Movado has a certain timeless, suave coolness to it that is just visually arresting with its extra-large oval shape. Dating back to the twenties, this timepiece embodies a time of great innovation and exploration, and the experimentation with case shapes that was at an all-time high. Movado, meaning “always in motion” in the international language of Esperanto, was founded by 19-year-old Achille Ditisheim, a talented watchmaker who opened his workshops in La Chaux de Fonds in 1881 along with six watchmakers. A perfect example of its ethos, the present timepiece epitomizes the style-forward thinking of watch design in the 1920s.

Made of Swiss silver 900 bearing a rampant bear hallmark in the inside caseback, the watch measures an incredible 45 mm diameter. It sports a large slim case with short, stepped shell style lugs giving the watch a great presence on the wrist. Oversized for the era, with thicker proportions, the present reference 2509 perfectly suits contemporary tastes when many enthusiasts consider a 40mm diameter watch the standard. The dial features bold Roman numerals which grow in size following the outline of the case, enclosed within a railway minute outer track and displays Arabic numerals subsidiary second at 6 o'clock.

At the quintessence of Art Deco, one can’t stop but think of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby and the flamboyant lifestyle of the early 20th century while looking at the timepiece. It is incredible to think that such a watch was made some 100 years ago. Its innovative and nomenclature defying design is like no other and a must have for the collector of truly rare and unusual watches.