Origins of this look?
Last year, during the one-watch-challenge, I always admired @coldkey's Citizen. When I saw a nicely specced version of this from Escapement Time I pounced. The looks surely do not originate from the Citizen Chronomaster. There is a King Seiko with very similar looks, and there is the Omega Constellation, there is the Universal Geneve polerouter, and who knows what else.
The style elements I was wondering are these triangular (dagger?) hour/minute hands, applied indices, framed date at 3.
Is there even a recognizable watch that did it first? Or was there too much of a mix and match of style elements taken from numerous watches to have a clear heritage?
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Balthazar
UK-based German expat. Likes cheap watches. Not bothered about brands.
Member since
Last active: 34 min ago
Citizen had that look in 1961:
(Photo as noted. It is a good site for vintage Citizen fans.)
But, Patek Philippe had that look in 1932:
I don't know of a watch before the Reference 96 that looked like that.
(My nominee for "Most Influential Watch Design of All Time".)
It's called Calatrava-style for a reason. That reason is kind of wrong since the most unique thing about the Reference 96 was that it was the first round watch with a smooth transition from the sides to the lugs instead of welded lugs*. It had a lot of different handsets and dials, but the dauphine hands and trapezoidal stick indices was the original (I think) and is most associated with the model.
The framed date is more nebulous. I don't think PP added the date until the late 50s. I'm not sure about the 4xxx and 5xxx series, but the 61xx series Rolex Datejusts were available with dauphine hands/stick indices in the early 50s and maybe the late 40s.
* This definitely supports @Aurelian 's contention that this is the most influential watch design of all time. I don't think there's any doubt about it. We're all mostly wearing Calatrava homages (like the bubbleback Rolex pictured above).
Another early one is the J83/1 from Junghans, since 1957.
Everybody borrows design cues from everybody, as in art. This is why I don't have a problem with homage watches.