1940s Tavannes Rectangular Watch

Why This Watch Matters Who doesn't love a good 1940s rectangular watch? This one even has some Reverso vibes to it. The Full Story Tavannes may not be a name many collectors have heard – it's a bit of a deep cut. The brand traces its roots back to 1891 and came to prominence in the first few decades of the 20th century, an era of watchmaking often overlooked by vintage collectors today. By 1938, Tavannes advertising materials touted its production and the sale of over 30,000,000 watches – yes 30 million watches. After a fire destroyed some of the brand's manufacturing facilities in 1940, Tavannes focused on working behind the scenes of Swiss watchmaking by producing movement calibers and even whole watches to be signed and marketed by other brand names. The best example of this third-party manufacturing is Tavannes' involvement as the maker of many early Jaeger-LeCoultre Reversos, but the brand also worked with names like Hermès, Dunhill, and Zenith. Calling on that history in manufact