1940s Tavannes Pocket Watch In 18k Yellow Gold

Why This Watch Matters This mid-century pocket watch from Tavannes features a gorgeous copper dial and a retailer stamp from the chic Swiss ski town St. Moritz. 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 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 JLC Reversos, but the brand also worked with names like Hermès, Dunhill, and Zenith. This poc