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Francois Borgel M95 Movado in 14K Yellow Gold

Few watches tell the world that you know exactly what you’re doing like an FB-cased M95. When one has spent years immersed in the vintage world, they start recognizing shared componentry. You recognize a Singer made dial. You know that Zodiac is running a Valjoux 7734. And you know that one of the greatest case makers in the world is named François Borgel. Or Jean-Pierre Hagmann, but that’s not relevant today. FB made the 1463 Tasti Tondi case and he made this: a quirky mid-50s chronograph in 14k yellow gold.

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Case craft and lug shape is entirely responsible for how we interface with watches—how they wear, their degree of subtlety and many other feelings. This 35.5mm stepped-bezel job is in 14k yellow gold, a choice made largely for ease of importation in different markets, and features some of the earliest water resistance tech to ever surround a chronograph. The applied numerals are in matching gold but the best bit are the chronograph hands, a bizarre design choice from this era known as Movado’s serpentine hands. Quirky, but classic.

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The watch is not just a case, however. The M95 is one of the most charming vintage chronograph movements. Its pushers are inverted, that is to say that the bottom stop/starts and the top resets. That differentiation means all the cogs that you are used to seeing in a case back are in different places and you’ll often get it wrong out of habit. The calibre was entirely their own, a modular affair designed by Frédéric Piguet. In total, a bewitching and highly unique chronograph that oozes considered taste.

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This example has a fantastic case with unusually full lugs. The dial is decent, it has light spots of corrosion and ageing around the numerals, but is overall in great condition for a seventy year old non-enamel dial. It comes from a well-regarded London retailer.

Find this M95 here from The Vintage Watch Lad for 7750 USD.