Doxa Dead Beat Dress Watch 'Gold Plated' (Ref. 15001-7), 1950s

Dealer description — Craft & Tailored

Doxa S.A. was founded in 1889 by Georges Ducommun as a maker of dress watches and other timepieces. The brand would eventually become known for producing some of the most robust dive watches in the world, but they continued making really beautiful dress watches at the same time. Case in point, this model, which precedes the first of those dive watches by about a decade. On the surface, it's a relatively subdued, albeit highly attractive, gold-plated piece that would look as good with a suit as it would a t-shirt. But underneath, it gets a bit more interesting. That's because this ref. 15001-7 features a deadbeat escapement—also known as a "jumping seconds" movement—which foregoes the typical sweeping motion of a mechanical movement and instead "snaps" to each second like a quartz movement. It's similar to what you'd find inside an Omega “Synchrobeat” or Rolex Tru-Beat and, while it's more or less a novelty today, it's also a really interesting mile-marker in watch history. SPECS Stock # DXDB150017 Brand DOXA Style Dress Watch 'Dead Beat' Model 15001-7 Serial 58XXXXX Size Men's Material Gold Plated Stainless Steel Dial Silver "Aged" Millimeters 35 Strap 2pc Handmade Leather Strap CASE & BRACELET The excellent 35mm gold-plated stainless steel case retains strong factory dimensions with minimal evidence of previous polishing and gentle signs of use present. The unsigned crown is believed to be original to the watch. The case back shows some wear but retains all of its original factory markings in deep and crisp condition. It comes supplied on a two-piece leather strap. DIAL & HANDS The aged silver dial is in exceptionally well-preserved vintage condition and features a handsome warm patina throughout, showing no damage or obscene age. The radium lume-filled hour markers have aged to a rich golden-beige patina with no degradation present when inspected under UV light. The original radium dauphine-style hands match the dial perfectly, under UV light inspection the minute hand exhibits minor cracking while the hour hand is fully intact. ACCESSORIES