Movado Datron HS360 Chronograph, early 1970s

Dealer description — Analog/Shift

Why We Love It Learning about - and then sharing knowledge about the lesser known horological gems is what makes the Analog/Shift team tick. While a cursory glance at this Movado Datron HS360 Chronograph may conjure thoughts of '70s cushion-case Heuers, further study of this unusual 38mm piece will leave no thought of envy for its contemporaries. Powered by the first hi-beat automatic chronograph movement ever made; the Calibre 3019 El Primero by Zenith, this Movado branded piece might just be the better (and far less expensive) option in the legendary movement's 50th Anniversary year. The design and ergonomic is very impressive on this timepiece. With refined touches ranging from subtly recessed subsidiary registers to its 12:00 quick-set date and signed crown, this is a high quality watch from a brand that no longer makes high quality mechanical watches (Movado - not Zenith!). Dating to the early 1970s, pieces such as this awesome HS360 have slipped under the radar of most collectors. Their loss! The Story While Movado is now best known as a producer of fashion watches like the Museum Watch, Movado's roots go much deeper than that. The company’s history reaches all the way back to 1881, when watchmaker Achilles Ditesheim opened a workshop in La Chaux-de-Fonds. His brothers Léopold and Isidore joined him in 1886. Production from that point on proved how true the name brand was—it means "always in motion" in Esperanto. Throughout the 20th century Movado produced incredible mechanical timepieces. They gained notoriety for the sophistication of the equipment and technology they employed, including electric tools. Unlike many of their counterparts, Movado's movements were designed and manufactured in-house. In the late 1960s, they were acquired by Zenith, and enjoyed perhaps their greatest period of success as the subsidiary of that brand. Their chronographs (which used the famous Zenith El Primero movement), particularly, were successful sellers.