Wristwatches · Wristwatch
Tissot Antimagnetique, Art Deco Tank Case, Two Tone Copper/Cream Dial, circa 1932
- Maker / attribution
- Tissot (maker)
- Date
- c. 1932
- Historical period
- Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
- Country of origin
- Switzerland
- Object type
- Wristwatch
- Stock no.
- vws3146
- Credit line
- Dealer listing, Vintage Watch Specialist (vws3146)
- Catalogue title (original)
- Tissot - Antimagnetique - Art Deco Tank Case - Two Tone Copper/Cream Dial - c.1932 (English)
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Record summary
Catalogued by Vintage Watch Specialist (dealer), United Kingdom (stock number vws3146), this is a wristwatch by Tissot, made in Switzerland, dated c. 1932. The Atlas places it in the Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking period (1900 – 1945) of its Wristwatches collection. The record is illustrated with 6 photographs.
Assembled from the source record's structured fields. Dates and attributions are given as the source states them; where a field is missing the Atlas leaves it blank rather than estimating.
Catalogue description
Dealer description — Vintage Watch Specialist
A Very Unique Art Deco Period Tissot with a Gorgeous Two Tone Bronze Dial Tissot, a Swiss watchmaking company, was founded in 1853 by Charles-Félicien Tissot and his son Charles-Émile Tissot in the small town of Le Locle, nestled in the Jura mountains of Switzerland. From its inception, Tissot gained recognition for its innovative spirit and quality craftsmanship. In 1853, they introduced the first mass-produced pocket watch, which displayed two time zones. What's on Offer This beautiful vintage dress watch offers a captivating and nostalgic nod to Art Deco with its bold design. This watch wears beautifully on the wrist, the steel case showcases the beautiful two-tone bronze and cream dial with black numerals contrasting perfectly. There is a central chapter ring which mimics the tank-shaped case and inset there is a recessed seconds counter - very much in keeping with the geometric qualities of Art Deco. Blued steel hands complete the dial which is encapsulated underneath a spectacularly shaped plexiglass crystal. Having closely inspected the mid-case and plexiglass, light signs of wear are present but the case still boasts its original factory shine. As the photos suggest there is also some light grazing to the plexiglass. Service history is unknown but the watch appears to be running well, if you do wish for it to be serviced before receiving it we’d be happy to do so for an additional cost, please contact us for further details. A mid-size watch with elegant lines, this is a charming vintage piece that will no doubt bring the wearer much joy for years to come.
Historical context
Golden Age of Mechanical Watchmaking (1900 – 1945)
The wristwatch displaces the pocket watch; waterproof cases, self-winding and grand complications.
The wristwatch overtook the pocket watch. Military use in the First World War, aviation, water-resistant cases (1926), automatic winding (1923–31), rectangular Art Deco designs and early chronographs and calendars defined the period.
Read the period in the timelineMore wristwatches from this periodEarlier: Industrial Revolution
Atlas type guide
Wristwatches
Bracelet watches were worn by women from the early nineteenth century — Breguet made one for Caroline Murat, Queen of Naples, in 1810–12 — but the wristwatch only became a man's instrument with military use and aviation in the early twentieth century. Between the World Wars it overtook the pocket watch; the 1920s and 1930s brought rectangular Art Deco cases, water-resistant cases and the first automatic winding systems.
After 1945 the wristwatch became a carrier of identity — dress watches, sports and dive watches, chronographs, calendars — produced by Swiss, American, Japanese, German, Soviet and Chinese industries. The quartz revolution after 1969 and the mechanical renaissance since the 1990s, including the rise of independent watchmakers, complete the story.
What to look for
- The reference number (between the lugs or inside the case back) and serial number, the starting point for dating.
- The calibre: its maker and number are often stamped under the dial or on the bridge.
- Originality of dial, hands and crown — refinished ('redial') dials are common.
- Case material marks: 18K/750, 14K/585, stainless steel, gold-filled, plated.
Dating clues
- Wire-lug cases: before c. 1925.
- Water-resistant screw-down cases: from 1926.
- Quartz movements: from 1969; sapphire crystals widespread after c. 1980.
General guidance written by the Atlas editors about this kind of object. It is not a statement about this particular piece; for that, rely on the source record above and on physical examination.
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