Watches made in 1951.

Swiss exports were climbing steeply by 1951, and most of what left the factories was a dress watch: a round case, a clean dial, a manual movement running at 18,000 beats an hour. Automatic winding existed but was still the exception on an everyday watch.

The appeal of a 1951 piece is its restraint. Nothing about it is trying to be noticed, which is exactly what makes it interesting to wear now.