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When Distance Meant Something.
There was a time when flying somewhere actually felt like going somewhere. You dressed for the airport, dinner came on proper plates, drinks came in real glasses, and crossing an ocean still carried a little romance.
The Tissot Navigator arrived right in the middle of it. Introduced in 1951, it was based on Louis Cottier's world-time design from the 1930s and adapted for Tissot by Oscar Waldan. With international travel opening up after the war, being able to see the time around the world from your wrist suddenly had real purpose.
The clever part is how simple it is to use. A rotating city disk makes one revolution every 24 hours, allowing you to read the time across 24 time zones against the fixed scale. A separate pusher lets you advance your local time as you travel without throwing off the rest of the display. Seventy-plus years later, it's still a very satisfying thing to play with.
This example dates to circa 1952 and belongs to the second series, with a few small dial changes that say a lot about the period. Greenwich replaces London, Juneau and Mexico return, and Bombay and Calcutta are grouped together under India Standard Time. It's basically a tiny atlas from 1952, right down to how the world was organizing itself.
Then there's the case. Most Navigators you come across are steel, gold-plated or 14k; this one is solid 18k yellow gold. At 36mm, with a broad numbered bezel and black enamel detailing, it has much more presence than you might associate with an early-1950s watch. The gold has also developed some fantastic patina over the years, which works beautifully against the aged dial.
Inside is Tissot's automatic calibre 28.5N-21, a bumper movement developed specifically for the Navigator. You can actually feel the rotor bump gently back and forth as you wear it, one of those wonderfully mechanical details that makes an early automatic so much fun.
For the travelling man in 1952, this was a pretty remarkable thing: the entire world, running mechanically from your wrist.
The dial has developed even patina throughout and remains clear and legible. The hands are well preserved with age consistent with the dial.
The 18k yellow gold case has been polished in the past, though its lines and proportions remain well defined, with gold patina and oxidation throughout.
The crystal is in excellent condition, remaining clear with no visible signs of wear.
The crown appears to be a later replacement.
Our watchmaker has inspected the automatic bumper calibre and it is keeping accurate time. The world-time function, rotating city disk and local-time pusher are functioning well.
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