Movado

The Ermeto is one of the most ingenious horological inventions of the first half of the 20th century. The system was invented in 1926 by the celebrated Hugenin Frères, which later on produced the cases of some of the most iconic wristwatches such as the Omega Speedmaster or the Universal Polerouter. It consisted in automatically winding the mechanism of the watch by opening the case to read the time.

Movado saw the potential of the technology and partner with Hugenin to produce the first pieces the following year, in 1927.

The name Ermeto came for the ancient Greek meaning hermetic. Indeed, one of the keys of the success of this model was that the owner could take it with him/her everywhere and the watch could be stored in a handbag, pocket, suitcase or even a key ring without fearing the shocks, dust or humidity.

Another element of its success was that the Ermeto was widely distributed by luxury brands and retailers from Hermes to Tiffany & CO in the main cities around the world. Furthermore, the quality of the case, often nicely decorated, the dial and the movement, which could be time only or complicated, was extremely high.

The present example was the luxury version, with a yellow gold case, as opposed to the stainless steel or leather cases that were usually used.