Vintage Art Deco platinum ladies wrist watch made by Leon Hatot set with diamonds and sapphires 1920

Leon Hatot

DiamondSapphireGemstonePlatinum
Currently unavailable via Gallerease

• About the artwork

  Antique jewelry object group
  ladies wrist watch
  
  Condition
  very good condition
  more info on our condition scale
  
  Country of origin
  France
  
  Style
  Art Deco - Art Deco is an eclectic artistic and design style which had its origins in Paris in the first decades of the 20th century. The style originated in the 1920s and continued to be employed until after World War II. The term "art deco" first sawwide use after an exhibition in 1966, referring to the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Décoratifs et Industriels Modernes that was the culmination of high-end style modern in Paris. Led by the best designers in the decorative arts such asfashion, and interior design, Art Deco affected all areas of design throughout the 1920s and 1930s, including architecture and industrial design, as well as the visual arts such as painting, the graphic arts and film. At the time, this style was seen aselegant, glamorous, functional and modern.
  See also: Art Deco
  more info on styles
  
  Style specifics
  Abstract motives and geometrical forms are quite typical for the Art Deco period. Art Deco moved away from the soft pastels and organic forms of its style predecessor, Art Nouveau, and embraced influences from many different styles and movements of the early 20th century, including Neoclassical, Constructivism, Cubism, Modernism,and Futurism. Its popularity peaked in Europe during the Roaring Twenties and continued strongly in the United States through the 1930s. Although many design movements have political or philosophical roots or intentions, Art Deco was purelydecorative.
  
  Period
  ca. 1920
  Events & facts of this era, poetry of this era, fashion of this era.
  
  Material
  platinum (touchstone tested)
  more info on precious metals
  
  Extra information
  Leon Hatot (1883-1953) Started in 1911, bought the atelier of Brédillard in Paris and was supplier to the important jewellery houses in quartier Vendôme and of René-Boivin.
  
  Diamonds
  Six old brilliant cut with an estimated weight of ± 0.48ct
  112 single brilliant cut diamonds (also called 8/8)with an estimated weight of ± 2.00ct
  
  Total diamond count
  118 pcs.
  
  Total diamond weight
  approx. 2.48 crt with an average colour and clarity F/J, vs/i
  
  All diamond weights, color grades and clarity are approximate since stones are not removed from their mounts to preserve the integrity of the setting.
  All diamonds we offer are screened by the I.J.G.C. for whether they are natural or synthetic, and all diamonds in this jewel are 100% guaranteed to be natural.
  
  Precious stones
  48 sapphires
  It is a very common practice to treat gemstones to intensify their clarity or colour. The item in question has not been tested in this regard.
  
  Birthstones
  Diamond is the birthstone (or month stone) for April and sapphire for September.
  more info on birthstones
  
  Hallmarks
  Mastermark LH for Leon Hatot and the French control mark for platinum representing a dog's head that was in use in France from about 1912.
  more info on hallmarks
  
  Dimensions
  width case 2,30 cm (0,91 inch)
  see picture with a ruler in millimeters and inches
  
  Weight
  22,00 gram (14,15 dwt)
  
  

  
  
• About the artist

  Léon Hatot (1883 – 1953) was a passionate entrepreneur: inventive, innovative and above all progressive. A child of his time actually, who was fascinated by the application of the latest materials and techniques.

  Entrepreneur and goldsmith Léon Hatot visited the École d' Horlogerie in Besançon from 1895 to 1898 and then the École des Beaux Arts, also in Besançon. At a very young age, he settled in Besançon in 1905 as an independent entrepreneur and specialized in engraving timepiece cases.

  He soon established a workshop for clockmakers and jewelers in Paris as well. Here, assisted by a large number of craftsmen, he manufactured high-quality clocks, using special precious metals. At that time, Hatot was one of the few to manufacture watches as well as jewelry. He supplied them to the most important trading houses in Rue de la Paix in Paris.

  Curious and with an eye to the future, Hatot soon becomes interested in the application of electricity in timepieces. In 1920, this resulted in the establishment of a department to research and develop battery-powered timepieces. Since 1923, Hatot electric clocks have been sold under the ATO brand name from the Paris and Besançon sites.

  From the moment these timepieces appeared on the market, they were a resounding success. During the 'Exposition international des arts décoratifs', Hatot was awarded a 'Grand Prix' for its entire program of electric clocks. Characteristic of his models was that they were housed in marble, chrome-plated metal, refined woods or processed glass cases from the famous Lalique factories.

  Because of the decorative design of these timepieces, Hatot is able to establish a name in the clock world as 'master of the Art Déco period'. His contribution to the scientific world is also great. Thanks to his creative and visionary spirit and his numerous inventions, Hatot managed to bring developments in the field of clocks to a higher level up to and including the second quarter of the twentieth century. France rewarded him for this with the highest national award, the 'Légion d'Honneur'.

  In 1931, at the Colonial Exhibition in Paris, Léon Hatot presented a series of compact electric clocks that marked the beginning of a new generation of decorative timepieces. He completely broke with the current tradition in which the cases served as decoration and made the timepiece itself the eye-catcher. In this way, Hatot became a trendsetter for a new fashionable trend.