Vintage Léon Piradet Style Time 21 Jewel Mechanical Hidden Watch Faux Pearl Bracelet

DESCRIPTION

Vintage Léon Piradet Style Time 21-jewel mechanical cocktail watch designed as an ornate gold-tone and faux-pearl bracelet with the watch face concealed beneath a decorative hinged cover. Rows of creamy faux pearls surround the richly textured gold-tone setting, allowing the timepiece to read first as jewelry and reveal itself as a watch only when the cover is lifted.

The dial is marked STYLE TIME / 21 JEWELS / SHOCK RESISTANT, while the reverse is marked Léon Piradet. A wonderfully decorative example of the jewelry-watch tradition, combining a jeweled mechanical movement with the elaborate styling of a mid-century cocktail bracelet.

WORTH NOTING

• Reverse marked Léon Piradet
• Dial signed Style Time
• 21-jewel mechanical movement
• Dial marked Shock Resistant
• Concealed / hidden watch face
• Hinged decorative watch cover
• Cream faux pearl embellishment
• Textured gold-tone bracelet construction
• Mechanical movement; no battery required
• Jewelry-first cocktail watch design

MEASUREMENTS

Bracelet-style wristwatch. Exact wearable circumference, case dimensions, and faux-pearl diameter were not recorded when catalogued.

CONDITION

Pre-owned, good vintage cosmetic condition with age and handling wear consistent with previous ownership. Gold-tone surfaces and faux pearls show normal vintage character. Hinged cover, bracelet hardware, dial and hands are present.

Mechanical operation and timekeeping accuracy have not been professionally serviced or guaranteed. Please review photographs closely for cosmetic condition.

FROM THE HOUSE

Léon Piradet apparently saw no reason a woman should have to choose between wearing a bracelet and knowing what time it was.

Creamy pearls and textured gold disguise the watch almost completely until the little cover is lifted and a 21-jewel Style Time dial appears underneath. It is part cocktail bracelet, part tiny mechanical secret — and precisely the sort of unnecessary cleverness we have a weakness for.

We previously sent her turquoise-blue sister to a new house; this one arrived dressed in pearls. If you would like a closer look at the dial, Léon Piradet mark, pearls or mechanism, write the House.

~ Genevieve