Vintage Boucheron watches have long been an overlooked chapter in vintage watches. With their very limited production numbers and unusual appearance, vintage watch collectors worldwide did not know what to make of it for a long time. My first personal encounter with a vintage Boucheron watch blew me away. In 2020, I saw one for the first time and had absolutely no clue what I was looking at, but it was a very pleasing watch to look at. I bought it and could not get myself to sell it. These watches had something magical and I decided to collect them personally. I currently have quite an extensive collection that provides a clear overview of what the vintage Boucheron watch catalog had to offer.
In a world dominated by loud luxury, these Boucheron vintage watches offer a pleasing insight into mid-century Paris. Their appearance is almost an ornate form of Bauhaus. They are minimalistic and very expressive at the same time. The details are so delicate and everything is produced by hand. If all that is not enough, they are all hand engraved on the case back and they showcase some patented innovations. Normally watchmaking is approached from a watchmaker’s perspective and the design often comes second. What is so interesting is that Boucheron did things the other way around. They approached watchmaking from a high jewelry perspective. That is why they can best be compared to another company that has taken the same approach, Cartier. In a lot of ways these watches share similar features. With French made gold cases, innovative design and something magical. This magic can also be described as French allure. It is something that was just there at that place and time in history. It is not always the most efficient, but it makes up for that with lots and lots of charm. Take gold clasps, gold screws, hand engravings, hallmarks, handmade dials, stones and some small imperfections and mix them all in the right amounts. That is how this magic is created. Like all the best things in history it cannot really be replicated. You know it when you see it, and it will surprise you over and over. I still get a big smile on my face every time I get the chance to study a new piece from the vintage Boucheron watch collection.
Boucheron was the first jeweler to enter the Place Vendôme in 1893, and basically created what is nowadays called a ‘maison’ in jewelry. Decorating the shop with the most beautiful lighting and furniture, they created a sense of entering a living room. This was further enhanced by Wladimir, the elegant black cat that walked around the store and its showcases and was soon loved by all the clients. Boucheron’s innovative jewelry was extremely successful, and soon invited competition onto the Place Vendôme. Today the square houses the most exclusive jewelers in the world.
After mostly focusing on jewelry into the 1940’s, the maison decided to start a line of watches. The watches had to combine the world of horology with the world of jewelry. Competing with other jewelry brands such as Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier, they only produced very limited numbers, making each vintage Boucheron watch exceedingly rare today. The collection showed some of the most ornate cases ever made. Always executed in full gold, with handmade solid gold dials. A lot of pieces would be made on request for special clientele.
The movements used were mainly provided by Omega, although definitely not limited to Omega alone. Used movements can be all of the following brands and likely even more: Frédéric Piguet, Lip, Ulysse Nardin and some very rare automatic versions which were provided by Eterna. The use of Omega movements is very unusual as Omega did not provide movements to any other manufacturer to my knowledge. These movements are still relatively easy to find, which makes the vintage Boucheron watch perfectly repairable and highly collectible. The Omega logo is always etched into the case back on vintage Boucheron watches, as well as the hand engraved ornate brand name, serial numbers and patent numbers. These patents all evolve around closure systems. Boucheron reinvented the wheel several times when it comes to this. Take the Reflet system for example. This allows the user to open and close the strap with a sliding action. This is totally unique to this brand and super interesting as it removes the necessity to have a clasp on your strap.
Released in 1947, the Reflet was unlike anything else on the post-war market. With a slim rectangular case and ribbed gadroon flanks, it looks architectural. This watch no longer had a two-piece strap, but had a specially designed closing system built into the case. This was a smart move, as it made the watches instantly recognizable in Paris. This soon brought Edith Piaf to Boucheron’s doorstep. In 1948, she acquired a Reflet to bring her good luck during her first performance of “L’Hymne d’Amour.” It became her personal talisman and she would return to the store many times. In total, she acquired 21 Reflet watches from Boucheron. One of these was given to Marcel Cerdan, her boyfriend at the time. This is not the only celebrity endorsement for vintage Boucheron watches. It was discovered that Andrew Grima, one of the most admired watch designers at Perceptions, wore a Reflet as his personal watch. This makes a lot of sense, as he brought a similar modern jewelry revolution to the watch world. In 1968, he designed the iconic ‘About Time’ collection for Omega.
Different finishing can be found on Boucheron models. Most used are the horizontal pinstripes or ‘clous de Paris.’ Countless different variants are used over time, which I will not bother you too much with here. In addition, Boucheron would often use interesting solid gold applied markers that are circles and squares and their signature shaped gold hands.
What is interesting to note is that the early Boucheron watches literally hide in anonymity. On the early examples, we find no brand name on the dial. This is a bold move and a deviation from the norm. But it makes sense — jewelry doesn’t have a name on the outside, so why should a watch? It is far harder to tell who is behind a watch if you remove the name, and that is where icons set themselves apart from just your average wristwatch. Everybody would recognize a Rolex Submariner or an Audemars Piguet Royal Oak without a brand name on the dial. Once you are familiar with them, you will also recognize a vintage Boucheron watch at a glance. Enough words, let’s have a look at all the vintage Boucheron watches that have passed through our hands and are mostly still residing in the collection. If you have a vintage Boucheron watch yourself and would like to know more, it would be my pleasure to have a look at it. If you consider buying/selling a vintage Boucheron watch, Perceptions Watches offers personalized assistance for collectors.
