Albert Villa 1920s Rhapsody in Blue (Limited Edition)

We stock a variety of Albert Villa Timepieces in this eye-catching dress watch series, including some with fumé sunburst dials, and some with black enamel and gold Art Deco designs.

Why We Love This Watch

Albert Villa's modern take on Art Deco inspired vintage dress watches from the 1920s immediately reminds us of Jaeger-LeCoultre's Reverso, a well-known classic dress watch design, that first retailed in 1931 as a watch that could withstand the rigors of a polo game. All very apt as the general shape of the case here puts us in mind of the Reverso, (while thankfully not being a close homage,) but in a more modern size, with one of the most reliable of all mechanical movements, scratch resistant sapphire crystal, and 50 meters of water resistance. Very handy for those unexpected rain-showers while playing polo, or should you fall off your horse and land in a puddle!

We absolutely love the strong sunburst blue gradient dial on this design, matched with understated elegance which is nicely balanced to carefully avoid too much "bling". Instead we have a finely polished case, dauphine hands, (with a nice smooth high beat second hand sweep,) and applied major indices, with a decorative signature at the bottom of the dial and no logo beneath 12 o'clock to detract from the outstanding sunburst. Thanks to the movement choice here, the case is very thin and comes in at under 9mm, exactly what we want to see in an automatic mechanical dress watch, so that it can fit under a formal sleeve cuff for the grandest of occasions.

Not only is Albert Villa Timepieces the only watch microbrand we know of hailing from Romania, but the small limited edition size here of just 100 timepieces makes this design fairly rare and adds to the interest, making this watch quite the conversation piece, since it is sure to be noticed when worn.

Rhapsody In Blue

The name of this watch, "The Twenties Rhapsody in Blue" is very fitting since it is part of the 1920s' Jazz Age series of watches from Albert Villa, all themed around some colorful aspect of the 1920s. In this case the name comes from a famous composition by George Gershwin in 1924 called "Rhapsody in Blue", his best known work, which bridges the gap between classical music and jazz. We are also treated to five cocktail glasses engraved on the back of the case which subtly makes us think of relaxing in a nightclub of the era to listen to a sophisticated jazz performance.

Watch Specifications

• Reference: Albert Villa Timepieces' The Twenties Rhapsody in Blue.
  
• Limited Edition Size: 100 individually numbered timepieces.
• Color Scheme: Sunburst blue fumé dial with black edging, matching black leather straps with black stitching, and a silver-colored stainless steel finish on the case, hands, and indices.
  
• Type: Microbrand dress watch.
  
• Water Resistance: 5 ATM / 50 meters / 165 feet.
• Diameter: Not applicable as the case shape is not round. The width is 31mm, but we think this watch should wear similar to a round 38mm to 40mm watch since the 46mm lug length is the same as other watches in the 38mm to 40mm range.
• Lug-to-Lug Length: 46mm.
• Lug Width: 22mm.
• Height: 8.8mm.
• Case: 316L marine grade stainless steel with a highly polished finish.
  
• Case Back: 316L marine grade stainless steel screw down case back decoratively engraved with the make, model, water resistance and "Limited Edition xxx/100", where the "xxx" is replaced with the individual number of the timepiece.
• Dial Type: Fumé sunburst dial graduating from a black outer edge to a rich reflective sunburst blue radiating from the center of the dial, with applied indices and dauphine hands in a polished silver-colored finish.
• Glass Type: Scratch resistant flat sapphire crystal with anti-reflective coating.
• Straps Included: Italian calfskin black patent leather 22mm straps, tapering to 18mm at the buckle, with matching black stitching, handmade by Albert Villa. Strap lengths are 125mm & 75mm. Please note that the straps vary slightly from those shown in most stock images, and do not have a faux croc. pattern.
  
• Movement: 24 jewel Miyota 9039 automatic mechanical movement.
• Oscillation: High beat 28,800 BPH, (8 ticks per second.)
• Hacks: Yes.
• Hand Winds: Yes.
• Automatic Winding: Yes.
• Power Reserve: 42 hours.
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 years.