Albert Villa 1920s Petite Seconde LE (Swiss ETA 7001 Mvmt)

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 scratch resistant sapphire crystal, and 50 meters of water resistance. Very handy for those unexpected rain-showers while playing polo!

The 1920s Petite Seconde is the flagship design from Albert Villa Timepieces, and unlike all of the other 1920s series models which sport Miyota 9 automatic movements, the Petite Seconde uniquely features a Swiss ETA (previously Peseux) 7001 hand wound movement, a really appropriate choice here given the storied history behind this movement, which has been used in watches from brands such as Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Christopher Ward, Junghans, Longines, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc, Nomos, Omega, and Tissot.

An eye catching Albert Villa design, the hammered gold-colored case reflects light and can sparkle like diamonds, and is nicely contrasted with a highly polished champagne gold-colored finish on some surfaces. The aesthetic highlight of the design is a deep black enamel dial overlaid with a classic gold-colored Art Deco pattern dial showcasing the small seconds sub-dial. The case is also very thin for an automatic movement, and comes in at under 9mm, exactly what we want to see in a mechanical dress watch, so 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 model fairly rare and adds to the interest, making this watch quite the conversation piece, since it is sure to be noticed when worn.

1920s Petite Seconde

The "Petite Seconde" in the name of this watch simply means "small second hand", and is a reference to the small second hand sub-dial, which very much adds to the vintage period vibe here. Men's pocket watches often had small seconds before transitioning over to being worn on the wrist during the First World War, and this trend continued right after the war with many of the new wrist watches of the 1920s.

Watch Specifications

• Reference: Albert Villa Timepieces' 1920s Petite Seconde.
  
• Limited Edition Size: 100 individually numbered timepieces.
• Color Scheme: Gold colored case and hands, gold on black colored dial, black straps with matching black stitching and gold colored hardware.
  
• 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 mix of finely polished champagne gold colored finishes and frosted gold finishes that are carefully created by hammering to create minuscule indentations that can sparkle like diamonds
  
• Case Back: 316L marine grade stainless steel screw down case back with champagne gold colored finish, 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: Black enameled dial with gold-colored Art Deco design, a small seconds sub-dial, and matching gold-colored dauphine hands with a highly polished 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: Swiss Made new ETA/Peseux 7001 hand wound movement with 17 jewels. This highly desirable historic movement has been used by timepiece manufacturers such as Baume & Mercier, Blancpain, Christopher Ward, Junghans, Longines, Maurice Lacroix, Montblanc, Nomos, Omega, and Tissot.
• Oscillation: 21,600 BPH. (6 ticks per second.)
• Hacks: No.
• Hand Winds: Yes.
• Automatic Winding: No.
• Power Reserve: 45 hours.
• Manufacturer's Warranty: 2 years.