dunhill La Captive lacquer travel watch Ref.825925/2857, 1930s

— Time, kept somewhere —

La Captive is one of dunhill's successes from the roaring 1920s. As the name — the captive — suggests, the watch is shut quietly inside a solid lacquered case.

The Art Deco colouring of black and coral red still speaks eloquently for the modern taste of its period, almost a century later.

— Opened with a fingertip —

The case measures 46 × 34mm, and the watch appears from it with some grace.

Press the end pushers gently from both sides and the spring-loaded doors open, lifting the watch section inside. The doors hold the watch firmly enough that it can stand on a desk as a small table clock.

The precise mechanism, drawn from dunhill's experience in making lighters, turns a watch into an experience.

— A Tavannes beat —

The movement is a Tavannes chronometer calibre, the best available at the time, with 15 jewels and adjustment in three positions. It is still running, quietly, inside its soft sterling silver.

"DUNHILL" and "TAVANNES" together on the dial record a complete agreement between style and function.

— Silver, and nostalgia —

The case back and the moving parts carry silver 925 hallmarks meeting Britain's strict standards.

The old colour the silver has taken on against the still-vivid lacquer produces a depth that only a vintage piece can have.

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