A representative of the first decade of production of the iconic reference 96, this example was sold in 1936, only five years after the introduction of the reference. The second half of the 1930s is renowned among collectors for being the most fertile creative ground in regards to sector dials. Curiously, one can identify a specific trend: dials realised close to the mid 1930s usually sport complex sector dials, the designs getting more sparse the closer one gets to 1940. The present watch indeed features an elaborate sector dial characterised by two alternating tones for a total of 5 sectors: the small outer edge of the dial, a track for the minute/fifth-of-a-second divines, a “buffer” track, a sector for the hour indexes, and finally the center of the dial.
Adding to the supreme balance of the sectorial architecture, the present dial furthermore sports applied numerals at 12, 3, 6 and 9, granting the ensemble more diversity while at the same time boosting the overall symmetry of the design.