Discover the Fascinating History Behind the Guichet Watch

Is it a coincidence that guichet watches, which were quite popular during the Art Deco era, would experience a resurgence during the year of that movement’s centennial? We think not. “In that era, people were really looking towards the future, for new ways of doing things and new ways of expressing style. I think we are in a period that is very similar,” observed Nicholas Manousos, executive director of the Horological Society of New York. Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Bremont and Jaeger-LeCoultre all introduced Guichet watches this year; two of those introductions are reimaginations of pieces originally introduced during the Art Deco period.

For the unfamiliar, guichet timepieces are characterized by their often-streamlined cases and minimalist design, where most of the face is covered, save for “windows” that display the hours, minutes and, sometimes, seconds (“guichet,” is French for “service window”). The design, patented by Austrian watchmaker Josef Pallweber in 1883, distills reading the time down to only the most essential information, easily absorbed at a glance. Manousos further explained that, in the watch world, “these are called ‘digital watches’ because instead of using hands to show the time, they use digits.”

One of the most iconic examples of guichet watches is the Cartier Tank à Guichets, which debuted in 1928 and was reissued this year. It was originally created in response to the rise of car and train travel, and the perceived need to tell time quickly. For 2025, the age-old French Maison presented two different styles of this design. One remains true to the 1928 model, with the hour aperture (or window) at 12 o’clock and the minute at 6 o’clock. It is available in yellow gold, rose gold or platinum; the other is a platinum model with apertures that are askew (limited to 200 pieces). Both have winding crowns at 12 o’clock.

Jaeger-LeCoultre launched its emblematic Reverso watch in 1931 “to meet the demands of the newly fashionable ‘sporting gentleman’”, with numerous reimaginations and reinventions issued ever since. This year’s Reverso Tribute Nonantième “Enamel” is an edition of just 90, with a pink gold double sided case that features two faces. The guichet face has apertures at twelve and six o’clock, set amidst a painted dial depicting a starry night, complete with 70 pink gold stars set in a blue enamel sky.

Louis Vuitton put forward two Tambour Convergence guichets this year (the design originally debuted in 2002). One features a case in hand polished rose gold, the other is platinum set with 795 diamonds to dazzling effect. The diamonds vary in size and are placed using the “snow setting” technique, wherein the settings visually disappear, creating maximum sparkle. The aperture’s curvaceous shape was partially inspired by the decorative arabesques found in the Louis Vuitton family home in Asnières, just outside Paris.

Bremont’s contribution to the category, limited to 100 pieces, is an extension of their Terra Nova field watch collection, introduced last year. The British watch brand (a relative newcomer, having launched in 2002 in Henley-on-Thames) showed a design that evokes military pocket watches of the early 20th century—the Terra Nova Jumping Hour—with a cushion shaped case in cupro-aluminum bronze alloy, and apertures for the hour, minute, and second.

The ongoing penchant for quiet luxury suggests these designs may be here to stay. “At a quick glance [these watches] look like something that they may not be, and that is intriguing for a lot of people,” Manousos noted. He added that the invigorated interest in this historic style is inspiring independent watchmakers as well. “There’s not so much that you can do to deviate from the standard recipe of how a wristwatch should look. This is one way to really take major deviation, and make something that looks very different and cool.”