Laykin et Cie · Since 1932
Timepieces
18k White Gold · Baguette Diamonds · Circa 1930s
The Bangle Watch
A Jewel That Tells Time
For two decades beginning in the 1930s, Laykin et Cie produced what became one of its most coveted and distinctly Californian creations: the bangle watch. These were not watches with a bracelet attached. They were bracelets — rigid, architecturally considered, set with fine stones — into which a watch movement of the finest caliber had been fitted so seamlessly as to seem almost incidental to the jewel itself.
The movements were never incidental. Laykin sourced from the great Swiss houses — Blancpain, Audemars Piguet, Universal Genève — and the quality of the timekeeping was commensurate with the quality of the setting. A Laykin bangle watch was a complete object: jewelry first, timepiece second, but exceptional as both.
The Piece
Bangle Watch in 18k White Gold
- Metal
- 18k White Gold
- Stones
- Baguette Diamonds
- Form
- Rigid Bangle with Integrated Watch
- Period
- Art Deco · Circa 1930s
- Dial
- Signed Laykin
The baguette diamonds at the lugs and bezel — step-cut rectangles set flush in geometric formations — are characteristic of the Art Deco period at its most refined. The proportions of this piece, the relationship between the watch head and the bangle, and the quality of the metalwork place it among the finest surviving examples of the Laykin bangle watch series.
Swiss Movements
The Calibers Within
Laykin et Cie specified movements from the finest Swiss ateliers of the period. The names vary by piece; the standard did not.
Blancpain
Founded 1735 in Le Brassus, the oldest name in Swiss watchmaking. Blancpain movements of the 1930s and 1940s were among the thinnest and most precise calibers available — a natural complement to the slim profile Laykin required in its bangle designs.
Audemars Piguet
Established 1875 in Le Brassus. The grande maison of the Vallée de Joux supplied Laykin with movements of extraordinary finish — hand-beveled, hand-engraved, adjusted to multiple positions. An Audemars movement in a Laykin bangle is a complete work of art, most of it invisible.
Universal Genève
Universal Genève movements of the 1930s and 1940s were prized for their technical sophistication and reliability — the house was then producing some of the most complex small movements available. A number of Laykin bangle watches are known with Universal calibers of this period.
Estate & Vintage
Acquire or Consign
Original Laykin bangle watches appear on the market rarely. We are always interested in acquiring exceptional examples — signed on the dial, with or without original documentation — and we maintain a private list of serious collectors who have asked to be notified when pieces become available. If you have a Laykin timepiece you are considering selling or consigning, we would welcome the conversation.