Tenor-Dorly High Dome | Automatic

This Tenor-Dorly caught my attention for a reason that has little to do with the movement or even the jumping-hour display.

It was the crystal.

I had only recently discovered that some watches from this period were made with extremely high domed acrylic crystals, and I didn't have one in the collection. From the front, this looks like a fairly typical 1970s mechanical digital watch. From the side, it becomes something completely different. The crystal rises dramatically above the case, almost like a small bubble or dome sitting on top of the watch.

It looks strange, and that is exactly what attracted me to it.

The watch itself is a Tenor-Dorly automatic jumping hour. The hour appears in a rectangular aperture, while the minutes are displayed on a rotating disc beside it. A separate date window sits lower on the dial.

The dial is signed TD Tenor-Dorly and marked 21 Jewels, Automatic and Incabloc. The caseback is marked Swiss Made, Stainless Steel Back and Water Resistant.

I am deliberately not assigning an exact caliber to this watch. Tenor-Dorly used different movements, including A. Schild calibers, and I already have another TD-branded watch with an AS movement. Until this one is opened, all I can say with confidence is that it is a Swiss automatic 21-jewel movement with Incabloc.

The blue-green dial, gold-tone case and expandable bracelet are all very much of the period, but for me the high dome is what makes this watch different. It is one of those design details that seems unnecessary, slightly absurd and completely fascinating at the same time.