Good thing it is a German speaker (Swiss German) who revived the Duesenberg name! The brand with the same name as the classic car that almost epitomized F. Scott Fitzgerald era art deco cars has two new models that will come out in 2011. The watches are the Duesenberg Rectangular and Duesenberg Circular. Can you guess which is one is each!? The design really does feel as though it hails from the roaring 1920’s. Why is it that the past always seem to be have been better than it actually was? I am really fascinated by the “grass is greener in that other era syndrome.” Anyhow, let’s focus on these upcoming watches from Frenkendorf, Switzerland (they also have a Austrian location).

Silly little things like prices aren’t known yet, but we do know that the cases will have materials such as 18k red gold, DLC black coated steel, polished steel, and titanium. See those “grill” like sections on the top and bottoms of the case? Those sections are partially removable if you want to change-it-up in the future and add new colors/materials. You can see here those sections of the “grill like” ends of the watch in gold or DLC coated black steel.

The smooth flowing lines of the case look very much like elements from art deco cars built in early wind tunnels. This was when aerodynamics really got en vogue, so everything was about having a low drag coefficient. Even the rectangular case has a wonderful swoopiness to it. Both the Circular and Rectangular watches are very art deco in inspiration, but held-back enough not to look silly. I am not sold on the grill style hands of the Rectangular, but they might grow on me. They are more unique than the more traditional looking hands of the Circular.

One of my favorite design features is the red colored date disc with black text on it. Not exactly ideal for visibility, but quite sexy looking. Is it just me, or does the middle section on the light dialed Rectangular watch resemble an Olympic swimming pool with “lane indicator” running down it. Though these are more likely meant to look like running boards on Duesenberg cars.  You can see all the little details for yourself. I think that the designs are an interesting mix between “utterly art deco” and “I can see these aging gracefully.” The wind-swept look on the cases is likely very difficult to properly engineer.

The Duesenberg Rectangular watches are thankfully not too small. The cases are 32mm wide by a whopping 62mm tall. Though the curvature of the case should make them not look silly on most wrists. The Circular watch on the other hand is 47mm wide, also by 62mm tall. The watches contain Swiss ETA 2824-2 automatic movements. I tend to prefer the slightly more sinister look of the watches with the black dials, but all four pieces are impressive. I do hope that prices are reasonable. The watches will be officially unveiled in March 2011 at Baselworld. I will be sure to check them out there.