We can offer a most unusual miniature fully-working chromed-metal or steel-cased wrist watch by ARISTO dating possibly to the 1940s.


The black faced 'Art deco' style dial is signed by Aristo; the back of the case is neatly blind-stamped Chromo; the lovely miniature movement is unsigned. The chromed-metal or steel case has fixed rounded lugs and is in immaculate condition, any apparent marks or dents in the accompanying photographs being merely either tricks of the lighting or reflections.

The watch measures a mere 14 millimetres in width and 20 millimetres in length excluding the lugs. Its purpose is unknown, being apparently a demonstration piece as an exercise in miniaturisation rather than a watch produced for practical purposes.


The Aristo company was founded in 1907 in Pforzheim, Germany. Today, the company's successors continue to manufacture wrist watches under the Aristo name with modern Swiss-made mechanical movements at prices in the £2-300 region.

An extensive search of recently-produced and advertised watches by Aristo has failed to produce any information on this particular design. Stylistically, it appears to date from the 1940s or so but no guarantee of this can be given.