Montre Election 1922

Leonetto Cappiello's 1922 poster for Montre Election is a small enchantment, an advertisement that treats the passing of the hours as an unfolding parade of beauty. Founded in 1905, the Argentinean watchmaker Election turned to Cappiello to build a brand identity rooted in elegance and sophistication, and his solution was as poetic as it was clever. From the face of the pocket watch, a different muse emerges for each hour, so that every Election timepiece is quietly presented not as mere machinery but as a unique little work of art.

The conceit is what makes the poster sing. By populating the dial with a succession of graceful figures, Cappiello suggests endless variety, refinement and craftsmanship, persuading the viewer that owning an Election watch means possessing something individual and rare. It is a charming, imaginative way to sell precision, and it lingers in the memory long after a plain product shot would have faded.

Cappiello (1875-1942) is remembered as the father of modern advertising, and this design displays the qualities that earned him the name. He grasped that a poster must capture its audience in a heartbeat, so he built his art on bold, expressive figures set against luminous grounds, giving each brand a personality rather than a dry description. His methods shaped commercial art across the twentieth century.

The poster carries the sensibility of the Belle Epoque, the 'beautiful era' from 1871 to 1914, when colour lithography allowed artists to cover Paris in vivid imagery and turned advertising into collectable art. Alongside Cheret and Mucha, Cappiello helped lift the humble commercial print into a genuine and lasting art form.

On a wall, this graceful design brings charm and refinement. Its elegant figures and warm palette make it a lovely focal point above a desk, dresser or console, a sophisticated anchor for a gallery wall, and a note of vintage romance in a study, bedroom, dressing room, living room, hallway or boutique. It will delight watch collectors, admirers of decorative figure art and lovers of Belle Epoque design.

Each poster is printed to order on premium 189 gsm museum-grade archival matte paper with fade-resistant pigment inks, so the colours stay rich and the fine detail stays crisp for years to come. Choose your size from the drop-down menu: 8x12, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 or 24x36 inches. Your print ships rolled inside a sturdy protective tube, while the smallest size travels flat, and a frame is not included so you can pair it with a mount of your choice.

This is a faithful fine-art reproduction of the original lithograph, colour-matched and printed to archival standards rather than a flat commercial copy. It preserves the texture and character of the antique original while arriving clean, crisp and ready to frame. Elegant, imaginative and full of period charm, it makes a memorable gift for admirers of Cappiello, horology and Belle Epoque poster art, and a lasting way to bring a piece of vintage history into a home, studio or workplace.