1

A Day
Observed

A story presented by

Scene 1:
‘Morning’

It was a bright cold day with glassy surfaces that looked hard.
Into the square frame he stood as if in a dream.

What emerged was precisely what he expected to find: a reflection of memory images. Contemplating his face in the photo frame he waited.

1960s lucite and chrome 3 image photo frame

By the steady hands of his watch, he listened to time. Every day for the past sixteen days he saw her. Silver lingered in the crease of
an open book.

Rolex burlwood dial, Jubilee bracelet Miniature
oar English university trophy, sterling silver.

So absorbed in his thoughts
he hardly saw the platinum catch-all, the key, or the revelation locked inside those lapis lazuli cufflinks tossed unmistakably in cold blue.

Hans Hanson catch-all. Mid-century, Danish sterling silver. Stirrup money clip, by Hermès. Padlock keyring, sterling silver " Tie bar-slide " Round lapis lazuli cufflinks" Square cufflinks, two tone rose and yellow gold, diamond."

Only by whirling on his heel could he hope to comprehend
the panorama.

Shoe horn, circa 1930. American sterling silver
Scene 2:
‘Noon’

He remained.Trapped in that enormous room,
unmistakably familiar in feeling yet so peculiar.

Above the mantle was
displayed an Austrian hound
of impeccable integrity.

Hagenauer sculpture, 1930

His gaze fell on the letter opener. By accident she had learnt more about his life from the contents of that letter than anywhere.

Dunhill letter opener with lighter top, circa 1950

Cleopatra’s eye reflected
the sun. Through the hypnotism
of precious metals there
emerged a dark slender shadow.

Cleopatra’s eye magnifying glass. Mid-century, gold plated
Hermès weighted pen. Silver plated.

A lighter presented itself, smooth to the touch
it gave the impression of
intelligent company.

Table lighter St Dupont, circa 1960. Gold plate
Scene 3:
‘Evening’

All this time light was receding from the room.

“I should explain why I spend so much time here”, said the silhouette. Leaves moved like shadows across her eyes.

Hermès rope bottle opener. Plated silver.

It’s not too late to turn back. Time moved with faint sounds.

Venini hourglass. Hand-blown lurid Murano glass.

He unscrewed the telescopic cup, rolled and remained still. Black eyes on the dice prophesied a new cycle.

Telescopic cup, J. E. Cauldwell. Gold plated. Dice,
Cartier for America. Vitreous enamel glass, silver

Staring down at the varnished surface her mouth worried him while her eyes examined the gold cufflink.

Audemar Piguet evening watch. gold plated, Roman dial, alligator strap
Scene 4:
‘Night’

Everything went crashing black.

Pale graceful hands placed
the gold stud box delicately
on the table.

Men’s Edwardian jewellery box, 1910. Gold plated.
Mid-century British cigar ashtray. Sterling silver and crystal.

He lit a match to make sure the watch had really stopped. Smoke lingered from its vesta case.

Realist wrapped tobacco leaf march vesta. Silver.

As the travel clock neared
one the figure vanished into dappled shadows.

Art Deco Jaeger LeCoultre travel clock.
Gold and silver plated. Retailed by Aspray.

On the newly varnished table two bronze shot cups sat alive like in a dream.

Tooth shot cup by Foundwell. Bronze and silver plated.
Set of 4, 3 silver 1 gold. Heath & Midleton champagne decanters circa 1900.
Sterling silver and glass.
The End

‘A DAY OBSERVED’
A story by FOUNDWELL
Photography Matthieu Lavanchy, creative direction OK-RM,
notes by Kate O’Brien and objects selected by Alan Bedwell

‘A DAY OBSERVED’
A story by FOUNDWELL
Photography Matthieu Lavanchy,
creative direction OK-RM
notes by Kate O’Brien
and objects selected by Alan Bedwell

Early and Rare Sterling Silver Gorham Martini Mixing Bucket

Golf Cocktail Shaker
and Matching Golf Bag Cup

Sterling Silver Woven Bottle Coaster

Foundwell

A SELECTION OF ITEMS BY THE PRODUCER OF
CRAFTED GOODS & PURVEYOR OF ANTIQUE WATCHES,
JEWELLERY & OTHER SUCH OBJECTS

Shopping Bag

Your cart is empty.


A stainless steel Gallet MultiChron chronograph. This watch is very beautiful for a number of reasons; the clean, clear dial layout. Fine blued steel sword hand set. Simple, two register chronograph. Bold and strong case. There is a lot to love for vintage watch aficionados.

Gallet's horological heritage is defined by its storied chronograph lineage. Among the brand's most iconic offerings were the Flying Officer and the Clamshell chronograph – the latter celebrated as the first water-resistant chronograph wristwatch. The Flying Officer, famously sported by President Harry Truman, is an exceedingly rare find. Gallet's chronographs were often engineered with specialized functionality in mind, including decimal scales for industrial use, pulsation scales for medical professionals, yachting registers for nautical aficionados, tachymeter scales for automotive enthusiasts, and telemeter scales for tracking distance via sound. Gallet's chronograph mastery has cemented its place in the pantheon of horological excellence.

The MultiChron is among the most iconic chronographs, and was produced by Gallet for several decades. The earliest examples featured a 30-minute register, the 45M, which came next, featured a 45-minute register (a 12-hr variant also existed with an hour counter above 6 o’clock). The dial features a 30 Minute Counter at three o' clock and constant seconds at nine o'clock and a third counter at the six o'clock counting hours elapsed. The center sweep is for timing seconds on the chronograph, and in this instance is an eye catching red.

These MultiChrons have been powered by a number of movements over their decades of production. This early example was powered by the Vénus caliber 188. This was quite a groundbreaking movement from one of the chronograph movement making powerhouses. The Vénus caliber 188 is the predecessor of the modern ETA/Valjoux 7750. This later model is powered by the iconic Valjoux 72 The Valjoux 72 is a legendary, robust, hand-wound chronograph movement produced form the 1940's through to the 1970's, known for its column wheel, 13-ligne size, and 18,000 bph beat, powering iconic watches like early Rolex Daytonas, Heuer Carreras, and Breitling Navitimers, evolving from the Valjoux 23 with added 12-hour recording and inspiring complex variants like the triple-calendar 72C. Loved among vintage watch collectors via this myriad of brands that utilised its brilliance.

The watch is presented in superb condition overall. There is a little wear to the case or bezel. The fantastic panda dial is in superb condition overall. Given its age, the watch is in remarkable condition. These were tool watches that were well loved and used over the years. This one appears to have been spared a rough life!

The watch is working well. It has recently undergone a full service. There is a full year warranty accompanying the sale of the watch. There are no papers or box accompanying the watch.

Made in Switzerland, circa 1960's


Price $4,900.00

×

Enquire
Item Dimensions
Case Width
1.37795 inches (3.499993cm)