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

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A stainless steel and chrome plated 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, such as this, 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. The center sweep is for timing seconds on the chronograph.

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.

Despite the backdrop of a world at war, and perhaps spurred by the demand for more affordable chronographs, Vénus unveiled a groundbreaking new movement in 1948. The Vénus caliber 188 represented a revolution in movement design, abandoning the traditional column wheel in favor of a more innovative stamped cam system, akin to the Landeron calibers 47 and 48. While the Vénus movement retained a more conventional appearance and operation compared to the brand's earlier caliber 170, its increased size of 14 lignes in diameter hinted at the engineering prowess within.

Two years later, the engineers at Vénus added a calendar complication to the movement, and even produced a version boasting a captivating moon phase display. Sadly, the visionary behind this technical mastery, Paul Berret, passed away all too soon on November 22, 1949 at the age of just 61. Yet, in a mere quarter-century, Berret had guided Vénus to the pinnacle of respected complicated movement manufacturers. Just before his untimely demise, Berret oversaw the development of both the phenomenal caliber 190 and the revolutionary caliber 188 - a lasting legacy that cemented Vénus' reputation as a horological trailblazer.

The watch is presented in superb condition overall. There is a little wear to the chrome plating part of the body of the case. Both the stainless steel bezel and case-back are in superb condition. The crisp silver white dial is in superb condition overall. It also has an interesting double struck "Swiss" printing at the foot of the dial.

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 1948/9.

 


Price $3,250.00

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Item Dimensions
Case Width
1.37795 inches (3.499993cm)