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 IWC mini Da Vinci Chronograph Moonphase Calendar. This is a rare watch, and a little bit of an oddball. So, if you're looking for something that comes from one of the biggest names in watch making that is on the different side of design, then look no further!

The IWC Da Vinci line starts in 1969 with Reference 3501, a bold, hexagonal gold watch built around the Swiss Beta 21 quartz movement. It was a technical statement first, wrapped in a case design that looked unapologetically modern for its moment, and it set the tone for what the Da Vinci would become: a family used by IWC to introduce ideas, not just new dials. 

Its defining chapter arrives in 1985 with the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar (Ref. 3750) and Kurt Klaus’s perpetual calendar concept. Klaus engineered a calendar module designed for clarity and real-world use: the displays advance in sync, can be reset together via the crown, and introduced a four-digit year and a moonphase designed to need only minimal correction over long intervals. This was IWC placing complicated watchmaking back at the centre of the brand, at the height of the quartz era. 

From there, the Da Vinci becomes IWC’s proving ground. In 1986, the Da Vinci Perpetual Calendar (Ref. 3755) debuted with a black zirconium oxide ceramic case, described by IWC as the world’s first scratch-resistant ceramic wristwatch case. In 2007, the collection was reworked again, introducing the Da Vinci Chronograph (Ref. 3764) alongside IWC’s first entirely in-house chronograph movement, and later experiments like the digital-style perpetual calendar display. The constant is simple: the Da Vinci is where IWC tends to put its new thinking first. This model of the watch is the smallest size of the model that was made. Proving good things come in small packages!.

The watch is powered by a fascinating and very complicated movement. The calibre 630 came was made by Jaeger LeCoultre and is a technical marvel. It used quartz stepper motors coupled to mechanically driven chronograph. Most impressively, the movement is only 4.2mm thin, with the overall case 8.5mm tall.

The case is very strong, and is unpolished. The stark white dial is the perfect showcase for the beautiful moonphase  Set with Tritium luminous material that has toned in beautifully over the years will only get better with age! If you are looking for a small format watch with amazing presence it is such a fantastic option. It comes on its original black alligator IWC band signed IWC steel pin buckle. Unique, recognisable and very attractive on the wrist, this is a watch that is hard to top.

The watch does not have any original paperwork or box. The watch has a one year Foundwell warranty.


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Item Dimensions
Watch Case Size
1.14173 inches (2.8999942cm)