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 solid eighteen carat yellow gold Jaeger LeCoultre Odysseus moon-phase chronograph. This is a stunning and rare watch from one of the great names of watch making. This is one of those watches that one may have never seen before, but is immediately irresistible. The origins of this model date back to a revolutionary time in watch making. The "Quartz Crisis", that nearly saw the death of the luxury Swiss watch market went on to create some very interesting watches 

This gorgeous gold chronograph is the ultimate reflection. of these prestigious watch makers having to step out of their comfort zone and make complicated, stunning quartz powered watches, embracing the new technologies sweeping through the watch making world.  There can be no better company to develop complicated watch movements than Jaeger LeCoultre. Forever the watch maker's watchmaker, they would constantly push the envelope in technology, complication and beauty.

Unveiled in 1987 as the inaugural member of the brand's Mechaquartz lineage. This innovative caliber seamlessly blended the precision of quartz timekeeping with the aesthetic charm and tactile experience of a traditional mechanical chronograph.The movement that powers this stunning watch, the caliber 630 Mechaquartz . A chronometer-certified, the calibre 630 Mechaquartz  has 233 components, all engineered to give the accuracy of quartz with the feel of a crisp mechanical chronograph push. The caliber 630 is a hard-to-beat movement in this voyage of new technology. Very unusually for a quartz movement, it was hand finished in parts, and on some models, was given a display case-back.

Another distinguishing feature to the beautiful and complicated watch is the eye catching dial. The dial is made from a piece of had selected, hand-cut meteorite. This type of meteorite is known as the Widmanstätten patterns. The surfaces of certain iron meteorites boast a captivating, interlaced crystalline array of patterns. These mesmerizing structures, also called Thomson structures, result from the gradual solidification of molten iron-nickel alloys over millions of years. This intricate dance of minerals - nickel-poor kamacite and nickel-rich taenite - gives rise to the patterns' distinct and mesmerizing appearance. What better material to use as a back drop for a watch dial!? Applied on top are applied yellow gold accents, silver sub-dials, red quarters, and a pulsations scale. Sitting proudly at the top of the dial, a moon-phase.

The condition of the watch overall is superb. The case, as is often with these more complicated stepped sided dress watch cases, remains unpolished. The dial is perfect, the original gold pencil hands are in perfect condition with the original Tritium luminous material still present, as are the luminous hour plots. The plot at one o'clock is slightly damaged. It is not obvious to the naked eye. But, being mentioned for transparency.

On the case back are all of the relevant Swiss control marks, hallmarks, and model number, and unique serial number of this version of the Odysseus; number 3009. This makes it one of the later issues of the watch, which makes sense, as these more luxurious dials usually come to the end of a watch's production run. This model ran for around three years before it was discontinued.

A rare and stunning watch that will never disappoint on the eye, or with the way it works, and the levels of complications. Pair this with a fairly large case size for a more of a dress watch from the period and its hard to beat.


Price $9,875.00

×

Enquire
Item Dimensions
Case Width
1.37795 inches (3.499993cm)