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 10 carat yellow gold fill LeCoultre Memovox alarm watch. This very handsome and rare piece was part of the brand's continuation to develop more interesting and varied models post World War Two. Models such as "Powerwind", "Futurematic" and "Memovox" were propelling Jaeger LeCoultre to the forefront of watch innovation during this time. These aforementioned models marked the first production watch to include a power reserve. Launched by Jaeger LeCoultre in 1952, it was heralded as the "world's first fully automatic wrist watch".

The wrist alarm was not a new concept, initially launched by Eterna in 1914. However, they did not gain widespread popularity until the introduction of the Vulcan "Cricket" in 1947. It was this well made, loud and fairly inexpensive model that introduced the wrist alarm to the wider public, and President's alike! Off the back of this growing segment of the watch market, Jaeger LeCoultre developed their own model to compete in 1949. This initial model was powered by the manually wound caliber 489 movement, and was officially unveiled to the public at the Basel watch show in 1951.

Memovox, from the Latin "voice of memory", came in a large variety of cases and models, and with both manually wound, and automatic movements. In 1956 the caliber 815 included an oscillating weight fixed at the centre of the movement, limited by two bumpers, equipped with tiny shock-absorbing springs. Also, the nature in which the sound was created differed from other watches. A hammer struck a post which is welded to the inside of the case back.

Regarding this example, the case measures just under 34mm and remains in almost perfect, unpolished condition. The lugs are very long on this watch with a length from lug tip to tip of 42mm. There is a light scratch on the dial just by the 1 o'clock marker, otherwise the original dial is perfect as well. Perhaps the best feature to this watch is the Ford logo at the 12 o'clock position.

The back of the case says; "For Champion Sales Management Performance - November-December 1955 - Henry Ford II." The dial has the Ford logo factory emblazoned at twelve. These were given out one time in 1955. This watch was only ever made for this year, and for this partiucaler presentation. They also came in a Ford logo box, sadly not present any more.

The two crowns; one for setting and winding the alarm, and one for setting and winding the time are both original, and signed "JL". This is a US market watch, hence the dial being signed LeCoultre, and not Jaeger LeCoultre. The movement is the manually wound caliber 814, and presented in excellent condition. The watch dates toward the mid-1950's and would be a welcome addition to any collection.

This is the perfect piece for anyone with a love of both watches and cars, and especially the Ford Motor company. Having the facsimile signature of Henry Ford II on the back makes this an even more compelling piece to Ford fans! The watch is presented in super original condition with an unpolished case and mint original dial. 


Price $1,895.00

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Item Dimensions
Case Size
1.326772 inches (3.37000088cm)