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 handsome and very rare, early, stainless steel Rolex Air King model. This example features a glossy silvery/white dial, set with these unusual silver, arrow head, applied hour markers with longer ones at the three, six and nine o'clock positions. The black serif printed text is all original to the watch, and not reprinted. Plus, the minimal three lines of printing, limited only to the top of the dial, makes it all the more appealing. The overall appearance of this watch is so simple and clean.

All of the original Radium luminous plots are present, as is most of the lume in the dauphine hands, which glow evenly under UV light. The center sweep is a very handsome blued steel that looks gorgeous gently gliding over the creamy, glossy dial. The dial is stamped simply "Swiss" at the six o'clock position, pre-Tritium, hence Radium luminous material was used in these early models, to be replaced around 1963.

The "Air" series from Rolex came to pass as a result of Mr. Hans Wilsdorf's, the founder of Rolex, deep admiration for the pilots of the RAF, and the sacrifices made during WWII, and the fact that many had chosen to wear his watches. Even if they were issued with other manufacturers watches by the M.O.D. Rolex introduced a number of "Air" branded watches; "Air Giant", "Air Lion","Air Tiger" and this the "Air King". The "Air King" is perhaps the best known model in this series, and the only one that has stood the test of time, still featuring in the Rolex stable today. This model, the 5500, was initially launched by Rolex in 1957, making this example one of the very first ever produced in a lineage that ran until 1988.

The watch is powered by the automatic caliber 1560. The Rolex Caliber 1560 was introduced in 1959.It was the first movement in the second generation of the 1500 series calibers.The 1560 was used until 1965.In the early days of the company, Rolex sourced the intricate movements that powered their watches from the likes of Aegler, one of Switzerland’s finest watchmakers. It wasn’t until 1957 that they developed their own truly in-house movement, this the 1500 series. This reliable and successful caliber also found itself in the early Explorer 1 and 5512 model Submariner's, making it a mainstay for the company for a long period of time.

As aforementioned, this reference was introduced in 1957 by Rolex, with this example having417xxx serial number, dates to being manufactured circa 1959. The case measures close to 34mm (not including the crown) which is also the same size case used in the Rolex Date model. The watch comes on an early riveted stainless steel Oyster style bracelet, which is in good condition, with little to no 'sag', and is date stamped '19682', for the second quarter of that year. This makes it earlier to the watch, but correct aesthetically for the period. The inside of the case back is also stamped '1958 IV' a long with the reference number, 5500.

This is a very early and superb example from the Air King series. These dials very rarely come up, and when they have surfaced they are never in this kind of condition. The case is presented in very good condition. It has seen light polishing over the years, but all of the edges remain strong, and the lugs   still thick.


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Item Dimensions
Case Width (not inc. crown)
1.36 inches (3.4544cm)