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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An automatic, stainless steel, Rolex Submariner "No Date" model. This watch could be considered the most iconic, and certainly the most recognizable watch in the Rolex stable. Since its inception into the Rolex line up in 1953 this watch has been worn and loved by deep sea divers, members of the military, movie stars and today's watch collectors. This version marked a fairly large design change with the continuation of the applied circular edge around to the hour indices that were introduced on the 16800 and late 5513 models.

This 14060 reference is part of the evolution into the more 'modern' Rolex Submariner. It was introduced circa 1989, remained in the line fairly unchanged until 2012. In 2012, the 14060M abandoned the lug holes on the side of the case, and this came to put an end to the classic Submariner era, eventually, leading to the introduction of the new-style case of the 114060, the "Maxi" case, which saw the proportions of the Submariner collection change. This version also now features the engraved rehaut, where the serial number moved, along with Rolex text around its frame.

This perfect dial is marked "Swiss - T < 25", meaning that this dial has applied Tritium luminous material. This material replaced the highly dangerous, and radioactive Radium in 1963, and then was replaced by Luminova circa 1999. Just like radium, tritium was also radioactive; however, it came with a much lower level of radiation and a much shorter half-life. While tritium was exponentially safer than radium, it only had a half-life of twelve years. This meant that after just a few decades, only a tiny fraction of the initial luminescence would remain. Additionally, as tritium ages, the color changes, which creates often beautiful, and highly sought after patinas on the luminous markers on these older Rolex watches. Tritium was far from perfect, which lead Rolex to search for a better alternative. However, in collecting vintage watches with luminous material applied, Tritium is most desirable.  The markers and hand set are original to the watch, colour match both under natural light and UV light and are in perfect condition.


The watch is powered by a Rolex, Swiss made, thirty one jewel automatic calibre 3000 movement that powered the majority of all no-date Rolex models since its launch in 1990, from the Oyster Perpetual (OP) to the Submariner. This example marks the first year since the introduction of this new caliber. The 3000 is a certified Swiss chronometer caliber, a designation reserved for high-precision watches that have successfully passed the Swiss Official Chronometer Testing Institute (COSC) test, being accurate to within +2/-2 seconds a day. However, for some reason, this movement in the 14060 case was never COSC rated. It was in the Explorer 1, but not the Submariner. It was later upgraded to the caliber 3130 which did receive its COSC certification. This also culminated in the shift of this reference becoming a "Four Liner" dial. The prior, unrated examples, meaning not COSC rated, only had the Submariner name with depth rating below it. This upgrade came in 2002.

Among a number of movement improvements was the extension to the power reserve form the caliber 1570 from forty two hours to forty eight, made possible thanks to a fast-rotating barrel. It is regarded as one of the best calibers produced by the company since its introduction in 2001, and testament to that is the fact it remained in use for around twenty years.

The case is as you would expect to find with a tool watch now over thirty years old, with slight scratches and light signs of wear. It has however never polished, which was very common practice with watches from this period. The bezel insert is correct and original to the watch and mint. The pip set in the arrow at the sixty minute mark is original and present. The bracelet is also all original. It is a 93150 with 501B end links. It is also presented unpolished, tight with little to no sag, with diver extension, and three removable links.

This is a superb watch, for someone looking for a collectible 'vintage' Submariner. As mentioned prior, this model represents the last true "classic" Submariner model aesthetically. Plus, with the new case, sapphire crystal and better bracelets it is more durable and harder wearing watch. Add to that the Rolex ungraded COSC quality movement and better sealing, and you have an every day, dependable, hard working watch with all of the charm of a classic Rolex Submariner.

Many people over the years have sought the clean lines of the no-date submariner, with icons such as Steve McQueen choosing to make it one of his go to watches, and it is easy to see why. The two line version is by far the best looking, and with the Tritium luminous material, it is a future icon that is only going to get better with age.  The dial is perfect, a strong unpolished case with case back sticker present, and a very tight bracelet making this a superb example to own and enjoy.


Price $10,795.00

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Item Dimensions
Case Size (not inc. crown)
1.5748 inches (3.999992cm)