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THE WATCHISMO TIMES WATCH BLOG A reliquary of obscure timepieces from bygone eras as well as the cutting-edge watch designs of today.

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You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today

You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today
Antiquorum has offered a wide array of antique erotic automaton pocket dating from past three centuries. If you haven't seen these before, you might be shocked at how graphic these animated depictions were for the time. For additional examples, see my previous post on the subject here--> "Debbie Does Switzerland - Victorian Porn"

"Outside the Abbey Walls" (above)

Outside the Abbey Walls Swiss, No. 1339. Made circa 1910. Fine and amusing, large, 18K pink gold and enamel, hunting-cased, keyless minute-repeating pocket watch with chronograph and painted on enamel concealed erotic automaton.

C. Four-body, “bassine et filet”, engine-turned covers with polished borders, the front cover with a black champleve enamel monogram, polished band, gold hinged cuvette with painted on enamel erotic scene depicting two monks enjoying local hospitality in the woods. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track and Arabic five minute numerals, outermost fifths of a second divisions, subsidiary seconds. Gold stone-set hands. M. 49 mm (21'''), rhodium plated, fausses cotes decoration, 21 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide in the band. Diam. 61 mm.

You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today

    Detail of "Outside the Abbey Walls"

Auctioned for 25,000 Swiss Francs

You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today
You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-TodayClose-up of Automaton Erotic Scene at 6 o'clock


You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-TodayAnd of course, the tradition continues to this day, watchmakers create these erotic scenes on the "backsides" of the watches allowing only the wearer to know what carnal mechanics are occurring "under his dial"

N° 01, "Sailing Dream" by Antoine Preziuso

"Sailing Dream" No. 01 of a limited edition series of 30 examples. Made in 1997. Very fine and rare, tonneau shaped, center seconds, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with 42-hour autonomy and three color gold erotic automaton scene with an 18K yellow gold Antoine Peziuso buckle. Accompanied by a luxury fitted box.

C. Two-body, massive, polished, transparent case back secured by 8 screws, sapphire crystal. D. Satiné silver with painted radial Roman numerals, outer minute/seconds divisions; on the other side: a multicolor gold erotic scene animated by means of a mechanism hidden in the band and motioned by the winding-crown. Blued steel "feuille" hands. M. Cal. Based ETA 2801, rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 17 jewels, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating flat balance spring. The erotic automata and the engraved background are in 18K yellow, pink and white gold. Dial, case and movement signed. Dim. 34 x 41 mm. Thickness 10 mm.

You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today

Close-up of "Sailing Dream"

Sold in 2007 for 15,600 Swiss Francs

And if you thought this was a perverted subculture of watchmakers, think again, the most respected watchmaker of all time, Abraham Louis Bréguet, watchmaker to Louis XVI and Queen, Marie-Antoinette also produced their own erotica-horologica, like this past auction below, by the way, it sold for 1,500,000 Swiss Francs (about a million dollars at the time in 1990):

You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-TodaySwiss, bearing the signature Breguet A Paris, circa 1825. Fine 18 ct. pink gold quarter-repeating watch with erotic automaton.And here is one upcoming auction for a simple pocket watch with a little hidden door revealing the happy couple. It will be held October 3rd in Geneva Switzerland and the entire catalog can be seen here--> Antiquorum Auction Link

Marlon Brando's 1954 On The Waterfront Vacheron & Constantin Watch Auction

Marlon Brando's 1954 On The Waterfront Vacheron & Constantin Watch AuctionI wonder what Eva Gabor gave Eddie Albert for Green Acres...perhaps a Porky Pig watch?

Antiquorum will be auctioning this Vacheron Constantin, Geneve, Ref. 4877. Produced in 1954, it was gifted to Marlon Brando by Zsa Zsa Gabor to commemorate the theatrical release of "On the Waterfront", for which Mr. Brando won an Oscar. It is a fine and rare 18K yellow gold wristwatch with patent guilloche dial and engraved case back, "To Marlon - Love - Zsa Zsa - June 24, 1954". Estimate: $3,000 - $5,000


Marlon Brando's 1954 On The Waterfront Vacheron & Constantin Watch Auction
Auction: September 17, 2009

First Session: begins at 11 am
Second Session: begins at 2pm
Antiquorum Auctioneers
The New York TimeZone
595 Madison Avenue, 5th fl.
New York, NY 10022, USA
Tel: +1 212 750 1103

via TimeZone

Related Famous Timepieces at The Watchismo Times;
Gandhi's Wristwatch Auction
Albert Einstein's Wristwatch Auction


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Ratpack Watches of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. up for Auction

Antiquorum’s summer sale of “ Important Collectors’ Wristwatches Pocket Watch & Clocks” on June 11th auction will include timepieces from twentieth century icons President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr and Steve McQueen in addition to an exceptional selection of wristwatches from every major brand. The auction will be held at Antiquorum’s US headquarters on Madison Avenue. Clients will have the opportunity to view these exquisite, and in some cases unique, timepieces all over the world including Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and New York.

Amongst the items being auctioned are:

Ratpack Watches of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. up for Auction

Of interest for the Frank Sinatra fan is the legendary crooner’s Gruen watch and gold chain necklace. This timepiece is a fine and very thin14K pink gold wristwatch with a pink gold-plated brick link bracelet and is accompanied by a 49 cm gold-plated necklace with 12 letter-links spelling “Frank Sinatra.”

The watch was sold by the estate of Al Silvani who received it as a gift from Frank Sinatra, his close personal friend. Silvani spent a lot of time with Sinatra's Rat Pack and appeared in a number of his movies.Estimate: $ 10,000 - $ 15,000


Ratpack Watches of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. up for Auction
Sammy Davis Jr.’s Cartier Pasha in the June sale. It was given to him by his best friend Frank Sinatra in the late 1980’s, and is inscribed, “Sammy I Luv Ya F.A.S.” The Cartier, "Pasha Quartz - Two-Time-Zone," Ref. 0321 will be offered along with a 1990 People magazine celebrating the life of Sammy Davis and featuring him on the cover wearing the watch and a scrap book of Sammy Davis related news clippings from 1970 to 1973. The timepiece is a fine and rare, two-time-zone, water-resistant, 18K yellow gold quartz wristwatch with moon phases, day and date, produced in 1987.
Estimate: $10,000 - $ 20,000

Ratpack Watches of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. up for Auction
The 14K gold Movado watch retailed by Tiffany and Co. that was given to President Roosevelt on the occasion of his 63rd and last birthday by his son-in-law, Col. John Boettiger on January 30, 1945 will most certainly be of interest to FDR fans and Movado aficionados alike. This timepiece is a unique and historically important Movado Ref. 44776 with triple date calendar, produced in 1944 accompanied by correspondence authenticating FDR’s memorabilia.


President Roosevelt, known as FDR, was the celebrated 32nd President of the US and the only President in US history to serve four terms (1933-1945). Recognized as one of the greatest American Presidents of all time, his Presidency spanned the Depression of the 1930’s and World War II. The watch was worn by FDR during the last two months of his life, including perhaps to the Yalta Conference in February, 1945 and he may have been wearing this watch when he died on April 12, 1945 at Warm Springs, Georgia. In 2008, the Movado-Tiffany watch was part of a Presidential display for the National Association of Watch & Clock Collectors timepiece collection. Antiquorum experts estimate this fine and historically important timepiece at $ 50,000 - $ 60,000.


Ratpack Watches of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. up for Auction
Fans of the legendary actor, Steve McQueen and race car enthusiasts will also be very interested in the upcoming June sale as it will include the iconic Heuer “Monaco” wristwatch previously owned by Steve McQueen and worn by him during the filming of the 1971 movie “Le Mans”. Steve presented the watch to his financial advisor upon his return home from filming in appreciation for financially restructuring both himself personally and his company, Solar Productions Inc.

The Monaco watch was originally launched by Heuer in 1969 in honor of the Monaco Grand Prix. The watch is a fine and unusual, square convex, water-resistant, stainless steel self-winding wristwatch with chronograph and date. Antiquorum Experts have placed a pre-sale estimate of $ 10,000 - $ 20,000.

View the entire Antiquorum Catalog for this auction.

Related Famous Watch Posts at The Watchismo Times;


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Joseph "Joey Bananas" Bonanno and Mahatma Gandhi Watch Auctions

Joseph The cast for the next Hollywood buddy film? I wish. Actually, these two polar opposites are being tied together with an upcoming auction of their timepieces.

On the left, everyone's favorite non-violent resistor Mohatma Gandhi - To his right, the original gangster and supreme leader of the New York crime family, Joseph "Joey Bananas" Bonanno.

Impress your family and friends with the ultimate Yin and Yang of time. After making a killing with Albert Einstein's wristwatch, Antiquorum will be auctioning this "Godfather Clock" and "Pocket Peace" in early March, 2009.

Joseph
Giuseppe Bonanno Watch

A yellow gold Patek Philippe, Ref. 1516, that belonged to the late Giuseppe Bonanno, Sr. (the “Godfather” of the Bonanno crime family) is also included in Antiquorum’s upcoming auction. It is a fine, extremely rare and important, 18K yellow gold wristwatch, which is accompanied by a letter of authenticity from his daughter, Catherine Bonanno.

Mr. Bonanno was an original member of the “Commission,” founded in 1931, whose purpose was to establish rule by consensus among the crime families. Other members included the leaders of the Five New York Families: Charlie Luciano , Joseph Profaci , Gaetano Gagliano and Vincent Mangano. It is thought that the character of “Vito Corleone” in Mario Puzo’s novel, “The Godfather” was inspired by Bonanno. The watch was given to him by Charlie “Lucky” Luciano in 1957 in Sicily.

Estimate: $ 5,000-$ 8,000.

Joseph
Gandhi Pocket Watch

In addition, Mahatma Gandhi’s silver Zenith pocket watch (circa 1910-1915) is expected to attract significant interest. The pocket watch belonged to Gandhi, who later gave it to his grandniece, Abha Gandhi, his assistant of six years, and in whose arms he died. Also offered as part of the same lot are Gandhi’s sandals, glasses, bowl, plate, and letters of authenticity.

A beloved leader of India’s independence movement and one of history’s most widely-recognized and revered civil rights leaders, Gandhi pioneered non-violent civil disobedience and pacifism in response to tyranny.

Estimate: $20,000 - $30,000.

Auction-->
LINK

Also included is the "Kennedy Onassis" Watch, a waterproof Nastrix wristwatch owned by both President John Kennedy and Aristotle Onassis. Oh Jackie, that's so not cool...

See related;
Albert Einstein's Wristwatch Auction-->LINK


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TIME IS RELATIVELY FOR SALE - ALBERT EINSTEIN'S WATCH UP FOR AUCTION!

TIME IS RELATIVELY FOR SALE - ALBERT EINSTEIN'S WATCH UP FOR AUCTION!Probably one of the more interesting objects you could own from Albert Einstein. Einstein once said, "the separation between past, present, and future is only an illusion, although a convincing one." Too bad we can't ask him what a real timepiece should look like...

And if you'd like to own his personal Longines wristwatch from 1930, here is your chance. Antiquorum is auctioning it off October 16th in New York City.

Valued between $25,000 and $35,000, I imagine it will go much higher. They will provide photos showing Einstein wearing the watch. Auction press release-->Link


TIME IS RELATIVELY FOR SALE - ALBERT EINSTEIN'S WATCH UP FOR AUCTION!
SEE ALSO;
All Watchismo Times Antique Timepiece Posts
All Vintage Watch Posts




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A Century of Rolex Watches - Antiquorum Thematic Auction

A Century of Rolex Watches - Antiquorum Thematic Auction
Antiquorum celebrates a century of Rolex watches with a thematic sale.

The year 2008 marks the 100th anniversary of Rolex. Antiquorum Auctioneers, the world’s leading auction house for timepieces, will celebrate this important event with the exceptional sale “Revolution: The Evolution of the Rolex Sport Watch” on April 17th at Antiquorum’s US headquarters located at 595 Madison Avenue in New York City.

See highlights of the auction here-->LINK


(Featured above)
Rolex “Space Dweller” Ref. 1016
Extremely rare, first introduced to the Japanese market in 1963, just after a visit to Japan by the Mercury astronauts.
Estimate: $20,000 -$30,000 (US)


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Shoot to Kilfitt - 1969 Prototype Camera-Watch Sells for $60,000!

Shoot to Kilfitt - 1969 Prototype Camera-Watch Sells for $60,000!Like a Russian Matrioshka doll, these obscure vintage and antique camera watches keep appearing and gratefully outdo themselves with each layer of the photohorological onion.

The first that caught my attention was the 1950s Steineck ABC wrist camera, which in turn, turned me onto the world of subminiature spy camera watches and the surprising discovery of this 100+ year old secret photographic history starting with this 19th century pocket watch camera.

And just when I thought I've seen them all, this
UKA 659 model by Kilfitt kills them all with a single 1969 prototype that never went into production and recently sold on eBay for nearly $60,000 (US). Update! It seems to have been relisted and is currently at $58,000 --> Auction Link

Shoot to Kilfitt - 1969 Prototype Camera-Watch Sells for $60,000!Kilfitt camera history-->Link

Shoot to Kilfitt - 1969 Prototype Camera-Watch Sells for $60,000!
See also;
Subminiature Camera Watches
Steinheil Camera Watch
Victorian Camera Pocket Watch
1950s Minifon Spy Recorder Watch
Victorian Wrist Horn & Prototype Wrist Camera
James Bond Movie Gadget Watches
Satellite Watches of 1979


via Gizmodo (thanks to Felipe!)


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Flipping out over the new Antiquorum Flip-Catalog!

Flipping out over the new Antiquorum Flip-Catalog!There is a incredible new feature for exploring the upcoming Antiquorum "Important Collector's Wristwatches, Pocket Watches, and Clocks" auction on Sunday December 5th in New York City.

Antiquorum developed a really fantastic online flip-catalog where you can view over 400 lots including some of my favorites like a vintage asymmetric Gilbert Albert Patek Philippe, ginormous Omega Ploprof, iconic Heuer Monaco Chronograph, as well as some really interesting antique 1930's Leon Hatot & Atmos Art Deco clocks, classic Rolex Explorer & Daytona, and modern masterpieces such as the mind-boggling F.P. Journe Vagabondage & Seconde Morte, bizarre Gerald Genta retrograde Grand Complicaton, revolutionary Urwerk Nightwatch, stylish Patek Philippe Nautilus, Pagoda & Bombe, retrograde Vacheron Constantin Mercator, confounding Audemars Piguet Grande Complication, and 1 of only 3 ultra-complicated Breguet 250 year anniversary watches.


Go here for the flip-catalog-->Link

Flipping out over the new Antiquorum Flip-Catalog!
Paul Boutros of Timezone also features some of the above in his large intimate four-part photographic reviews-->Link


Check out my $100-$100,000 holiday gift guide!-->LINK


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Vintage Watching - LIP Sector Retrograde, Unusual Heuer, and a Sandoz Mystery Dial

Vintage Watching - LIP Sector Retrograde, Unusual Heuer, and a Sandoz Mystery DialClick to view LIP Retrograde auction

This week on Vintage Watching, I'm featuring one of my favorite watches, the 1973 LIP sector retrograde. They came in a few styles and rarely found for sale. The one above features double retrograde hands (they fly back to the left instantly when reaching the far right) showing hours on bottom and minutes on top.

Vintage Watching - LIP Sector Retrograde, Unusual Heuer, and a Sandoz Mystery DialClick to view the Heuer Auction

Just when I think I've seen every oddball Heuer chronograph of the sixties & seventies, I stumble upon another like the one above. Featuring a very unusual off center 60 minute register. (Update - This might be a fake according to vintage Heuer expert Jeff of OnTheDash.com) Oh well...


Vintage Watching - LIP Sector Retrograde, Unusual Heuer, and a Sandoz Mystery DialClick to view Sandoz Mystery Dial auction

I've seen a few interesting vintage mystery dials from Sandoz, but this unusual 70's "Duplex" above features double-sided hour and minute hands that alternate in length and color when rotating into the visible top portion of the dial. Paul Smith also created a contemporary watch with this style of display->link. Day and month are displayed vertically in the lower obscured hemisphere. Supercool!

Related Posts;
Retrograde Watches
Mystery Dials
Vintage Heuer



Enter The Watchismo Times 1st anniversary vintage chronograph giveway!-->LINK


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You Dirty Dirty Horologist - Hardcore Erotic Automaton Pocket Watches 1800s-Today2009 Only Watch Presentation in Geneva - Underthedial Report from Ian SkellernMarlon Brando's 1954 On The Waterfront Vacheron & Constantin Watch AuctionJoseph "Joey Bananas" Bonanno and Mahatma Gandhi Watch AuctionsTIME IS RELATIVELY FOR SALE - ALBERT EINSTEIN'S WATCH UP FOR AUCTION!A Century of Rolex Watches - Antiquorum Thematic AuctionShoot to Kilfitt - 1969 Prototype Camera-Watch Sells for $60,000!Flipping out over the new Antiquorum Flip-Catalog!Vintage Watching - LIP Sector Retrograde, Unusual Heuer, and a Sandoz Mystery Dial

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