Watchismo Times

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.

Detail of "Outside the Abbey Walls"

I 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


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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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:

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

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

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.

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;

• President Lincoln's Secret Message Watch
• Mohatma Gandhi Wristwatch Auction
• All Historical Watch Posts

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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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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



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


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