Can you tell which Rolex Daytona is real? 

 

http://youtu.be/RzQcj1ulIkQ

 

Link to view the Henry Graves Jr. Super complication by Patek Philippe.


http://www.sothebys.com/en/news-video/videos/2014/09/henry-graves-watch-ge1404.html

Superstar! The Holy Grail of Watches Scores New World Interscope Records.

The Henry Graves Jr. Super complication, dubbed the “world’s most famous watch,” scored $24 million at Sotheby’s Nov. 11 Important Watch auction in Geneva, reaffirming its status as the world’s most valuable timepiece.

The Super complication has been called the holy grail of watches, in part because of its fabled and quite complicated history. It was created as the result of a 1925 “contest” between two watch collectors, New York City banking magnate Henry Graves Jr. and automaker James Ward Packard, to see who could create the most complicated watch.

Eight years later, at the height of the Depression, Patek Philippe delivered to Graves the final product, which claimed the title of the most complicated watch in the world for 56 years, when another Patek Philippe watch, fashioned in part by a computer, finally topped it with 33 complications. (The Super complication is still considered the most complicated watch ever built by hand.)

The 14k gold watch comprises 900 individual parts and boasts 24 complications (features other than time), including a perpetual calendar that extends to the year 2100, indications for the time of sunset and sunrise, a stopwatch for hours and minutes, an alarm, a map of the sky over Graves’ New York City apartment, and chimes that sound like Big Ben.

Design Inspirations

From the Past

Part 5 of a 5 part series

 

 

Retro Period circa 1940-1950s      

The Retro Period is also known as Retro Modern.  During this time the American jewelry market came into its own.  Hollywood and all its glamour became the leading influence.  The streamlined geometric and linear looks of the Art Deco Period evolved to become larger and more thee dimensional with curves and asymmetric motifs.  Bold, sculpted curves were often featured with sparingly set small diamonds and rubies (often synthetic) or less expensive larger gems such as citrine, amethyst and garnet.

During the war years, platinum was conscripted for the war effort.  Jewelry designers focused on using large expanses of highly polished gold.  Bicolor and tricolor gold became the norm including rose (pink), yellow and white.

The prevalent themes of Retro Jewelry were feminine, patriotic, or industrial motifs.  Feminine styles included flowers, birds, ribbons, bows, scrolls and fabric like folds. Patriotic and industrial styles included tank tread bracelets, with large repetitive links evolving tank tracks and war industry production lines as well as red, white and blue stones used stylized flags and military type insignias.