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Antique Way |
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Timeless Jewellery: Watches with DiamondsThe exhibition ¡®TIMEless jewellery: diamond watches by the Diamond Museum in Antwerp, Belgium, passes by the manufacture of watches and the reference to precise timetables. Instead THE ART of the watch is presented by showing 400 years of WATCH ADORNMENT, thus giving a specific view on the ornamentation of watches with DIAMONDS and other gem stones. Time itself and the measuring of time, from the passing of seasons to one thousandth of a second in top sports. It has been fascinating people since the beginning of human history. Initially made for the amusement of the rich and powerful, watches have evolved from time measurement machines into objects of desire.
The Diamond Museum Province of Antwerp presents watches from ca. 1575 until the early 20st century from the Munson-Williams-Proctor Collection (Utica, New York, USA), containing one of the most important watch collections in the world. The exhibition also shows other historical and contemporary (diamond) watches from the Swatch Group Benelux, from the Historical Museum in Amsterdam, from designers like Vilia Wo and Peter Quijo as well private loans. 1/ Campaign image TIMELESS JEWELRY: WATCHES WITH DIAMONDS 2/ Watch with insect motif (scarab) Jewelry with insect motifs has been popular throughout history. The first known use of such ornament was during the Egyptian Middle Kingdom (ca. 2000-1785 B.C.) when amuletic scarabs were worn for protection. This practice prevailed until the 18th century when a romantic interest in naturalism made insects acceptable as design sources. Instead of using real (dried) scarabs, they made imitations in gold, silver and horn enhanced with gemstones and enamelling. This watch is thanks to its fine gold and enamel work an attractive piece of jewellery in its own right. It must have been an amusing watch to operate: when the lever at the back end of the insect is pressed, the scarab¡¯s wings ¨C each set with eight diamonds - fly open to reveal a dial set into its body. This watch with insect motif is one of the master pieces of the exhibition. It belongs to the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute¡¯s Collection which illustrates important aspects of watch adornment and how watch ornamentation relates to broader stylistic trends in the decorative arts. Also from this Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute¡¯s Collection: *The precursor of the modern handbag is a waist-hung article that has come to be known as the ¡°chatelaine¡± , a form that has existed in various styles since the Bronze Age. Consisting of a waist plaque with a tongue-shaped hook that loops over a belt or waistband, a chatelaine was a logical accoutrement from which to suspend a variety of useful articles, and both its utilitarian and decorative features made it an essential fashion accessory. Until 1828, chatelaines were known as equipages (the French word for equipment, or gear). Today, all forms of these articles are called chatelaines whether they were made before or after this date. Women began to wear watches at the waist looped over the belt by a chain in the 17th Century and chatelaines became the most important day time jewelry during the rococo era (18th C.). By then watches suspended from chatelaines were often enclosed with a second, outer case to protect the movement from dust. Pair-case watches were often made of silver; Gold was usually reserved for fine watches made by renowned watchmakers such as Jacques Debaufre (active between 1712-1750) in this case. Thomas Proctor purchased this watch chatelaine just after 1900 from Tiffany and Company which was then retailing antique jewelry. Its fitted box with the Tiffany imprint also survives. 4/ Pair-case watch with ¡°repouss¨¦¡± on the outer case ¡®Tact¡¯ watches are one of the many inventions by A.L Br¨¦guet who can be considered the Father of the Actual Watch Maker¡¯s Art. This type of watch allows you to read the time ¡®by the senses¡¯ ¨C TACTILE: hence the name of this kind of watch ¨C without looking at the watch. This was very practical in the dark, but it also allowed you to know in a tactful way which time it was/is. This watch-type has been commercialised since 1799 and was always richly decorated with enamel, gold and diamonds ( in this case as well). The ¡°small¡± medallion ¡®horloge-¨¤-tact¡¯ was sold to the Ambassador of Naples in the month ¡®Fructidor¡¯ of the year 10 (August-September 1802). 6/ OMEGA, Joiallerie Dame ¨¤ Secret (nr. 3777) OMEGA certainly means technical performances, records of precision, Olympic chronic measurement (chronom¨¦trage) and the Moon watch. But Omega has never neglected the esthetical part: the label has even been a trendsetter in the ¡°Haute Couture¡± Watch-Jewellery Making Business. This is proofed by the tremendous Gold Medallions and other prestigious Jewellery Prices which it has won over the years during occasions like the International Exhibition for Decorative Arts in Paris in 1925 or the International Diamonds Awards (6 Oscars between 1957 and 1964); La Rose d¡¯ Or (Golden Rose) of Baden-Baden (Germany-7 Roses between 1970 and 1978) etc¡. |
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Richly decorated with DIAMONDS and other gem stones,