There's a reason for that. A local street sign.

 

@JimInOz I brightened that picture a bit for you. Superb bulding, thanks for posting it- and the whole experience sounds lovely.

 

Got this today and I think it`s on topic

 

This thread got me searching for pictures in my archive...

A NOS piece a client brought for service this winter : all gummed up, never opened before. (from my work archive, so please forgive the watermark) I just hope it is not all banged up by now :



The baseplate on the dial side had some nice decoration:



And one of mine, middle of the 30s:

 

Because I’m in Rockville, Maryland and not in Miami where I grew up.☹️. Thanks though!

 

Both lovely— and the cyrillic script on the Mido is such a nice exotic touch!! I’d love to know where that watch was sold as I have been told that Russia and the soviet union were devoid of Swiss watches under the communist regime...

 

This one is not Soviet (for once! I do have quite a few Soviet oddities, but I digress). It says on the dial M.T. Stefanovic, Beograd/Belgrade. Inside there is an ancient bumper movement from A. Schild, also -very discreetely- stamped. Unfortunately the balance/escapement is in bad shape, I should find the time someday to do something about it.

Here is the caseback, that I posted in the caseback thread, the engravings explain all:



I think it is a presentation watch for the 1935-1938 63rd class of officers of the Royal Yougoslavian army school, bearing proudly the royal coat of arms. M.T. Stefanovic was a luxury store in Belgrade, an official provider to the royal family (a bit like some old english shops probably). All this little world got swallowed in the WW2 bonfire...

Some similar Longines surfaced a while ago ; it helped me identify this one. Here are some links:
http://www.sfranceschetti.com/scheda.asp?l=_eng&cod=58709
https://www.the-saleroom.com/en-us/...0146/lot-b01e8492-8887-4fe3-9735-a6c800fec3ca
https://forums.watchuseek.com/f11/serbian-longines-wristwatch-beautiful-timepiece-625676.html
http://www.mwrforum.net/forums/showthread.php?77635-Longines-serbian

Sorry for the wall of text, but this little one deserves it imho.

 

Also, you could find some swiss watches in the USSR. The speedmaster/astronaut thread clearly shows some Soviets wearing those. And I have a postwar Lemania Majetek (property of the Czech government). And at the very beginning in the 20s 30s, some watches were produced using foreign movement and cased in Russia, before they managed to build their own industry.

But you are mostly right, the average Joe on the street did not have a swiss piece in the USSR. Only the Nomenklatura could have, look at the Brejnev picture with his full gold Rolex (the DDR premier did have one too!)

 

Very interesting, if you ever get tired of it I’d be glad to relieve you of it .( but I’m dibsed out so not now though )

 

I was going through some boxes in my attic today and came across a packet of post cards from the 1939 New York World's Fair. The influence of Art Deco and Art Moderne on the fair's architecture are clear. I am posting half of the post cards here. If there is sufficient interest, I will post the remainder. Cheers

 

Good stuff
Post the rest!

 

Definitely beautiful and definitely would love to see the other pictures— but I can see a looming controvery about a couple of those, and whether they are truly art deco or closer to functionalist modernism / Bauhaus.
We had a raging debate about this in a separate thread about the so-called Bauhaus style which I personally felt pertained to art deco but others objected very strongly. I must admit the philosophies are quite distinct.
Edit/ add: I guess that’s what you’re referring to when you say « art moderne ».
Also kind of incredible in retrospect to see such an event take place just as the world is teetering on the brink of war...

 

Happy that you and others enjoyed the images I had time to post. I will leave any looming controversy to those with strong opinions and/or beliefs. Undoubtedly there are architectural influences other than Art Deco and Art Moderne depicted in the post cards I posted, however, I thought it preferable to post the souvenir packet of post cards as complete set. I will post the second half of the packet when I get home and have some time.

I agree with your observation about such an event as a World's Fair taking place as the world teetered on world war. I had, in fact, thought the very same thing, and had intended to include the brief text included in the souvenir packet, but didn't have time to include it. I will include it when I post the second half of the post cards.

 

I recently found a souvenir pack of post cards from the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. I posted some of the post cards earlier to day. Below are the rest. Not all images are Art Deco, but are interesting nonetheless. Also below, in italics, is the accompanying text from the souvenir pack. The Fair opened on April 30, 1939 and closed on October 27, 1940. In a little more than a year after the Fair closed much of the world would be at war.

"On the theory that the best commemoration is a re-dedication, the New York World's Fair celebrates the 150th anniversary of the inauguration of George Washington as the first President of the United States, by dedicating itself to the task of building a 'Better World of Tomorrow'.

"The eyes of the Fair are on the future -- not in the sense of peering toward the unknown nor attempting to foretell the events of tomorrow and the shape of things to come, but in the sense of presenting a new and clearer view of today in preparation for tomorrow; a view of the forces and ideas that prevail as well as the machines.

"To its visitors the Fair will say: 'Here are the materials, ideas and forces at work in our world. These are the tools with which the World of Tomorrow must be made. They are all interesting and much effort has been expended to lay them before you in an interesting way. Familiarity with today is the best preparation for the future'.

 

Tablecloth and 4 matching napkins from the Hotel New Yorker 1930. Very much in the style of Donald Deskey

 

Floor lamp designed by Gilbert Rohde and displayed at the 1933 Worlds Fair with his Herman Millar furniture

 

Deck of playing cards

 

Kodak 1A camera and box designed WD Teague 1930

 

Pair of skyscraper end tables designed by Paul Frankl