Art deco- watches and beyond

Deafboy · May 22, 2019

1930's "Little Duke" slot machine. Seen recently at an auction near Boston, USA.

X350 XJR · May 22, 2019

Deafboy
1930's "Little Duke" slot machine. Seen recently at an auction near Boston, USA.

Wonder how much money that guy made in it's day...

CaptainWinsor · May 23, 2019

queriver · May 24, 2019

Here's another art deco building in Melbourne, Australia, with both Swiss (watch) and US connections.

It was sold to Rolex last year. A newspaper reported at the time that "Rolex would not elaborate on its intended use of the site. “We don’t talk to the press,” an employee said." The word is it will be used as Rolex's Australian HQ and a Rolex flagship store will be created on the ground floor after Subway and 7-Eleven move out. That will be a big improvement on the current garish appearance at street level.

The US twist is that it was used as an American Red Cross Service Club during WW2. Photo from then (Wikipedia):

and today:

Professor · May 24, 2019

There's a very old Park & Belks department store building down town that was in its prime a beautiful building, with the lower story sheathed in green marble. I remember large show windows on the side being round. Only the front and one side were exposed as it was next to a much older pharmacy that was also an elegant building.
No much left of either building's original exterior unfortunately.

Its a shame how many fine old buildings in my town have been allowed to degrade past the point of restoration.

Syrte · Jun 6, 2019

An incoming watch in steel- and its gold cased cousin. Both are ref 3640. Been eyeing the gold one for months but I was just outbid on it— as the song says, « you can’t always get what you want. » Photo credit @auguste.agassiz for the gold one I missed.

noelekal · Jun 6, 2019

Well ... ok. We'll look at your neato incoming steel Longines just this once ... until you take delivery on it and make it all presentable for wearing.

"But if you try sometimes well you just might find you get what you need."

Syrte · Aug 2, 2019

Art deco era for sure, not quite as angular as usual— but still a form of art deco? By all means curious what you think.
I like those very unusual « bat lugs »- or whatever they should be called.

noelekal · Aug 2, 2019

You're right. The lugs give a very "buttoned-down" secure look, like a bank vault.

Would be just the thing to wear when out for a Sunday drive in your 1938 "shark-nosed" Graham.

allwoundup · Aug 2, 2019

Syrte
Art deco era for sure, not quite as angular as usual— but still a form of art deco? By all means curious what you think.
I like those very unusual « bat lugs »- or whatever they should be called.

Along similar lines....1946 Bulova "Director"....what year is your Eterna?

Professor · Aug 2, 2019

noelekal

You're right. The lugs give a very "buttoned-down" secure look, like a bank vault.

Would be just the thing to wear when out for a Sunday drive in your 1938 "shark-nosed" Graham.

Or your 1935 Bugatti Aerolite.

The ridge goes all the way down the center line.
The lightweight alloy was impossible to weld so the two halves bolted together.
Perfect for a bat wing rudder/ dorsal fin on the back. Plenty of room in front of the radiator for the big bat head on the front.

ConElPueblo · Aug 2, 2019

A Danish auction house has this up - very tempted despite the obvious complete lack of use for it.

allwoundup · Aug 2, 2019

ConElPueblo
A Danish auction house has this up - very tempted despite the obvious complete lack of use for it.

Great piece....if it makes you smile it has value.

Rochete · Aug 2, 2019

Great thread.

I have no art-deco watches so I shall instead post some architectural examples from the place I was born in, where among the decay and destruction brought by too many decades of communism you can still feel, for a few moments, echoes from the past of a once great city: Havana.

Pedro Borrás Pediatric Hospital, 1934.