It wasn't too long ago that I stumbled on to a quirky photo on Instagram showing a vintage Omega with a cartoony hourglass in lieu of the subdial hand. It immediately captured my attention and imagination. On further investigation it turned out there was a whole series of these playful interventions designed by seconde/seconde (seconde-seconde.com or @secondeseconde if you're on Instragram).


(Photo Credit: seconde/seconde)

At first I only discovered the series through Instagram, delightfully consuming the images as they came. I assumed it was inaccessible to little old me - but somewhere, something sparked me to reach out to him to inquire about commissioning a piece. Well, I learned Romaric Andre (the artist behind seconde/seconde) actually produced limited edition production runs of these hands and sells them.


I excitedly purchased on of the "Defending the Crown" series, a pixelated sword hand that presents itself as a beautiful contradiction. It isn’t a contradiction as we might assume, in opposition of itself or as a contrasting intervention - it’s an element that exists in multiplicity without requiring comprehension of all states at the same time. It is playful, serious, irreverent, thoughtful, and aesthetically beautiful.
I'd go so far as to say it elicits three phases of beauty as explained by Kant:
1. Our sensory stimuli are activated upon observation
2. It triggers our imagination
3. We attempt to conceptualize what we’ve imagined
I find the beauty arises from our ongoing attempt to conceptualize this. With so many layers we never completely figure it out. It is this constant back-and-forth of new possibilities from which we derive beauty and delight.


The care in which the hand is packaged adds to the complexity of this artwork. Such a playful design is thoughtfully contained within an informative, safe package. It serves to ship without harm but also preserve the original hand. The hand exchange is treated preciously and with distinct respect for the original. But at the same time the hand is so irreverent of what can be considered so sacred to so many.


On top of that, the craft behind the hand is exceptional - delightfully designed, precisely proportioned to the dial, and manufactured in France by one of the only remaining hand makers in the country.


In choosing my watch to compliment this art I aimed for something that would provide an elegant background. I wanted some texture on the dial but nothing to compete with the focal point of the hand. I think the gold indexes and hands picks up on the golden hilt of the sword and while the elegance of the watch captures the contrast between elements.



For me, as an expert hobbyist, I did hand swap myself. I found the experience of cautiously removing the existing hands and setting the new one to add to the experience. In this piece I find delight - vintage Rolex can be fun!

 

Wonderful post, thank you for sharing.

 

Great post!

 

Just back from it's Santa Service...a recent 3 watch bundle deal, as near as I can tell a ref 3121 1934-35 'Royal'

 

That's an unexpected and refreshing take on a classic Rolex. Certainly a fun conversation piece. Thanks for posting this!

 

I didn’t realise these were actual hands. When seeing them on Instagram I assume it was simply an edited photo.

Looks great though!