This watch is Sold

Rpaige Chrysler Building

A Tribute to an American Icon

The Rpaige, very limited edition, “Chrysler Building”.

This watch was three years in the making due to it’s complexity of design. The Chrysler Building has always been, to me, the apex of American Art Deco architectural design and a tribute to the American Automobile industry.

Designed by William Van Allen, for the Chrysler Automobile Company, the building broke ground on September 19, 1928. When the Chrysler was finished in 1930, it was declared the world’s tallest building. The Chrysler Building is considered a leading example of Art Deco architecture. It is constructed of a steel frame in-filled with masonry, with areas of decorative metal cladding. Approximately fifty metal ornaments protrude at the building’s corners on five floors reminiscent of gargoyles on Gothic cathedrals.The 31st-floor contains gargoyles and replicas of the 1929 Chrysler radiator caps, the 61st floor – Eagles, a nod to America’s national bird. The building is also decorated with Chrysler Car hood ornaments. It is an iconic landmark in NYC, and renowned the world over.

There will only be seven of these watches made, five of which will be for sale to the watch community. Two of the seven watches will go into my own collection. Each one unique in movement and dial.

All of the seven watches will house an historic American antique pocket watch movement.

Close-up of the Chrysler Building, New York City.

case:

The Rpaige “Chrysler Building” watch is a hand made steel prototype case. It measures 44mm in diameter, 58mm in length, and 14mm thick, with sapphires crystals. It is water resistant to 50 meters

The case takes it’s design lead from the Chrysler Building’s Art Deco crown. The building’s crown is composed of seven radiating terraced arches, with distinctive triangular windows. Each arch section is smaller and higher than the previous, giving the top of the building a wedding cake effect. At the base of the top part of the building lies the famous
“Eagle gargoyles”.

The watch case is a tribute to the crowning glory of the building’s majestic design. On one side is a tribute to the radiating arched terraced with triangular cut outs for the windows. The opposite side boldly integrates the “Eagle Gargoyles” into the watch lugs, using the Eagles eyes as the pin hole.

Movement:

All of the seven watches will house antique, historic and rare, 12 size, American pocket watch movements.

The first in this series houses the “Holy Grail” of 12 size Waltham USA pocket watch movements: the 23 jewel “Riverside Maximus”. This movement was hand assembled in 1903 at the Waltham Factory in Waltham, Massachusetts.

It contains rose gold jewel cups, rose gold train wheels, rose gold timing screws, and a rose gold cap jewel on the pallet bridge.The train jewels are rubies, and the cap jewels on the escape wheel and the balance cap jewel are made of a rose cut genuine diamonds. It has a fancy “Star” regulator, and an exceptional finish.

Dial:

The dial is an antique, rare, mint condition, fire enameled on copper in white. The numbers are black Roman Numeral fired into the enamel. At each number is a raised black glass bead fired enameled into the dial.