Ernest Borel KALEIDOSCOPE Automatic Men's Vintage COCKTAIL Watch
I encountered our first Ernest Borel Cocktail Watch several years ago and were immediately mesmerized by its rotating mystery dial. It was a women's... more>>
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| Sellers | Base Price | Buy Now |
|---|---|---|
| Ruby Lane | $550 |
I encountered our first Ernest Borel Cocktail Watch several years ago and were immediately mesmerized by its rotating mystery dial. It was a women's model, black with the original band. I soon became obsessed with them and have gathered a few together to offer for sale. With so many variables, such as color, crystal (some diamond cut, some plain) and the hypnotic discs (some have one, some have 2), and the different varieties of the disc designs (flower, star, sun, atom, etc), I have seldom encountered 2 identical watches. In addition, I have found "The Cocktail" in automatic men's, watch rings and pendants. I have been told that these watches were never sold in the US, but most were purchased on cruise ships and holidays- sort of a high end souvenir of it's day. We found reference to the watches in "The Virgin Islands Daily News" July 1958. It was a listing for a shop called Little Switzerland. "Look for the Ernest Borel Cocktail Watch, an amazing 17 jewel timepiece. Its face is a constantly changing kaleidoscope of flower like patterns. Prices start at $33." The Cocktail watch by Ernest Borel features discs in the center which, as the upper-most disc rotates, it creates a mesmerizing, animated kaleidoscope effect. Borel manufactured a wide variety of discs, dials, cases and movement configurations for the Cocktail watch. They also made desk clocks, pendants and cufflinks! The majority of Cocktail watches were women's manual-wind watches, making the men's watch a bit harder to come by. The Cocktail line of watches are the most collectable of the Borel watches and is prominently featured in Faber and Unger's "American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design" on page 245 where it states that this watch was first introduced in the late 1940s. About no other watch can I say "to see it in action is to appreciate it" for its two revolving gold and black center dials are in constant motion, creating the effect of a flower blossom opening and closing...incredible! This type of watch is also known as a 'mystery dial' because the body of the hands are hidden from view. At least five disk styles were made, including the flower, sun, arrows, star, and wheel. The watch that is featured now is a quality 17- jewel AUTOMATIC 1624 Swiss movement. The watch comes with a new, genuine leather band that faithfully mimics the original. The watch has recently been serviced and keeps excellent time. The front crystal have been replaced. The 10K gold filled case is in excellent condition showing minimal indications of use. The dial, hands and kaleidoscope discs are in superb condition and extremely clean, still maintaining a beautiful, original finish. This watch is really quite a spectacle when worn in direct sunlight...the light gleams and glistens off the gold on the dial and you can watch the kaleidoscope spin and sparkle! A delightful piece of craftsmanship that you'll be proud to wear or just add to your collection - it's certainly a conversation-piece! The Details: * Maker: Ernest Borel * Model: Cocktail * Gender: Men's * Movement Type: Automatic 1624 Swiss Mechanical * Movement Jewel Count: 17 * Functions: Hours, Minutes and Kaleidoscope Seconds * Case Diameter: Approximately 34 mm (not including crown) * Case Thickness: Approximately 11 mm * Case Shape: Round * Case Material: 10K Rolled Gold over Base Metal * Crown: Original Ernest Borel Push/Pull * Crystal Material Harden Plastic * Dial Color: Black with Gold-Tone Accents * Dial Wording: Borel Cocktail Swiss Patent * Hands: Red-Tipped Mystery Dial Hands * Band Material: Genuine Leather with Gold-Tone Buckle
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