Fellows, Birmingham, 21 July 2014

Sold for £3,840

Despite being at the vanguard of the mechanical watch renaissance of the late 1980s, Alain Silberstein is a relatively little known name among all but more hardened horophiles. The French architect and designer launched his company in 1986, eschewing the then-popular quartz movement in favour of traditional clockwork ? but with the added twist of a brightly coloured and ultra-funky design aesthetic.
The iKrono Smileday perfectly encapsulates the Silberstein ethos, with its screaming primary colours and a quirky display which substitutes a conventional days-of-the-week display for a range of cartoon faces which become ever more cheerful as the weekend approaches. Other quirky touches include the apparently hand-painted dial markings, peculiarly-shaped hands and, of course, that ultra-deep, 45mm diameter case with its left-mounted crown and push pieces. Silberstein watches are, undoubtedly, an acquired taste ? but their relative rarity and good quality should make them more collectible than they are.
Simon de Burton

 
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