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Lot Essay
Independent watchmaker Konstantin Chaykin’s celebrated Wristmons offer an imaginative and instantly recognisable interpretation of mechanical watchmaking. With the extraordinary ‘Seneca II’ pièce unique, Chaykin combines the playful character of the collection with a philosophical and philanthropic dimension, creating a one-of-a-kind timepiece specifically to benefit ELA.
The watch is dedicated to Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, the celebrated Roman Stoic philosopher and moralist. Its conception draws inspiration from the phrase attributed to Seneca, ‘Cum alteri prodest sibi produit’: ‘When one benefits another, they benefit themselves’, a particularly fitting sentiment for a watch created for charitable purposes. The familiar Wristmon ‘face’ is formed by the hours at 10 o’clock and minutes at 2 o’clock, while Chaykin has introduced an additional complication: a date indication.
The date display is perhaps the most ingenious expression of the watch’s philosophical inspiration. Latin letters are incorporated into the date numerals so that, as the days progress throughout the month, they gradually spell out Seneca’s phrase ‘Cum alteri prodest sibi produit’. In this way, the charitable message is integrated directly into the mechanical and visual identity of the watch rather than serving merely as a decorative inscription.
The Seneca
The calendar indications themselves provide a further connection with ancient Rome. The Roman Republican calendar, traditionally associated with Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome, was based upon the lunar month. Chaykin therefore chose to equip the Seneca with both a date display and a moon-phase indication. The latter forms the characteristic lunar ‘smile’ of the Wristmon, inverted from the conventional orientation and a defining feature of the collection since the introduction of the now-celebrated ‘Joker’ in 2017.
Chaykin frequently explores connections between philosophy, design and the history of timekeeping, and the Seneca develops this approach through its references to the evolution of the calendar in ancient Rome. The 12-month system familiar today emerged from Julius Caesar’s calendar reforms of 45 BC, while the seven-day week was subsequently adopted by the Romans. By drawing upon this historical context and the writings of Seneca, Chaykin has created a unique Wristmon in which the calendar, moon phases and distinctive anthropomorphic display combine to express both the passage of time and the philanthropic purpose for which the watch was conceived.
The watch is dedicated to Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger, the celebrated Roman Stoic philosopher and moralist. Its conception draws inspiration from the phrase attributed to Seneca, ‘Cum alteri prodest sibi produit’: ‘When one benefits another, they benefit themselves’, a particularly fitting sentiment for a watch created for charitable purposes. The familiar Wristmon ‘face’ is formed by the hours at 10 o’clock and minutes at 2 o’clock, while Chaykin has introduced an additional complication: a date indication.
The date display is perhaps the most ingenious expression of the watch’s philosophical inspiration. Latin letters are incorporated into the date numerals so that, as the days progress throughout the month, they gradually spell out Seneca’s phrase ‘Cum alteri prodest sibi produit’. In this way, the charitable message is integrated directly into the mechanical and visual identity of the watch rather than serving merely as a decorative inscription.
The Seneca
The calendar indications themselves provide a further connection with ancient Rome. The Roman Republican calendar, traditionally associated with Numa Pompilius, the legendary second king of Rome, was based upon the lunar month. Chaykin therefore chose to equip the Seneca with both a date display and a moon-phase indication. The latter forms the characteristic lunar ‘smile’ of the Wristmon, inverted from the conventional orientation and a defining feature of the collection since the introduction of the now-celebrated ‘Joker’ in 2017.
Chaykin frequently explores connections between philosophy, design and the history of timekeeping, and the Seneca develops this approach through its references to the evolution of the calendar in ancient Rome. The 12-month system familiar today emerged from Julius Caesar’s calendar reforms of 45 BC, while the seven-day week was subsequently adopted by the Romans. By drawing upon this historical context and the writings of Seneca, Chaykin has created a unique Wristmon in which the calendar, moon phases and distinctive anthropomorphic display combine to express both the passage of time and the philanthropic purpose for which the watch was conceived.