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“Time does not have the same appeal for everyone” - William Shakespeare
To tell the time on a watch you love is, in a sense, to suspend the eternal march of time, submitting it to the pleasure that the object provides when you observe it. You glance at it for its purpose, but you stay for its substance.
Let’s not be mistaken: watch collecting must be driven by pleasure, often fuelled by a passion for the many facets of horology. Some will want to trace the origins of watchmaking mechanisms, fascinated by the manually wound energy, skilfully distributed in a movement oscillated by finely-tuned gears. I don’t know a soul who can remain indifferent to the workings of a watch in motion.
Others will want to be sure that their watch will withstand the test of time and the harshest conditions, whether submerged in the depths of the ocean or sent to the farthest reaches of the universe. Some will seek beauty in the proportions of the case, the perfect match of the strap, the use of precious metals. And finally, there are those who will seek it all at once.
This is the art - and sometimes the challenge - of watch collecting, as it calls upon numerous criteria of desirability. With the growing attractiveness of the vintage watch market, knowledge and education are more essential than ever to ensure the authenticity and appreciation of watches according to their history and original features. Knowing how to identify an original dial or a repainted one, spotting parts of the movement - or even the hands - replaced during a service, appreciating the polishing of a case, or simply separating the wheat from the chaff in order to appreciate the watches at their true value.
These are the very elements that led us at Adam’s, (in keeping with our ethos and our desire to build our expertise and our team in different areas of complex works of art), to create an independent department dedicated to the collection of horology.
Our aim is to respond to the clear growth in the vintage watch market, while upholding the guarantee of authenticity that buyers deserve.
Ken Israel
Head of Watches
Buying at Auction and the Role of Antiques in a Modern Home
Important Irish Art Auction Highlights
Oliver Dowling Collection by Aidan Dunne
2024 is a year in which Adam’s wants to recognise the key role buying antique furniture and furnishings at auction contributes greatly to the sustainable initiative. In 2019 the Environmental Protection Agency reported stark figures that each year in Ireland 1.2 million reusable bulky items, primarily furniture goes into landfill. Similar to the problem of ‘fast fashion’, the constant production and consumption of new items is leading to rapidly growing waste problem. We want to acknowledge those who are already buying second hand or antique furniture at auction and to encourage new buyers by highlighting the benefits of acquiring affordable, well-made quality items that are built to last.
Irish author, recipe creator and lifestyle influencer, Indy Parsons, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
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Cork-born Irish actress, Sarah Greene, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Yvonne Aupicq had met Orpen, we understand, while working as a nurse during the war. He had been admitted to hospital with a suspected case of scabies which ended up being a far more serious case of blood poisoning as he recounts in his wartime memoir ‘An Onlooker in France’. Their relationship continued after 1918 when Orpen was appointed as the official artist to The Paris Peace Conference. They relocated to capital and over the following decade he painted her numerous times, often nude as in Amiens 1914, or The Rape and Nude Girl Reading (1921). Working with her as his model during these early years after the war allowed Orpen an opportunity to re-fuel his creativity.
Editor-in-Chief of IMAGE Publications, Lizzie Gore-Grimes, selects her favourite pieces from our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction
Our upcoming Fine Jewellery & Watches auction on September 13th features a prime example of Van Cleef & Arpel's renowned 'Mystery Setting'
Our June auction offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the great masterpieces of Irish art and icons of Dublin’s history.
Georgia Chiesa selects some of her favourite lots in the upcoming Vintage Wine & Spirits Auction
"Beating the bounds is a tradition that can be traced back to the medieval period. At this time, land was divided into parishes and the clergy and church wardens held the responsibility for its upkeep and management. It was up to the Church to ensure that its parishioners knew the local boundary lines and, before maps became commonplace, this had to be kept as a mental record."
Adam’s in conjunction with Suzanne MacDougald are proud to host an online timed auction of artworks to aid the Irish Red Cross’s humanitarian work in delivering vital services to millions of people impacted by the conflict in Ukraine. With no buyers premium 100% of the hammer price will go directly to the Irish Red Cross.
Ros Drinkwater writes of Jack B Yeats' 'The Boat' in the Business Post:
With a consolidated result of €320,000,the At Home sale in Stephan’s Green, was a great success.
James Adam & Sons Ltd, Fine Art Auctioneers and Valuers, 26 St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin 2,
D02 X665, Ireland
