JFK Commermorative Piece

In Context

At 23.9 mm this is jewellery scale — a watch sized to be worn as an ornament rather than read across a room. The case back is closed, so the movement stays out of sight, and the sapphire crystal will resist everything short of deliberate abuse. Rated to 30 m, it is protected against rain and splashes and nothing beyond that.

The movement is hand-wound, so winding it becomes part of the day rather than something the watch does for you. 48 hours of reserve is enough to set it down on Friday evening and find it still running on Monday. At 28,800 vph the seconds hand advances 8 times a second.

516.53.25.00.02.001 stands on its own in this catalogue — no other reference here shares its base number. It pairs a silver dial with a yellow gold case. It was a limited edition. Introduced in 2008.