WHAT WE LOVE:

This Eska watch is one that we were initially unfamiliar with but the more we looked, the more the watch revealed itself to be something incredibly rare and special. To begin with, the dial is unique, handcrafted by an artisan for the Swiss firm of Stern Freres. Watches featuring Stern Freres dials are highly sought after, with examples from notable brands routinely achieving 6 figures at Auction. 

The family that owned Stern Freres would leverage themselves and purchase the watch manufacturer 'Patek Philippe' in the early 1930's during the great depression after providing dials to the brand for a generation. The Stern family would introduce Patek Philippe to the American market in 1935 under the Henri Stern Watch Agency. 

There are many notable artisans that have worked for Stern Freres, Nelly Richard was one such artisan and she produced dials that would feature in Patek Philippe, Omega, Vacheron Constantin and Rolex watches. The level of detail, complexity and associated cost in working with Cloisonné has rendered the practice virtually extinct beyond a very limited number still produced by Patek Philippe and Vacheron Constantin. 

The brand of Eska had aspirations that would place them alongside these illustrious brands and so naturally they purchased a number of Cloisonné dials from Stern Freres to use in their watches, and this is just one such example. These Eska watches, believe it or not, are seen as the most accessible way into owning a Stern Freres dialed watch, with prices that while climbing, are still firmly in the middle five figures such as this example which sold in 2022 at Christies for approximately $72,000 NZD. 

The watch itself is a great example of mid century watch design, in an 18KT gold case and featuring 'Fancy Lugs'. Recently serviced by an independent watchmaker, the watch is running well and eagerly awaits a new owner. 

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