Gilbert Albert won the Diamonds International Award ten times, more than any other jeweller. Hired by Patek Philippe in 1955, while he was still in his mid-twenties, he gave one of horology’s most conservative brands its legendary array of asymmetrical watches. Bringing that same disregard for design convention to Omega in the 1960s, where two more of those awards followed, he created some of Omega’s most unique and otherworldly designs that have since become legendary within the brand’s historical catalogue, with the collection being known as the Jeux d’Or, of which the example that we have here belongs to.
Presented as a matching watch and ring set, this set shows Albert at his most sculptural. Both the ring and hidden bracelet watch are made of 18kt yellow gold, with their profile tapering aggressively with an openworked organic lattice that looks grown rather than made. At its centre, the watch includes a hinged section of that same lattice which lifts to reveal a small champagne Omega dial with baton indices. Closed, it reads as a rather distinctive bracelet, and open, reveals itself as a watch where checking the time becomes a private act rather than a public one. The matching ring carries the same organic lattice-like design language around the finger. Offered as a set, the pairing is what sets this lot apart. Albert’s Omega bracelet watches do turn up from time to time, but complete ensembles like this turn up far less often, making it a truly special offering.
