ALAIN SILBERSTEIN - a limited edition iKrono Smileday chronograph wrist watch. Number 060/500. Unsigned automatic Valjoux calibre 7750. Black dial with luminous hour markers, subsidiary recorder dials to six and twelve, date and mood apertures to nine. Tachymetre rehaut, titanium case with exhibition case back, fitted to an authentic tan leather strap with titanium clasp. 45mm. Box and papers.

When Alan Silberstein, French architect and interior designer, launched his eponymous watch company in 1986 his avant-garde approach to watch design caught the attention of those collectors rediscovering mechanical watchmaking. Silberstein designs watches that are colourful and playful but are grounded on solid mechanical movements and advanced technical materials.

The iKrono Smileday is a massive titanium cylinder bolted onto a strap of raw leather. This utilitarian approach softens on the inside as Silberstein eschews the regular use of the day aperture of the Valjoux 7750 movement, opting instead for a range of expressions; from a deep frown on Monday through to smiles at the weekend. Even the floating Vernier scale at the end of the seconds hand, allowing calculation of time to 1/8th second, appears hand drawn.