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WATCH
BAILEY BANKS & BIDDLE
CA. 1970
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Bailey Banks & Biddle, founded in 1832, is one of America's oldest and most prestigious jewelers. Among other things, the company designed the Great Seal of the United States, found on every U.S. dollar bill and on all military uniforms. Bailey Banks & Biddle also designed the Medal of Honor and the Purple Hearts.
Many well-known Americans have worn jewelry made by Bailey Banks & Biddle.
It all began when Joseph Trowbridge Bailey teamed up with Andrew B. Kitchen to create the Bailey & Kitchen Jewelry Company in Philadelphia.
Their partnership was dissolved by mutual agreement in November 1846 - but business continued when J.T.'s brother. Bailey formed a new partnership with Jeremiah Robbins and James Gallagher under the name Bailey & Company.
After his father's death, Joseph Trowbridge Bailey II entered the business as an apprentice and became company president in 1853. He joined forces with Samuel Biddle of Robbins, Clark & Biddle and George Banks of J.E. Caldwell & Company to form the name - Bailey Banks & Biddle.
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The brand's first successes came from the sale and manufacture of medals, ribbons and awards of honor for the U.S. government and military. The Purple Heart, Congressional Medal of Honor and class rings for West Point and Annapolis were all manufactured by the brand and engraved with personalized testimonials.
From engagement rings to diamonds, designer watches and bracelets, the Bailey Banks & Biddle product range is comprehensive, and no house in the USA has achieved a greater reputation. Some of the brand's specialties include diamonds, engagement rings, brooches, scarf pins, bracelets, earrings, buttons, pearl clips and collar buttons.
President Lincoln, Dwight D. Eisenhower, Ronald Reagan and many other famous personalities have been patrons of this company.
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At the dawn of the 20th century, Bailey Banks & Biddle remained the jeweler of America's leading families.
1904 is the year Bailey Banks & Biddle create the updated and final version of the Great Seal of the United States. The Great Seal of the United States is used to officially seal over 2,000 documents a year. From treaties and ceremonial foreign communications to the appointment of ambassadors and cabinet members, the seal is a living part of America's identity. The Seal appears on every dollar bill and is above the door of every American embassy in the world. The Seal is executed on stained glass windows in the prayer room of the Capitol building. It appears on military uniforms and monuments. The Great Seal symbolizes the principles on which the United States was founded.
The history of the Great Seal goes back to the very day of the founding of the United States, July 4, 1776. After signing the Declaration of Independence, the First Continental Congress appointed a committee of three great men, Dr. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, to design a seal. The task proved difficult. It took six years, two additional committees and fourteen men in all to design the first version of the Great Seal.
In 1885, the need for a new matrix, correcting the errors and omissions of the two previous versions, became obvious. Tiffany and Co. was contracted to produce a new matrix with several stylistic changes and corrections. By 1902, after only seventeen years, the Tiffany matrix was no longer producing clear impressions.
In 1902, the State Department commissioned a new die from Bailey Banks & Biddle. The original contract called for a "facsimile of the 1885 Tiffany model to be delivered by June 15, 1903". The Bailey Banks & Biddle matrix was engraved in tempered steel by Max Zeitler, a renowned artist and craftsman. The Bailey Banks & Biddle design was sharper and clearer, and corrected several heraldic errors that existed at Tiffany. The stylistic design of the seal was also improved, with sharper, more defined feathers on the eagle and distinctly lighter clouds on the crest.
The Bailey Banks & Biddle die was first used on January 27, 1904. It remained in constant use for twenty-six years, producing perfectly sharp prints. A master die was reproduced from the Bailey Banks & Biddle model. In 1986, it was established that the Bailey Banks & Biddle design would remain the official and final version of the Great Seal of the United States.
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In 1905, Bailey Banks & Biddle created the Modern Day Medal of Honor, the highest military award in the United States. It is awarded "for conspicuous bravery and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force". Since it was first awarded during the Civil War, the Medal of Honor has been awarded 3,460 times. The Medal of Honor is awarded by the President of the United States, who is also Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Armed Forces, on behalf of the American people.
Recipients of the Bailey Banks and Biddle Medal of Honor include Charles Lindbergh, Audie Murphy, Douglas MacArthur and Admiral Richard Byrd.
Bailey Banks & Biddle have also produced class rings for West Point and the Naval Academy for more years than any other jeweler. The list of graduates who have worn Bailey Banks & Biddle class rings reads like a Who's Who of American history. From General George Patton to General Omar Bradley, from POW and Medal of Honor winner Admiral James Stockdale, who ran for Vice President, to his running mate, Ross Perot. President Jimmy Carter, General Schwarzkopf, Admiral Richard Byrd, astronauts Alan Shepard and Wally Schirra... The list of luminaries who have worn class rings made by Bailey Banks & Biddle is extraordinary.
One of the most sacred treasures created by Bailey Banks & Biddle is the Purple Heart. The Purple Heart is the first American medal.
In 1782, the newly-formed United States was involved in a war for independence against England. General George Washington was 50 years old, in the field, shoulder to shoulder with his troops. Washington's army had no medals. This nation was founded on the principle that all men are created equal. Medals were considered elitist; something a European general would wear on his fancy uniform. As the brutal Revolutionary War continued, Washington felt compelled to recognize the selfless sacrifice he was witnessing. It was in this spirit that Washington created the original Purple Heart.
In August 1782, in Newburgh, New York, Washington created the original Purple Heart. Washington asked a seamstress traveling with his troops to sew a small heart from a piece of purple fabric. The fabric is thought to have come from the tunic of a fallen soldier. The heart was sewn with silver thread and embroidered with the single word "Mérite".
Washington awarded only three of these original Purple Hearts. Today, one of them is in a small museum in Newburgh, New York, near where Washington awarded it. One is in Washington, DC, at the headquarters of the Society of Cincinnati. The Society of Cincinnati is a military order created by officers who served directly under Washington and today includes their direct descendants. It is the oldest military order in America.
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In the 1960s, in-house designer George Meell, who designed the silver and bronze stars, prepared solid gold calling cards for the seven Mercury astronauts. BBB sold the astronauts the original Omega Speedmaster, which was selected as the official watch for each subsequent NASA mission. Several Mercury astronauts came to the Houston, Texas branch in search of a suitable watch. They bought a Longines Conquest, a Bulova Accutron and an Omega Speedmaster. After testing all three watches under torture, they placed the famous order of twelve Speedmasters with Omega.
In October 1981, during his first term in office, President Ronald Reagan hosted the World Affairs Council in Philadelphia. At this gathering of world leaders, Mayor Greene of Philadelphia presented President Reagan with a set of inkwells created by Bailey Banks & Biddle. The pewter inkwell was a reproduction of the one used by the Founding Fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776. The inkwell became a favorite of President Reagan.
In 1988, Bailey Banks & Biddle designed, struck and donated the Philadelphia Medal of Freedom to the civic group, The Philadelphia Foundation. The Philadelphia Medal of Freedom honors an individual or organization from anywhere in the world that has "demonstrated leadership and vision in the pursuit of freedom of conscience or freedom from oppression, ignorance or deprivation." The medal is awarded annually at Independence Hall. Recipients have included President Jimmy Carter, President Nelson Mandela, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Steven Spielberg, Mohamed Ali, Bill Clinton, George Bush.... The 2022 winner will be Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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The model presented here is an example cased and driven by a Concord movement, a prestigious brand and ultra-luxury reference in the 1970s. Founded in 1908, the brand's innovation quickly outstripped its competitors, with Concord becoming one of the first watchmakers to produce private label watches set with precious metals and stones in 1915 for companies such as Van Clef & Arpels, Tiffany & Co. and Cartier. In 1942, President Truman presented Concord watches to Stalin and Churchill during the World War II peace talks, consolidating their position as a leading luxury watch.
In the 1940s, production of its sleek modernist watches included models made from coins. Concord was acquired in 1970 by the North American Watch Company, which also distributed the Piaget and Corum watch lines. From the late 1970s to the late 1980s, Concord produced some of the most expensive luxury quartz watches on the market.
The combination of these 2 great names in watchmaking makes this watch absolutely atypical, and a rare one at that. The whole is in relatively clean condition, except for a few scratches on the glass visible from certain angles. The watch is fitted with a period Hirsch bracelet and its original case. Its "tapestry" dial is superb and bears a striking resemblance to some Corum models. It is driven by a highly acclaimed movement, the Peseux 7000 mechanical winding, freshly overhauled.
A brand unknown to most, this piece stands out from the crowd, for lovers of rare pieces.
