Lot 37
Time in a Bottle: A Unique Mechanical Sculpture by Dan Tanenbaum
Lot 37 Details
Time in a Bottle: A Unique Mechanical Sculpture by Dan Tanenbaum
A ONE-OF-A-KIND WINE BOTTLE ENCRUSTED WITH VINTAGE WATCH PARTS
Renowned Toronto artist Dan Tanenbaum is celebrated for transforming historic mechanical components into striking works of art. For this extraordinary piece, Tanenbaum has taken inspiration from the iconic silhouette of a wine bottle, reimagining it as a sculptural canvas layered with history, texture, and craftsmanship.
This one-of-a-kind artwork is meticulously encrusted with hundreds of vintage watch parts, each carefully placed to create a rich surface of gears, springs, and intricate mechanical details. These antique components—many sourced from timepieces over a century old—bring a sense of movement and narrative to the piece, evoking the passage of time captured within the form of a bottle.
A particularly distinctive element is the custom label concept. The border of the label incorporates a frame from a 19th-century photograph, while the gears within the frame originate from clocks dating back to the early 1900s. By combining these historical elements, Tanenbaum creates a compelling visual story that bridges photography, horology, and contemporary art.
The result is a captivating sculpture that celebrates time, craftsmanship, and the enduring symbolism of the wine bottle—a piece that will intrigue collectors of art, wine culture, and mechanical design alike. Dan Tanenbaum has perfected the art of using vintage watch parts to create one-of-a-kind encrusted sculptures. Though his pieces initially took the shape of miniature motorcycles, as his moniker ‘WatchPartsMotorcycles’ suggests, Tanenbaum’s use of the medium has evolved over the years to gild a multitude of recognizable objects as well as some of Pop Culture’s favourite subjects. From animal skulls, Air Jordan sneakers, to his KAWGS series, each watch-part rendition presents a thrilling juxtaposition of old-world meticulousness and engineering with a contemporary and lighthearted twist.
Coming from a family of collectors, Tanenbaum developed a natural affinity for aesthetics early on and began his watch collection with vintage Rolex sport models, now including a Rolex Submariner Reference 6538 (his personal favourite) and a Urwerk 103.09. His fascination grew as he obsessed over the stylistic quirks of bezels, crowns and hands, marvelling over the complex gear work and watch movements tracking time with precision and accuracy. “No matter how old or damaged a watch might seem, when you open the back up to reveal the movement, it’s like a time capsule as they have been sealed inside the case to protect it from the elements” says Tanenbaum. “I love the idea of breathing new life into these objects that were so obviously cherished while they kept perfect time for their owners. They deserve to be prominently displayed in their retirement.”
WatchPartsMotorcycles artworks are often inspired by the structural base selected to create them. Using found objects such as figurines, toys and apparel, the shape of each sculpture is established then defined by Tanenbaum’s distinctive styling of an intricate mosaic-like application of watch parts. Considering the changing contours of each surface and the diminutive scale of his materials, Tanenbaum’s creative mastery is truly remarkable.
Dan Tanenbaum’s WatchPartsMotorcycles artworks have been featured in publications such as The New York Times and Sharp; They can also be found in the private art collections of prominent collectors such as – DJ Steve Aoki, rapper Chief Keef, along with NFL athletes, Bud Dupree, Josh Jacobs and Xavier McKinney and many others.
Dan Tanenbaum lives and works in Toronto. You can find him and his catalogue of creations on Instagram: @watchpartsmotorcycles
Estimate $1,500-$2,000
Realised: $1,700