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Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party” Artwork “A Mad Horological Party”
lot 05

Konstantin Chaykin

Artwork “A Mad Horological Party”

Estimate CHF 10 000 / CHF 20 000
Starting bid CHF 5 000
Location
Office, Zurich
Hammer price CHF 90 000
Total bids 33
Buyer’s premium will not be charged

Lot Description

2025

100 x 120 cm

Oil on Canvas

Many of the themes that inspire Konstantin Chaykin as artist are closely connected to the timepieces he creates, and in the painting A Mad Horological Party this connection is particularly evident: the concept emerged as a metaphor for developing the ultra-complicated White Rabbit watch, named after the character from Lewis Carroll’s fairy-tale Alice in Wonderland. Chaykin refers to Chapter Seven both in the painting’s title and in the complications he created for the watch. He invented the “Mad Tea Party Time” function, inspired by the Hatter’s confession that Time had stopped him at six o’clock, as well as the paradoxical idea of a watch that displays the date or year without indicating the current time.

In the painting, the artist portrays himself assembling the White Rabbit watch, surrounded by imagined characters from Chapter Seven. This imaginative world was further explored in the cycle of works — March Har.1, Sedmitsa, Ahasuerus, and Dormouse, where each stands as an independent piece of art. Subjects of this kind are rare, as artists usually create self-portraits or hidden self-portraits, like Raphael, Botticelli, or Caravaggio. Chaykin, however, prefers the allegorical self-portrait, placing himself in a realistic setting while surrounding his figure with mechanical creatures born of his own imagination. In this sense, his approach recalls the self-portraits of Marc Chagall, enriched with fantastical imagery. Chaykin’s uniqueness lies in creating his own artistic universe, where he is depicted realistically at his workbench, while Alice, the March Har. 1, the Dormouse, and the Hatter appear as the movements came alive. This phantasmagorical play of imagination makes the painting especially resonant with the fairytale spirit of Alice in Wonderland.

A Historic Dual-Lot Event at Ineichen

On 13 December 2025, Ineichen Auctioneers in Zurich will host one of the most significant events in the world of independent haute horlogerie and contemporary mechanical art.

All White Rabbit wristwatches were sold out long before completion, with no retail availability.

Thus, Lot 6 offers the only White Rabbit wristwatch ever to appear at auction — a grand-complication masterpiece ranking among the twenty most complicated wristwatches in the entire history of horology.

This is the first and only opportunity worldwide to acquire the model through a public sale.

As Lot 5, Ineichen will offer the original painting “A Mad Horological Party”, created by Konstantin Chaykin specifically for the White Rabbit project.

Although offered separately, the two lots form a rare dual narrative where a grand-complication wristwatch and the artistic universe that inspired it appear side by side.


“A Mad Horological Party” (The Painting)

Konstantin Chaykin has recently emerged in a parallel artistic role—as a painter whose works explore the emotional and imaginative dimensions of his horological creations.

His art unites two seemingly different disciplines:

— the construction of highly complex, emotionally charged, ultra-thin mechanical timepieces

— and the expression of this imaginative world through fine art


Origins and Concept

The painting A Mad Horological Party was conceived as a metaphor for the development of the White Rabbit wristwatch.

Its title references Chapter Seven of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, a chapter rich with reflections on the nature of time—a thematic foundation of the watch itself.

Chaykin depicts himself at his workbench assembling the White Rabbit, surrounded by imaginative clockwork reinterpretations of Alice, the Hatter, the Dormouse, and the March Hare. None of these characters appear in their classic literary form; instead, they emerge as fantastical mechanical beings conceived entirely by Chaykin.


Art Historical Context

Chaykin’s approach aligns with the lineage of allegorical self-portraiture, reminiscent of:

  • Raphael’s self-image in The School of Athens

  • Botticelli’s appearance in The Adoration of the Magi

  • Caravaggio’s David with the Head of Goliath

  • Chagall’s dreamlike self-portraits featuring imagined figures

Like these masters, Chaykin embeds himself into a world half-real, half-imagined—yet uniquely defined by horology.



Preparatory Works & Artistic Continuity

A Mad Horological Party is part of a wider creative arc linked to the White Rabbit project. Earlier artworks—March Har.1, Week-Maiden, Dormouse, and especially Ahasuerus—served as thematic studies.

Notably, Ahasuerus was inspired by a remarkable detail of the White Rabbit’s perpetual calendar: its main lever resembles the silhouette of a walking man.