1980s Marcel Breuer Wassily Chairs - a Pair

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The Wassily Chair, also known as the Model B3 chair, is one of the most iconic pieces of modern furniture … Read more The Wassily Chair, also known as the Model B3 chair, is one of the most iconic pieces of modern furniture design, created by Hungarian-born architect and designer Marcel Breuer in 1925-1926. This chair is celebrated for its innovative use of materials and its sleek, functional design that exemplifies the principles of the Bauhaus movement.

Wassily Makers Mark:
1.) The ends of the frame tubes should appear as one continuous piece of steel. The tube ends are finely finished with an undetectable weld. If there is an obvious cap on the tube ends, it's not the real deal. If the chair was manufactured prior to 2022, the tube ends of the real deal have finely welded ends. Knock-offs have caps on the tube ends. This is the most obvious indication. (The newest version of Knoll’s Wassily frames has caps on the tube ends. This will make those frames with the finely welded ends more valuable over time.)

2.) The straps are made from two pieces of leather sewn together with the bottom piece shorter than the upper piece. The upper piece wraps around the tubular frame. Often there is a thin sheet of fiberboard inserted between the upper and lower panels. This won’t be obvious unless you separate the upper and lower leather panels. The end of the upper leather panel is skived. This means it's tapered to a degree so it neatly fits in between where the two leather components are joined (stitched)..
3.)There are two holes for set screws, one on either side of the seam on the bottom rails. The set screws turn in past the profile of the metal tube allowing the frame to be separated, front from back. They cannot come out. You will break them if you try hard enough to get them out.
4.) It’s wise to properly care for the leather with the correct leather cleaners and conditioners. For Wassily grade leather, look into Advanced Leather Solutions care products as they are properly chemical engineered for leather. See less