Hi,A while ago I actually garbage picked four chairs at the side of the road. I recognized them immediately as Eames chairs. There was an armshell, two side shells with legs, and one side shell with no legs. They looked dirty and beat but I decided to grab them anyway. When I turned the side shell over I noticed that this was an x base but is completely different! What are these? They are Eames shells, and the dimensions of the tubing, the shock mounts, screws, are right on. The glue used on the side shells even looks like the same as on the armshell. I didn't even wash them in order to leave all the clues in place. Look close and you can see where the fiberglass was sanded to get better adhesion of the shockmounts. The one thing I think of is the footprint of the feet is wider making these more stable than a standard x base. Comments please!!!
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I'm going to guess that it's not a prototype but a homebrew repair, built for a mysterious but specific purpose (extra stability? uneven floor?).
On the other hand, the dents in the shock mounts are very old, and consistent with the base that's on there, so if it's a mod, it was clearly done a very long time ago, while the rubber mounts were still soft.
I hope my guess is wrong, and that you found a treasure. Are you in southern California, somewhere near where the Eameses worked? Or in Michigan, somewhere near Herman Miller? That would increase the chances that it's something special.
Yes, they are old. Here are the strange things...
1. The shock mounts are definitely molded somehow. Parting lines are present. And, there is a radius on the top edge, exactly like a production piece. But, look closely and you'll see the shock mounts are taller with an angle to them, to match the shell contour. Also there is a threaded insert molded into the mount. And, the screw size is the same as production.
2. The tubes are the same as production. And, look like they were zinc coated or sprayed after welding.
3. It seems like the front black cross tube may have been added to raise the front edge of the chair, to get to a desired popliteal height.
4. It seems like this might have been a try to see if they could make a cheaper base, that was more stable. Herman miller widened the Eiffel Tower base recently to get it more stable.
5. I found these with the same color armshell, same glue color, so it seems the same vintage.
6. The extra plate welded on the frame at the rear shock mount looks like it was added for strength.
7. My guess is these might have been a try at stability, and cost. The amount of details that are close to production make it seem unlikely that someone without skill could have built these.
8. Found in the north suburbs of Chicago.
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