Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...
New York, Dec 09, 2009
LOT 47
Platinum Grande Complication Audemars Piguet, Genève, "Jules Audemars ? Grande Complication Automatic," No. 418105, case No. E 71354, Ref. 25806 PT. Made circa 2006. Extremely fine and rare, large, minute-repeating, self-winding, platinum wristwatch with co-axial round button split-seconds chronograph, register, perpetual calendar with indication of the weeks, moon phases and an integrated platinum Audemars Piguet link bracelet with deployant clasp.
USD 250,000 - 350,000
CHF 250,000 - 350,000 / EUR 170,000 - 240,000
Sold: USD 222,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, rounded bezel, straight lugs, coaxial push button in the crown for the split-seconds function, transparent case back, sapphire crystals. D. Guilloche silver with applied radial white gold Breguet numerals on a plain reserve, outer 1/5th seconds track with 5-minute/seconds Arabic markers, subsidiary dials for the 30-minute register and days of the week at 3, the months and leap years at 6, the seconds and date at 9, the weeks of the year at 12 surrounding the aperture for the moon phases. White gold feuille hands. M. Cal. 2885, rhodium-plated, oeil-deperdrix decoration, 52 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, hand-engraved gold rotor, repeating on gongs by activating slide on the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 42 mm. Thickness 14 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
|
Case: 2 |
Very good |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
What is a split-seconds chronograph? A split-seconds chronograph or 'rattrapante' is a type of chronograph watch with two coaxial superimposed center-seconds hands that are controlled by two push-buttons. One push-button controls the split-seconds hand to stop or join the chronograph hand. The other push-buttons control both hands and all the functions of the chronograph. The chronograph hand and the split-seconds hand are used for timing several events that start simultaneously, but are of different durations. To operate the split-seconds chronograph, both hands are started and remain superimposed. Then at the end of the first duration, the split-seconds hand can be stopped while the chronograph hand continues to move. The duration of the first event can be read. After recording, the split-seconds hand can be released to instantly move and join the chronograph hand, synchronizing with it and thus being ready for another recording. At the end of each event the hands then can be stopped and returned to zero. The split-seconds chronograph, in its present form, was first introduced in 1880. Split-seconds chronograph wristwatches came on the market circa 1922 by Patek Philippe (the first known wristwatch of this kind was Patek Philippe No. 124824, case no. 235326, which was sold by Antiquorum as lot 448 on November 14, 1999 for US $1,918,387, which was at the time the highest price ever realized for a wristwatch at auction). This timepiece appeared five years prior to the official release of the split-seconds chronograph, making Patek Philippe the first manufacture to create this complication in a wristwatch. As they require a highly complicated and technical mechanism, these watches are desirable, very collectible and extremely difficult to produce accounting for their rarity.