Exceptional horologic works of art

Hotel Noga Hilton, Geneva, Oct 11, 2003

LOT 155

Audemars Piguet, Brassus & Genève, Made for Cooke & Kelvey, London hallmark for 1884. Unique and exceptionally fine miniature 18K gold hunting-cased keyless fob watch with perpetual calendar, moon phase and minute-repeating.

CHF 130,000 - 150,000

EUR 85,000 - 98,000

Sold: CHF 124,500

C. Five-body, “bassine et filets”, polished, back cover with monogram. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track, blued steel “spade” hands four subsidiary sunk dials for days of the week, date, months of the four year leap cycle and subsidiary seconds concentric with phases of the moon aperture. M. 32 mm (14”'), frosted gilt, three-quarter plate, calibrated lateral lever escapement fully jeweled in screwed chaton, going train jeweled to the center in screwed chaton, diamond endstone, free-sprung cut bimetallic compensation balance, Breguet balance spring, repeating on gongs through activating slide in the band.Dial and movement signed, punch “AP” on the pillar-plate.Diam. 42 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3 - 10
Movement: 3

Good
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

The desire to miniaturize timepieces is an ideal inherent to the watchmaker's art. After all, the watch was conceived as a miniaturized table clock suspended from a pendant. In the five centuries which have followed, the drive to create miniature watches has not diminished, in fact it has remained the one challenge that sets the good apart from the great. As early as the 16th century the ability to fit a watch into a ring was sure to win the watchmaker a reputation of excellence amongst the courts of Europe and ensure that his workshop would be a busy one. In modern times the ability to repair these miniature masterpieces has the same effect.The current watch must represent what was an unparalleled accomplishment at its time of manufacture. Much smaller watches are known to exist, however one of 14''' with perpetual calendar, phases of the moon and minute repetition would have been unheard-of. The firm of Audemars Piguet was well known for their ability to create movements of great complexity; this watch is an extraordinary example of their art combining complexity and miniaturization and would have surely been the smallest watch of its type in 1884.Audemars Piguet went on to produce another miniature watch with the same complications for a German retailer in 1890, No. 2683, the location of which is today unknown. One other unsigned watch with a 12''' movement, circa 1890, is known with the same complications (see Antiquorum, Geneva, 24, 25 April 1999, lot 440). With the exception of these three pieces, no other 14''' or smaller watches with the same complications are known to have been manufactured until the 1930s.