The Longitude at the Eve of the Third...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 23, 1999

LOT 511

Audemars Piguet, Genève, No. 46978, entered in the Registers on November 1943, delivered in 1949.Extremely fine and probably unique, 18K yellow gold gentleman's wristwatch with olive shaped button split-second chronograph, registers and tachometer, with leather strap and 18K yellow gold buckle.

CHF 0 - 0

C. three body, massive, polished, stepped bezel, overhanging fluted teardrop lugs. D. matte silver with applied yellow gold triangular indexes and Roman numerals, auxiliary dials for the seconds, the 12 hours and 30 minutes registers, outer tachometer graduation. "Bâton" yellow gold hands.M. 13''', gilt brass, 20 jewels, lever escapement, monometallic balance, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring, the winding-crown is also for start, stop and reunite of the split-second hand.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 35 mm.


LOADING IMAGES
Click to full view
Image
Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: * 3
Dial: 3 - 01

Notes

This watch is published in Audemars Piguet, by G. L. Brunner, Chr. Pfeiffer-Belli and M. K. Wehrli, 1993 Edition p. 249,fig. 348 a-b.Among the many prestigious manufacturers of complicated wristwatches, we only know of this one with the split-second chronograph and the 30-minute and 12 hour registers.Due to the difficulties in guaranteeing a minimum of twelve hours when the hour register is in function, many manufacturers have renounced the fabrication of the split-second chronograph with hour registers in favour of the split-second chronograph with only minute registers. From the manufacturer's registers, it is unclear whether this is a unique example or one of the few pieces. Nonetheless, it is the only one known to exist today.