Important collector's watches, wristw...

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Apr 13, 2002

LOT 224

Breguet, No. 705, ?Valet Astrono-mique?, sold to the Comte de la Renoste on September 23, 1865, for 2,100 Francs. Very fine and important burr walnut month-going weight-driven high-precision astronomical wall regulator with center-seconds and pendulum calibrated for both sidereal and mean time.

CHF 80,000 - 100,000

EUR 55,000 - 68,000 / USD 48,000 - 60,000

Sold: CHF 108,000

C. Rectangular, veneered, hinged glazed doors with locks at the top for the dial and at the bottom for the bob, brass carrying handles on each side, heavy wooden back with mounted heavy bracket fixed with the pendulum suspension and two movement mounting brass brackets, adjustable on the wall by means of four double knurled screws, ormolu bezel with palm leaf decoration. D. White enamel, Roman numerals, outer Arabic minute and seconds ring. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Circular brass movement contained in a brass cylinder, full plate, the barrel with maintaining power, heavy brass weight and counterweight, four-wheel train, Graham dead-beat escapement with jeweled pallets, the escape wheel in the center of the back plate, second-beating gridiron pendulum made of three steel and two zinc rods, double spring suspension, heavy brass bob with micrometric adjustment worm-gear mechanism and sidereal and mean time calibration. Signed on the dial and the back plate. Dim. Length 141 cm, width 32 cm, depth 21,5 cm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

?Valets astronomiques? were made to be transported and used outside of an observatory. They were intended for scientific and surveying purposes, which is why the pendulum bob is calibrated both for sidereal time and for mean time. Their cases had carrying handles for easy transportation, and they were constructed so that just the movement with its heavy bracket could be transported and placed on any wall. They were extremely well-made and sturdy; some were even sold without cabinets. Sidereal time is the time it takes the earth to make one full revolution around its axis. Since in practice this can be measured as the earth's rotation with respect to distant celestial objects, it is called sidereal or star time (sider means star in Latin). The sidereal day is 23 hours, 56 minutes and 41 seconds. The sidereal year contains one more day than the solar year.