Important Modern & Vintage Timepieces

Geneva, Nov 10, 2013

LOT 563

HAHN - LARGE PINK GOLD ASTRONOMICAL WATCH - HALF SECOND BEATING BALANCE Hahn à Echterdingen. Made circa 1800. Extremely fine, very rare and complicated, large, astronomic, 18K pink gold pocket watch with dead center-seconds, date, days of the week and month calendar, sunrise and sunset indication, moon's age, zodiac, altitude of the pole indications, exposed mainspring, large half-second beating balance and manual alarm.

CHF 60,000 - 80,000

HKD 500,000 - 670,000 / USD 63,000 - 86,000

Sold: CHF 117,750

Two-body, "Directoire", polished bezel and band, the back engraved with a scene of Chronos paying tribute to the passing of time, an upturned cornucopia of flowers a willow tree and urn on a column in the background, crown for the alarm set within the pendant. White enamel with small eccentric hour dial, radial Arabic numerals, eccentric minute dial with Arabic numerals, further subsiairy dials for the date, days of the week and moon's age, outer rings for the months and their respective number of days and zodiac symbols, altitude of the pole, outermost seconds with Arabic numerals. Blued steel hands and special 'trident' hand with three tips to show the months, their number of days and zodiac simultaneously. 53 mm., gilt brass full plate, engraved border, cylindrical pillars, going barrel with exposed mainspring enclosed within an aperture within the backplate, cylinder escapement, half-second beating seven-arm brass balance, flat balance spring, faceted red endstone, the mainspring and balance secured by a pierced circular plate above the backplate, index regulator with engraved scale, alarm bell mounted between the plates. Movement signed.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-71-01

Good

ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Hairlines

HANDS Original

Notes

DIAM. 61 mm. This complicated astronomical watch has 10 functions and indications, of particular interest is the ring for 'Polhöhe' or altitude of the Pole and the distinctive and highly unusual 'trident' hand which allows three readings simultaneously of the months, their respective number of days and the corresponding sign of the zodiac. The days of the week dial is unusual in using the old symbols for the days instead of the names, therefore the 'sun' symbol represents 'Sunday' etc. The large half-seconds beating balance is used so that the watch has dead center-seconds. An unusual manual alarm is incorporated with bell between the plates, the exact function of this alarm is unknown, it only receives power when the crown in the pendant is turned and only has the ability to make one rotation. Another less complicated astronomical watch by Hahn was sold by Antiquorum, Geneva, November 12th, 2006, lot 14 for 152,500 Swiss Francs. HAHN The brothers Hahn, Christian Gottfried (born 1769), Christoph Matthaüs (1767-1833), Johann Georg, and Immanuel, worked in the workshop of their father Philipp Matthaüs Hahn of Onstmettingen, Kornwestheim, and Echterdingen. Christian Gottfried and Christoph Matthaüs went on to become "Hofmechanikus" (court mechanicians) in Stuttgart. Christian Gottfried was later recorded in Berlin, Germany, and in America.