Henry-Daniel Capt (1773-1841) & Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841) Piguet & Capt (active between 1802 and 1811) Specialised in the production of complicated watches, musical and/or automaton scenes incorporated into watches, snuff-boxes or objects. Among the first in Geneva to use the musical mechanism with pinned cylinder and tuned teeth comb. From Ventôse 16, An X (March 7, 1802), to 1811, Henry-Daniel Capt (1773-1841) formed a partnership with Isaac-Daniel Piguet (1775-1841), who was from the same village - Le Chenit - as he in the Vallée de Joux. Their signature was Piguet & Capt. In 1811, when Piguet broke off to join Philippe-Samuel Meylan (1772-1845) in a new partnership, Henry-Daniel Capt continued to work on his own. Following this separation, Capt restarts a numbering of his movements in the 300. In 1830, he went into partnership with Aubert and Son, Place Bel-Air. Their signature was Aubert & Capt. They were among the first Genevan makers to produce watches with chronograph. In 1844, the workshop was at 108, rue Neuve in Geneva. It was then managed by Capt's son, Henry Capt Jr. After a short time, it moved to 85, rue de la Fusterie, and, in 1851, to 177, rue du Rhône. In 1880, the firm was bought by Gallopin and its name became H. Capt Horloger, Maison Gallopin Successeurs, a trademark registered on November 1, 1880, under the No. 44. This signature was only used for watches retailed in their own store, the watches supplied to other retailers being merely signed Henry Capt. Henry-Daniel Capt, along with Isaac-Daniel Piguet and Philippe-Samuel Meylan, was the foremost maker of small musical automata in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Most of his work is not signed, although he sometimes scratched his name on his movements. World Time by Louis Cottier The World Time system was invented circa 1935 by Louis Cottier (1894-1966), famous independent watchmaker in Geneva. This World Time system was used by Patek Philippe and also by other major names in the Swiss watch industry, such as Agassiz, Rolex and Vacheron Constantin. He worked on his invention for several years and finally filed a patent for it. - Movement, case and dial based on the Swiss invention patent No. 270 085, delivered on February 4, 1948, to Louis Cottier, Carouge-Geneva, for a “Montre universelle”. Over time, he developed this invention to make a clock with Universal Time, that remained in the prototype state because no model seems to have been put into production. - Movement for a clock based on the Swiss invention patent No. 273 141, delivered on July 7, 1948, to Louis Cottier, Carouge-Geneva, for a “Pièce d’horlogerie universelle”. - Movement for a clock based on the Swiss invention patent No. 285 376, delivered on June 28, 1949, to Louis Cottier, Carouge-Geneva, for a “Pièce d’horlogerie universelle” (additional patent to the previous). Patek Philippe “World Timers” Patek Philippe created various series of “World Timers” and the earliest known is a probably unique rectangular “galbé” pink gold model, Ref. 515, made in 1937: - Antiquorum, Geneva, April 10, 1994, lot 502, for the amount of CHF 550 000.- (US$ 388 560.-). From 1937 until about 1940, Patek Philippe used the “World Time” movement in various types of cases. Ref. 542 (Ø 28 mm.), of which only 4 examples are known to-date: - Antiquorum, Geneva, October 17, 1993, lot 431, for the amount of CHF 121 000.- (US$ 81 700.-). - Antiquorum, Geneva, October 15-16, 1994, lot 608, for the amount of CHF 110 000.- (US$ 87 300.-). - Antiquorum, Geneva, April 10, 1994, lot 500, for the amount of CHF 231 000.- (US$ 164 200.-), with unusual bezel and hands. Ref. 96 Calatrava, which appears to be a unique example, made in 1939. Around 1939-1940 began the production of the series Ref. 1415 (drop-shaped lugs), together with three examples of the Ref. 1416 (straight “claw” lugs), both references with a diameter of 31 mm. and on the revolving bezel the names of 30 cities of the world. In 1940, Patek Philippe created, especially for Dr. P. Schmidt, a unique “World Time” chronograph (Ref. 1415-1) wristwatch, in yellow gold, with square push-buttons and the names of 33 cities of the world: - Antiquorum, Geneva, October 15-16, 1994, lot 516, for the amount of CHF 990 000.- (US$ 785 714.-), setting at the time a World Record. Bibliographie Huber, Martin, & Banbery, Alan, Patek Philippe Wristwatches, 1998, p. 270 and front cover.