Collector's Pocket Watches, Wristwatc...

New York, Grand Havana Room, Mar 19, 2003

LOT 86

International Watch Co., Schaffhausen, Da Vinci Tourbillon", No. 23/50, Ref. 3752. Produced in a limited edition of 50 examples in platinum. Production of this reference started in 1999.Very fine and rare, astronomic, water-resistant to 30 meters, platinum gentleman's wristwatch with round button chronograph, register, secular perpetual calendar, moon phases, flying one minute tourbillon regulator and a platinum IWC buckle.

USD 25,000 - 30,000

EUR 23,000 - 28,000

Sold: USD 28,750

C .two-body, solid, polished, stepped bezel, hooded mobile lugs, transparent case back with 6 screws and sapphire crystal.D. blue with applied white gold bâton indexes and tritium-coated dots, auxiliary "guilloché" dials for the seconds, the 12 hour register, the days of the month, of the week, the months, apertures for the moon phases and for the year display with four digits until 2499. "Bâton" tritium-coated white gold hands. M. Cal. 76061, gilt brass, "fausses côtes" decoration, 35 jewels, lateral lever escapement, flying one minute tourbillon regulator with 3 equidistant arms, monometallic balance adjusted topositions, shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance-spring.Dial, case and movement signed.Diam. 39 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3
Movement: 1
Dial: 1 - 01

Notes

What is a Tourbillon?A Tourbillon is a regulating mechanism in which the escapement of a movement is housed within a revolving carriage. It was developed in an effort to obtain better precision. When a watch is in a vertical position, the force of gravity will speed up the balance wheel as it moves in its downward (arc) direction and will slow it down as it moves upward, creating deviational errors in the timekeeping. By placing the balance and escapement in a carriage that revolves 360 degrees per minute, these errrs become averaged and the timekeeping becomes constant and consequently adjustable. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, the tourbillon is considered a difficult and complex achievement by any watch manufacture.