Important Collectors Watches, Pocket ...

Geneva, Mar 29, 2009

LOT 458

Observatory Tested Independent Center- Seconds & Minute-Repeating LeCoultre, No. 19754, finished by Louis Laclef, Fabricant a Besancon. Made circa 1880, sold by Ed. Loel, 59, Rue des Francs- Bourgeois, to M. Foucher on May 1, 1899 for 1000 Francs. Very fine and very rare, heavy, minute-repeating, 18K yellow gold, two-train, keyless pocket watch with independent center-seconds and double gold wheel train, regulated by Jules Golay and tested by the Besancon Observatory in 1881 recording a variation of 3 seconds in 24 hours. Accompanied by the original hand-written Besancon Observatory certificate dated August 8, 1881 and signed by Jules Golay, original Loeb receipt and repair bill dated 1906.

CHF 15,000 - 20,000

USD 13,000 - 17,000 / EUR 10,000 - 13,000

Sold: CHF 27,600

C. Four body, massive, "demi-bassine", polished, button at 11 for the hand-setting, the start/stop for the center seconds in the crown. Hinged gold cuvette engraved with the technical details and with engine-turned border. D. White enamel with royal blue radial Roman numerals, outer red minute track and blue Arabic five-minute numerals. Gold Louis XVI hands. M. 46 mm., 20''', rhodium plated, 46 jewels, two-train with tandem winding, double gold wheel train, counterpoised straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensation balance, blued steel Breguet balance spring with overcoil, index regulator, repeating on gongs activated by a slide on the band. Signed by on the cuvette. Diam. 55 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 2-01

Very good

HANDS Original

Notes

This watch is exceptional in that it was submitted for Observatory testing, this is highly unusual for a watch that has both repeating and two trains because any added complications in a watch are likely to affect the timekeeping properties of the watch adversely. This watch was obviously very highly regarded and its potential as a timekeeper noticed by the maker. It was regulated by the great Jules Golay himself and he recorded that is had a variation rate of 3 seconds over 24 hours. The survival of the original Besancon certificate signed by Golay is extremely rare for a watch of this date. With the single button in the crown for the start and stop of the center-seconds, this watch can be used to all intents and purposes as a chronograph but of course without the return-to-zero function.
Independent Center-Seconds In 1776, in Geneva, Moise Pouzait invented the independent dead seconds mechanism in which the movement has two trains, one conventional, and the second with a sweep-seconds hand which can be stopped without stopping the main train.