Important Collectors' Wristwatches, P...
New York, Jun 11, 2009
LOT 69
Platinum Master Minute Repeater Jaeger-LeCoultre, "Master Minute Repeater Antoine LeCoultre," No. 192/200, case No. 0052, Ref. 151.6.67.S. Made in a limited edition of 200 pieces in 2006, sold December 28th, 2007. Very fine and rare, oversized, minute-repeating, water-resistant, platinum wristwatch with 15-day power reserve, spring torque indication and an 18K white gold Jaeger-LeCoultre deployant clasp. Accompanied by the original wooden box, loupe, Certificate of Origin, Guarantee and instruction booklet.
USD 80,000 - 100,000
EUR 60,000 - 75,000 / CHF 90,000 - 115,000
Sold: USD 126,000
C. Three-body, solid, polished, transparent case back with 4 screws, concave lugs, sapphire crystals. D. Satiné silver with applied white gold dart indexes, Arabic numerals and luminous dots, sectors for the 15-day up-and-down and spring torque indications, large apertures to view movement details. Luminous white gold alpha hands. M. Cal. 947, rhodium-plated, fausses cotes decoration, 43 jewels, straight-line lever escapement, monometallic balance, shock absorber, self-compensating Breguet balance spring, duo spring barrels, repeating on gongs by activating slide on the band. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 44 mm. Thickness 15 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: |
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Case: 1 |
As new |
Movement: 1 |
As new |
Dial: 1-01 |
As new HANDS Original |
Notes
A minute repeating watch tells the time both visually and audibly. A slide on the side of the case, usually near the 9, will activate two hammers in the movement. These hammers strike two gongs curled within the case. First one hammer strikes a gong of lower tonality; it counts out the hours. Then both hammers strike both gongs alternatively to count out the quarter hours after that hour, and then the second hammer alone striking a gong of higher tonality counts out the minutes after that quarter hour. The repeating mechanism was developed by Daniel Quare, who in 1687 patented a mechanism that sounded the hours and the quarter hours. The early repeaters used bells. At the end of the 18th cen-tury, two bent-wire gongs became the more popular mechanism. The first minute repeater wristwatch was produced by Omega in 1892; it was a model with a round-shaped case. Since that time, most watchmakers and manufacturers have created quarter and minute repeating watches. From the beginning of the 20th century many of the most important creators, watchmakers or manufacturers have produced minute repeating wristwatches, always in limited editions, for the most sophisticated collectors in the world.