Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York, Jun 14, 2006

LOT 96

"Grande Seconde" Jaquet Droz, Genève, "Hommage Genève 1784" - "Grande Seconde", Numerus Clausus No. 3/8, Ref. J003033216. Made in a limited edition of only 8 examples in 2003. Very fine and rare, large, self-winding, water-resistant, 18K white gold gentleman's wristwatch with regulator-style rutilated dial with oversized seconds indication and an 18K white gold Jaquet Droz buckle. Accompanied by a wooden fitted box and a certificate.

USD 8,000 - 12,000

EUR 6,500 - 9,000

Sold: USD 14,160

C. Three-body, solid, polished, transparent case back, rounded band and bezel, curved concave lugs, sapphire crystals. D. Matte silver off-center dial for the hours and minutes with painted radial Roman numerals, below a large subsidiary dial for the seconds with painted Arabic numerals, framed by a beveled white gold ring secured to a rutilated dial base plate with 3 blued steel screws. Blued steel "alpha" hands. M. Cal. 2663.4 (base FP 1153), rhodium-plated, "fausses côtes" decoration, 30 jewels, straight line lever escapement, monometallic balance adjusted to 5 positions, shock-absorber, selfcompensating flat balance-spring, twin barrels, 18K white gold rotor. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 43 mm. Thickness 12 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 2

Very good
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

Rutilated Quartz Rutile, a mineral with a hardness of 6 on the Mohs hardness scale, is a major ore of titanium. It often forms needle-like crystal inclusions inside quartz. This type of quartz is known as rutilated quartz and its inclusions look like small bars of imbedded gold. Rutilated quartz is found in Australia, Brazil, Kazakhstan, Madagascar, Norway, Pakistan and the United States. Because of its exotic beauty the Jaquet Droz Company decided to use rutilated quartz from Brazil as their dial material. The hardness of quartz is 7 and because of the difference in hardness between the two materials and the way rutile forms inside the quartz, it is very hard to craft. The material has to be carefully selected in order to find a very fine, smooth surface without pits and with a sufficiently large concentration of rutile inclusions to make a beautiful dial.