Only Online Auction
Geneva, Dec 08, 2022
LOT 178
L. Leroy & Co.
Chronometer pocket watch, split-seconds chronograph, minute counter, stop-seconds, Bulletin of the Astronomical Observatory of Besançon; silver
CHF 2,000 - 4,000
EUR 2,000 - 4,000 / USD 2,100 - 4,200 / HKD 16,400 - 32,700
Sold: CHF 2,500
Silver, open-face, keyless-winding, round-shaped, pocket chronometer, with subsidiary seconds at 6, stop-seconds (activated by the round push-piece located on the case-band at 9 o’clock), and three horological complications:
· 1/5 second chronograph (activated by the single round-shaped push-piece located on the winding-crown)
· Split-seconds (activated by the olive-shaped push-piece located on the case-band at 11 o’clock)
· 60-minute counter (subsidiary dial at 12 o’clock)
White colour enamel dial, with suspended Arabic numerals; blued steel “Spade” hands.
Case-back polished; cuvette (dome) polished.
19’’’, gilded brass, going barrel, straight-line lever escapement, cut bimetallic compensated Guillaume balance with gold poising screws and blued steel hairspring with terminal curve, polished steel index-regulator; chronograph work on the top plate; split-seconds work mounted under the dial; “viper’s head” stamp of the Besançon Observatory for a First Class Bulletin de marche.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AA |
Very good |
Case: 3 |
|
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-71-01-05 |
ENAMEL AND VARIOUS TYPES OF DECORATION Hairlines HANDS Original HANDS Luminous material reapplied |
Brand L. Leroy & Cie, Paris (7, boulevard de la Madeleine)
Model “Horloger de la Marine”; having won a First Class Bulletin de marche from the Astronomical Observatory of Besançon
Year circa 1923
Movement No. No. 13 416
Case No. No. 14 856 (by Société Générale des monteurs de boîtes d’or, Besançon)
Material silver
Diameter Ø 54.8 mm.
Caliber 19’’’, straight-line lever escapement, Besançon Observatory seal
Weight 110.4 gr. (approx.)
Signature dial, case and movement
Notes
The watch was delivered on July 27, 1923, to Mr. Germain-Alexis Doninelli, “Horloger-mécanicien de l’Observatoire”, Nice (5 bis traverse Longchamp) and paid on August 6, 1923, for the amount of 2 100 francs.
We would like to thank the Leroy Heritage department for kindly providing us with the above-mentioned historical information from the Manufacture’s archives.
Provenance
Guillaume balance
The Guillaume balance is a compensated bimetallic balance, made of anibal (an alloy of steel and nickel) and brass, after the works of Dr. Charles-Edouard Guillaume (1861-1938), with which the middle-temperature error is practically eliminated. The middle- temperature error (or Dent’s anomaly), is the difference between the rate of a chronometer at the mean temperature and the average of the rates at extreme temperatures. This type of balance was used by the horological manufactories since 1904.
CONDITIONS AND INFORMATION FOR BUYERS.
The purchase price payable by a buyer will be the sum of the final bid price plus the buyer’s premium, together with any applicable sales or compensating use tax. In addition to the hammer price, the buyer’s premium is payable as follows: 26% of the hammer price on each lot.
Please look carefully at all the photos as they are an integral part of the description. Any defect not mentioned in the descriptions but visible on the photos will be considered as described and cannot lead to any claim. The dimensions are given as an indication and may slightly differ from the measures mentioned by the manufacturers especially for contemporary watches. The photos are not retouched. Colors may differ from reality. For timepieces, we guarantee neither the functioning nor the precision of the movement, nor the water-resistance of the case. In addition, please note that movements, parts of mechanisms or cases may be incomplete.
The lots are sold “as is”, described to the best of our knowledge and cannot be returned. Once the online bid is placed by the bidder, it cannot be cancelled.