Important Watches, Wristwatches and C...

Geneva, Hotel Des Bergues, Oct 18, 1997

LOT 466

Hikers a Paris, No. 425, circa 1795. Fine and unusual 18K gold dumb quarter repeating, calendar watch with table of the equation of time.

CHF 10,000 - 12,000

C. Double body polished with winding hole shutter, made by Amy Gros (Master mark) of the type used by Breguet for the first series of Perpetuelles an early Garde Temps. D. White enamel with Breguet numerals and inner calendar and days of the week indication. Blued steel Breguet hands. M. Hinged gilt brass full plate with baluster pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, plain brass three-arm balance, blued steel flat balance spring, gilt brass continental cock with agate end-stone. The movement is fitted into a wider gilt brass dial plate engraved the the table of equation of time. Repeating on the edge of the dial plate by depressing the pendant. Signed on the back plate. Diam. 51 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: A

Good
Case: 4

Fair
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 27-54

Custom-made

Service dial

Notes

After the French Revolution, most of watchmakers were consc ripted to work for the army. The few makers available when business picked-up after the Terreur, to meet the demand of watches, had to case old movements, left in stock prior to these troubled times. Since the fashion evol ved from small sized watches (40 - 42 mm) to much larger time-keepers, these small movements had to be fitted within much wider dial plates which usually, for the repeating watches were employed to secure the gongs, newly invented by Breguet. In this specific and apparently unique example, the wide dial plate rim is engraved with the table of equation of time and its inner border raised in order to be knocked by the hammers.