Important Watches, Pocket Watches and...

Noga Hilton Hotel, Nov 13, 2005

LOT 135

?Keyless Cover Winding? B. Haas Jeune, Genève-Paris, No. 15795. Made circa 1885. Very fine 18K gold, hunting-cased lever chronometre pocket watch with ?remontoire perpétuel à décrochement? keyless cover winding. Accompanied by copies of the original patents.

CHF 12,000 - 14,000

EUR 8,000 - 9,000 / USD 9,000 - 11,000

C Four-body, ?bassine?, front cover engraved with a monogram, the back with a trophy of happy marriage. Gold hinged cuvette. D. White enamel, radial Roman numerals, outer minute track with five-minute gilt painted Arabic numerals, subsidiary seconds. Gold ?spade? hands. M. 40 mm (18'''), maillechort, ?fausses-côtes? decoration, stamped twice with Seal of Geneva Quality Mark, calibrated and counterpoised straight line lever escapement, cut-bimetallic compensation balance with blued steel Breguet balance spring, index regulator, patented winding mechanism by closing the cover which transmits the power via two levers to a ratchet wheel on the barrel arbour, a safety device disengaging the mechanism when fully wound, going train with an additional wheel driving a steel wheel fixed to the center wheel having half the diameter of the driving one, second motion train driven from the canon pinion and advanced directly by pushing the teeth of the minute wheel. Signed on the cuvette. Diam. 53 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AAA

Excellent
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3-01

Good

HANDS Original

Notes

In 1873 Benjamin Haas patented an interesting winding mechanism (English patent No. 3945 of Dec 2, 1873). The idea was to utilize the energy generated when closing the front cover to wind the watch. The initial idea was improved; his watch features a welldeveloped system with a 36-hour power reserve generated by 12 closings. To achieve this, Haas changed the going train, adding an additional wheel, which allowed him three hours' winding by a single closing. He designed a safety device disengaging the mechanism when fully wound, which prevented damage to the cover.