Important Collectors’ Wristwatches, P...

New York, Dec 07, 2005

LOT 42

"Régulateur-Tourbillon" Chronoswiss, "Régulateur-Tourbillon", No. 03/044, Ref. CH 3121 R. Made in a limited number circa 2000. Very fine and rare, water-resistant, 18K pink gold gentleman's wristwatch with visible one-minute flying tourbillon regulator, regulator dial, doublebarrel and an 18K pink gold Chronoswiss buckle. Accompanied by a fitted box and certificate.

USD 18,000 - 22,000

EUR 15,000 - 18,000

Sold: USD 21,850

C. Three-body, solid, polished and brushed, transparent screwed-down case back, ribbed back and front bezel, straight lugs, pink gold screwed bars, sapphire crystals. D. ?Guilloché? silver with painted radial Arabic numerals on an outer plain reserve, subsidiary off-center ring dial with painted Roman numerals at 12 for the hours, aperture for the visible tourbillon cage at 6. Blued steel "spade" hands. M. Cal. C. 361, rhodium-plated, ?fausses côtes? decoration, 25 jewels, straight line lever escapement with one-minute flying tourbillon regulator with polished steel cage and blued screws, monometallic balance, shock absorber, selfcompensating flat balance-spring, double barrel. Dial, case and movement signed. Diam. 38 mm. Thickness 11 mm.


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Grading System
Grade: AA

Very good
Case: 2

Very good
Movement: 1

As new
Dial: 1-01

As new

HANDS Original

Notes

What is a Tourbillon? A Tourbillon is a regulating mechanism in which the escapement of a movement is housed within a revolving carriage. It was developed in an effort to attain better precision. When a watch is in a vertical position, the force of gravity will speed the balance wheel as it moves in its downward (arc) direction and slow it as it moves upward, creating deviational errors of timekeeping. By placing the balance and escapement in a carriage that revolves 360° per minute, these errors become averaged and the timekeeping becomes constant and consequently adjustable. Created by Abraham Louis Breguet in 1795, the tourbillon is considered a difficult and complex achievement by any watch manufacturer.