The Sandberg Watch Collection

Hotel Richemond, Geneva, Mar 31, 2001

LOT 189

Chronos at War with Youth and BeautySteven Tracy, Rotterdam, circa 1680.Exceptional and almost unique, pair-cased, astronomical, moon phases, single-hand watch with manual perpetual calendar.

C. Outer: two-body, brass and silver, covered with shagreen, a silver pinwork spinning rosette in the centre, the outer border also with silver pinwork in a repeated pattern. Inner: silver gilt, 'bassine', polished, a filigree plaque inside, riveted to the bottom, with the initials 'AW' framed by a stylised branch with leaves. D. Silver, six concentric indications: in the centre the revolving blued-steel disc with stars and aperture for phases of the moon, a small rotating gilt brass ring for Arbic 24-hour numerals, another silver dial with the age of the moon for 29 1/2 days, a quarter-hour ring and Roman hour chapters in a reserve, a further blued-steel ring with pointer indicating the day of the month, and finally the indications of the month and their duration. Blued-steel hand.M. 46.2mm o, gilt brass full plate, fusee and chain, verge escapement, large flat polished steel three-arm balance, rack and pinion regulator with early blued-steel balance spring, worm and wheel set up below the mainspring barrel. The cock table has Chronos attacked by allegories of youth and beauty whom he will ultimately destroy. He stands on a skull on the cock foot, on which there is also a sandglass and torch, and through which the regulator and winding squares protrude. There is a snake,epresenting Eternity, along the edge of the foot and on either side of it, on the top plate are two putti in a woodland setting. Four scenes around the edge of the movement have allegories of the four seasons and the four ages of man combined.Signed on the edge of the regulator plate.Diam. 62 mm. Published in the Sandberg book, pages 98-99.