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Hotel Nogalhilton Geneve, Nov 11, 2001

LOT 50

Timekeeper with 2 ComplicationsJohan Pechan in Wien, circa 1825.Very fine and unusual 18K gold, double face, World Time watch with date, 24-hour indication, special duplex escapement, and stopping device.

CHF 60,000 - 75,000

USD 38,000 - 48,000

C. Two-body, "Empire", engine-turned back, fluted band, spring-loaded gilt brass cuvette mounted on the movement ring with apertures for date, small seconds, date adjustment, winding, setting and cock endstone plate. D. White enamel, Roman numerals with outer minute ring, inner radially painted names of 50 different major cities of the world with innermost 24-hour rotating dial with day and night indication, outer gilt metal ring with quarter-hour divisions. Hollow blued steel Breguet hands. Theother side with small seconds in silver with gilt brass center and 31-day small date dial finished en suite. M. 54 mm, gilt brass full plate, turned baluster pillars, going barrel, double-wheel duplex escapement, three-arm plain steel balance, blued steel flat balance spring with Bosley regulator fitted with compensation curb, steel "beam" cock, small stopping lever for precision regulating, acting on the circumference of the balance with other end protruding below the cuvette.Signed on the movement, case stamped with Austro-Hungarian Empire gold marks used between 1824 and 1866. Diam. 60 mm.


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Grading System
Grade:
Case: 3

Good
Movement: 3*

Good

Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense
Dial: 3 - 13 - 01

Notes

An unusual watch because of its layout, its high standard of execution, and because it employs an early time zone system.The history of multiple time zone indications is interesting. According to the London "Annual Register" for 1821, Mr. Kuchajewski of Warsaw, Poland, constructed "an astronomical watch, which indicated the time differences in the principal places in various parts of the globe". Kuchajewski's watch was presented to Emperor Alexander I (1777-1825), who "assigned him a sum to enale him to continue his important scientific labor". In the last quarter of the 19th century a number of patents related to multiple time zones were registered, the early ones were based on rotating single dial with names of cities painted radially, with inner 12-hour reference dial. The first patent, No. 1820, was registered on December 12, 1889 by Dr. Tinney of Berlin. A year later, on August 22, 1890, Louis-Philippe Wuillemin of Soutz registered patent No. 2523, describing a system very similato the one in this watch - but about 60 years later. Yet another system was employed for lot No. 114. The patents that followed later focused on ways of setting the correct time for any given city.Johan Pechan is listed as working in Vienna from at least 1794 onwards.