Important Collectors Wristwatches, P...
Geneva, Mandarin Oriental Hotel Du Rhône, May 13, 2007
LOT 239
Wandering Hours" Johann Christoph Strigell, Kreilsheim. Made circa 1700. Very fine and very rare, silver, pair-cased, wandering hour pocket watch.
CHF 20,000 - 30,000
EUR 12,000 - 15,000 / USD 16,000 - 20,000
Sold: CHF 37,760
C. Outer: two-body, "bassine", square hinge, the back with radial fluted pattern and central rosette, the bezel decorated with an alternating diamond and dot design. Inner: two-body, "bassine" polished, deep back, split bezel. D. Silver, aperture for the wandering hours with finely chased foliate gilt mask, Roman hour numerals in two further apertures, outer minute sector with Arabic five-minute numerals, inner scale from 1-4, finely pierced and chased gilt foliate mask below the dial. M. 40 mm., frosted gilt full plate, large pierced foliate pillars, fusee with chain, verge escapement, three-arm steel balance, short balance spring, finely pierced and engraved foliate winged balance cock, silver regulation disc. Dial and movement signed. Diam. 57 mm.
| Grading System | |
|---|---|
Grade: AAA |
Excellent |
Case: 3 |
Good |
Movement: 3* |
Good Overhaul recommended, at buyer's expense |
Dial: 3-01 |
Good HANDS Original |
Notes
is listed in: Jurgen Abeler book "Meister der Uhrmacherkunst", 1977 edition. working at the end of the 17th century and beginning of the 18th century.
Wandering Hour Dial
An annular slit extending throgh half a circle appears in the upper half of the dial. Round its outer edge on the dial plate are numbers 0-60 in five minute intervals and minute graduations. Under the dial plate is another rotating plate, the full diameter of the dial. Two holes are cut out of the rotating plate exactly opposite to each other, pivoted to the rotating plate are two smaller rotating plates, one carrying the odd numerals from 1-XI, the other the even numerals from II-XII. These numbers appear each through one of the circles, by means of a detent the numbered plates are advanced once an hour. When one hour numeral disappears from view the next one appears at the other side at 0. The wandering hour feature is usually found on German watches of the late 17th and early 18th Century, and rarely on English watches of the same period.